Profile: Teamsters

By Simon Atkinson
Business reporter, BBC News

The modern day Teamsters is keen for further influence

Members of the UK's Unite union have travelled to the US for transatlantic talks with another labour group, Teamsters. But who are they?

While most unions are known only by their members and for mentions in the context of industrial disputes, the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, to give it its full name, has rather more notoriety in the US and beyond.

While Teamsters is one of the largest unions in the US, founded over a century ago and with more than 1.4 million members, it also has a murky past.

Much of this is to do with one man - James Riddle Hoffa - who became its leader in 1957 and led it until 1971.

Mystery

Teamsters had grown from a group representing milk and bread delivery men. It built its membership base on blue-collar workers.

It used to be known as the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, Chauffeurs, Warehousemen and Helpers of America.

But under Hoffa's leadership and beyond it became strongly associated with organised crime.

Hoffa disappeared in 1975, when he went to meet a mob figure and another union official in Michigan. His body has never been found and his presumed murder has become something of a crime mystery.

So fascinating was Hoffa's life, from his opposition to President Kennedy to his jailing for jury tampering and fraud, that he was portrayed by Jack Nicholson in a 1992 film.

'Reaching out'

The disappearance of Hoffa did not end the union's tarnished image and while Teamsters continued, it had to fend off pressure from the US justice department to take it over.

But it battled on and by the 1990's had became the largest, most powerful US trade union.

Now its membership runs from airline pilots to zoo keepers. It also includes many white collar professional groups.

Significantly for Unite, Teamsters boasts among its membership about 40,000 who work in the airline industry.

Among its most notable victories was over the postal and delivery firm UPS, where a 15-day strike led to chunky pay rises and pension benefits for workers.

It has also secured better deals for its members working at US ports and airports.

Among its current campaigns are more parking for long-distance lorry drivers.

Teamsters is now led by James Hoffa Jr, son of Jimmy Hoffa. Its website features a uniformed union organiser man pointing, Lord Kitchener-esque, claiming "I Want You".

While Teamsters is still powerful, its influence, like that of other unions, has slipped, says Professor Harley Shaiken of the University of California.

This is partly because of the way labour groups have been hit by globalisation and the economic downturn, he says.

This makes it tempting for them to form alliances with worker representatives in other parts of the world, such as Unite, he says.

"The time to reach out is not when you need an ally, but when you might be able to do something to start building a relationship."

Are you a member of the Teamsters union? Do you back the BA strikes? What part do you think the Teamsters should play in the strikes, if any? Send us your comments using the form below.