Brotherhood of Maintenance of Way Employes

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The agenda for the third and final day of the 2026 Sixth Quadrennial BMWED National Division Convention featured detaile...
06/24/2026

The agenda for the third and final day of the 2026 Sixth Quadrennial BMWED National Division Convention featured detailed reports on the Brotherhood’s recent work on hot-button issues like the proposed Union Pacific-Norfolk Southern merger and the battle around automated track inspection.

Brother Zachary Wood, BMWED Director of Strategic Coordination and Research, gave a thorough account of our work so far concerning the largest proposed merger of freight railroads ever – the first coast-to-coast freight railroad totaling 50,000 route miles across 43 states – and our rationale for standing opposed to it.

When Union Pacific CEO Jim Vena announced last year that any Unionized railroader would have a “guaranteed job” upon the completion of his proposed merger, Director Wood explained that our Union investigated this “promise.” What we quickly found, and what we have only grown more assured of, is that this statement was hollow. A good sound bite for a press conference, but insincere when compared to reality.

“There was no written agreement. No enforceable protection. No defined process for how those so-called guaranteed jobs would be protected, where those jobs would be located, what would happen if work was shifted, consolidated, sold, leased or transferred or whether those employees would be protected under terms strong enough to survive the actual transaction,” Director Wood said. “For Wall Street investors, the announcement was an attractive headline. For BMWED, it was a call to action.”

Together with our partners in the Teamster Rail Conference, the BLET, we were the first labor organization to sit down with U.P. following the merger announcement. We quickly learned that CEO Vena’s proposed “job for life” guarantee contained too many contractual holes and too little protection for our members. Other labor organizations took him up on the flimsy promise, but we stood firm in demanding more substance for BMWED and BLET support.

“Here is a detail the Carrier did not put in their press release,” Brother Wood told the delegation. “Their ‘jobs for life’ commitment does not take effect until the ink is dry on final approval. Until then both railroads can furlough freely while the STB reviews the application.”

He added: “The Teamsters Rail Conference is demanding protections that begin the day the STB accepted the application and go beyond the statutory minimums required under New York Dock. A commitment that starts at the finish line is not a commitment.”

Since that initial meeting, we have gone to Wall Street and meet with consequential business leaders, investors and bankers, the likes of UBS, Bank of America, Wells Fargo, Susquehanna and Goldman Sachs. Our message was blunt.

We made it clear that a rail merger of this size cannot be judged only by what it may do for shareholders in the next quarter. Without real enforceable protections for the people who inspect, maintain and operate this railroad, this transaction creates an immediate threat to the American supply chain, to consumers and to national defense.

A weakened rail network does not just affect railroad workers. It affects chemical producers, energy markets, agriculture, manufacturers, ports, military readiness and every community that depends on rail service to be safe and efficient.

We also told the financial community that too much power concentrated in one rail carrier creates risks that do not stay inside the railroad industry.

Those risks spread into other investments into other sectors of the economy and eventually onto the American taxpayer. When the railroads cut too deep defer too much and centralize too much control the public will be left holding the bag when the system fails.

Union Pacific and Norfolk Southern are asking federal regulators to approve a transaction that touches every piece of the American economy: shippers, farmers, chemical producers, energy companies, manufacturers and the communities that depend on safe, reliable, competitive freight rail.

The Teamsters Rail Conference began reaching out to groups we do not always agree with.

Normally, organized labor, shippers and competing railroads are on different sides of the table. On this single issue, we find ourselves looking at the same problem. Those conversations led to the formation
of the Stop the Rail Merger Coalition.

That coalition includes labor organizations, shipper groups, agricultural interests, manufacturing and energy stakeholders, and Union Pacific’s competitor railroads.

It exists for one purpose: to stop a merger that creates a monopolistic threat to workers, customers, communities and the American supply chain.

In closing, Director Wood was pointed in his remarks.

“BMWED members should have confidence not just in our opposition, but in our approach,” he said. “This is not resistance for its own sake. This is strategic work, done through the right channels, with the right partners, at every level of the process.”

On the automated track inspection front, Brother A.J. Bastedo addressed the assembled delegates to provide a status update. Brother Bastedo has been brought on by National Division to work alongside Director of Safety Roy Morrison to confront this ongoing issue.

Since just before May 1st of last year, when the Association of American Railroads submitted its petition to reduce required visual track inspections, the membership of this union has been fighting back, Brother Bastedo told the group.

“And I want to be very clear about something,” he said. “The reason we were able to push back against this proposal was not because of lawyers, consultants, or lobbyists. It was because of railroaders. It was because of you. And today, the data is proving you were right.”

As new ATI data is becoming available from the initial FRA waivers granted to the freights, we are learning what we suspected was true. Human inspectors continue to find thousands of defects and identify conditions after ATI equipment has already passed through the territory.
Overwhelmingly, the majority of defects continue to be found by railroaders on the ground – not by machines.

“And most importantly,” Brother Bastedo said, “they've shown the public, and hopefully regulators and legislators what the men and women in this room already knew:

Technology can help us. Technology can provide another tool. Technology can improve efficiency. But technology is not a replacement for trained railroaders. It never has been. And it never will be.”

Other things of note from Day 3 of the convention were recognitions of many soon-to-be retiring members of National Division: Vice President Staci Moody-Gilbert, Director of Government Affairs Jeff Joines, and Sister Sonia Pettaway, Office Coordinator and Assistant in our Legislative Office.

“Sister Staci broke the glass ceiling of this Brotherhood, becoming the first woman General Chairperson and first National Division Vice President,” BMWED President Tony Cardwell said. “She is one of the hardest working and most compassionate people I have ever met. She started the Veterans Caucus and has taken the Diversity Committee to new heights. She has been a great help and support to me.”
On the departing Director Joines, President Cardwell gave high regards.

“I would argue that Brother Jeff is one of the greatest men who has ever served this Brotherhood,” he said. “After P.E.B. 250, I had just started in this position and Jeff was a rock that I depended on daily. I could easily say not a single person in this room would have sick leave without him.”

“Sister Pettaway is our secret, behind-the-scenes workhorse, who sets up all the meetings and does all the legwork in our Washington, D.C. office,” President Cardwell said. “Jeff, I love you brother, but Sonia’s the brains!”

Today culminates a fantastic week of Brotherhood and solidarity. In all, it was a great example of railroaders coming together to plan for the future and proceed forward doing the important work of our storied Union.

https://www.bmwe.org/secondary.aspx?id=1128

The delegation of the 6th Quadrennial National Division Convention today re-elected BMWED-IBT President Tony D. Cardwell...
06/23/2026

The delegation of the 6th Quadrennial National Division Convention today re-elected BMWED-IBT President Tony D. Cardwell, Secretary-Treasurer Dale E. Bogart Jr. and four National Division vice presidents to new four-year terms at the helm of our great Brotherhood.

Burlington Northern System Federation General Chairman John Mozinski Jr. was elected for the first time as Vice President, replacing the retiring Northwest Region Vice President, Staci Moody-Gilbert.

In a strong statement of steadfast support and confidence, the delegation reaffirmed the direction of our Union by electing the entire slate of National Division officers by acclamation, the first time in decades the membership has placed such uniform trust in its leadership.

“I want to thank all the delegates and the members who have entrusted their confidence and support in our National Division officers,” President Cardwell said. “You can be assured that we will continue to fight and win and deliver on our mission of putting the membership first.”

Along with President Cardwell and Secretary-Treasurer Bogart, the other National Division Vice Presidents re-elected to four-year terms are:

Jeff Fry, Vice President At-Large
John Mozinski Jr., Vice President Northwest
Galen Owen, Vice President West
Reese Saulter III, Vice President South
Seán Gerie, Vice President Northeast

Additionally, the entirety of the National Division Executive Board was re-elected to new terms. They are:

Brian Rumler, At-Large
George Loveland, At-Large
Joe Letizia, Northwest
Thomas Blackwell, West
Patrick Quigley, South
Anthony Sessa, Northeast

Building on the administration’s wins and results over the last four years and continuing to strengthen a Brotherhood that grows fiercer and more formidable every day is the overarching objective this slate of officers will carry forward into the upcoming fights on the horizon. The trust imposed on these officers today by the delegation carrying the weight of our membership is cherished and taken with upmost sincerity and determination.

The convention’s second day also saw a litany of guest speakers, including a visit from Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker, who reminded the maintenance of way members that they “will always have a seat at my table.”

“I will ensure the massive tech changes in your industry don’t leave workers behind,” Governor Pritzker said. “I don’t want to hand over the focus of safety to new tech. Innovation should strengthen the workforce, not replace it.”

U.S. Senator Josh Hawley, Republican from Missouri, sent in his support with a video message since he regretfully could not attend in person. In his message, he reiterated his support for organized railroaders and the BMWED, and pledged his support for bills in Congress, including the Railway Safety Act and the Faster Labor Contracts Act, which would accelerate the negotiation process for an initial collective bargaining agreement after a new union is certified.

“We must continue to remind these corporate CEOs that there is a right and a wrong,” Senator Hawley said. “It is absolutely your right to be paid what you deserve, and it is wrong that these corporations fight you on your worth. These companies have lost their moral compass.”

Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen President Mark Wallace also spoke to the assembled delegation. President Wallace highlighted the renewed cooperation and solidarity between or two Unions and how our collective strength as empowered the Teamsters Rail Conference, in which the BLET and BMWED comprise.

“Every engineer in America depends on the work of every brother and sister in this room and I thank you for your hard work everyday building, maintaining and repairing the track on which we ride,” President Wallace said. “There is no better advocate against automated track inspection than a locomotive engineer. Every single time you replace a track inspector with a computer, my members’ lives are at risk.”

“Over the last several years, our relationship in the Teamsters Rail Conference has never been stronger and that has resulted in us leading in Washington, D.C.,” President Wallace added.

Brotherhood of Railroad Signalmen President Mike Baldwin also spoke, reiterating the sentiments of stronger solidarity and collective strength of our two Unions.

“Solidarity is not just something to talk about, it is something to act on,” President Baldwin said. “Everyday, on every property, in every bargaining round and in every fight, we must and we will work together in collective unity.”

The delegation will return to the convention hall tomorrow morning at 9 a.m. to wrap up the work of the BMWED National Division Convention. Stay tuned here for continued coverage as we move into the third and final day of our Union’s collective and vital work.

https://www.bmwe.org/secondary.aspx?id=1127

Delegates from more than 350 lodges across the Brotherhood’s 12 system federations gathered today in Chicago to begin th...
06/22/2026

Delegates from more than 350 lodges across the Brotherhood’s 12 system federations gathered today in Chicago to begin the important work of the 6th Quadrennial National Division Convention of the BMWED-IBT.

National Division President Tony D. Cardwell delivered the State of the Union keynote address to the assembled delegation, reenforcing the values that have held strong throughout our Union’s 139-year history.

“Our forefathers dealt with mergers, technological developments, greedy bosses, bad government, and big money,” President Cardwell said. “They stood together and fought. We are at a different time and face new hurdles, but the principles are the same.”

“This is why our theme for this convention is so fitting – WE LEAD THE WAY,” he added. “We not only lead by making sure the backbone of American railways is strong, we lead the way because this Union has always stood up in the face of adversity to fight for workers and make a difference.”

President Cardwell emphasized the insatiable greed of the railroad executives, noting that despite labeling railroad workers “essential” during the pandemic, they relentlessly pursue measures that lend no credence to that sentiment.

“A year after the pandemic, greedy executives sent a chemical bomb into East Palestine, Ohio via a defective train car that should have been stopped,” President Cardwell said. “Immediately afterward, they sent BMWED members to work in chemical pools without proper protective equipment until the Union made them stop. One can easily surmise that safety is an afterthought in the face of profit.”

The railroads continue to show no remorse for the derailment. Perversely, they have only accelerated their greed through their despicable lobby group, the American Association of Railroads (AAR). Through the AAR, the railroads have viciously opposed any new regulations. In fact, they are attempting to get the largest deregulation in their history.

“The railroads came up with the brilliant idea of replacing visual track inspections with 40-year-old track geometry machines,” President Cardwell told the delegation. “They continue to lie to the public, claiming that the technology is new and can find 90 percent more defects.”

“If this were true, our workforce would increase by 90 percent to fix the defects,” President Cardwell added.

“Again, rotten railroad executives openly stated in investor forums that they will simply program the automated track inspection to ignore the FRA 213.9 defects that these idiots deem not dangerous,” President Cardwell said. “Hmmm, maybe they will continue to ignore defects like the ones that caused the East Palestine derailment? That is exactly what they are trying to do!”

In addition to the greed of ATI, Union Pacific’s acquisition of Norfolk Southern has brought much public ridicule, and deservedly so. President Cardwell noted that the venture is “so stupid that, for the first time, Union Pacific has managed to force the shippers and the BMWED into coalitions opposing a merger.”

Despite the overarching greed of the railroads, our Brotherhood has fought back and won. We have led the way and we will continue the march toward victories. The BMWED has proven we can fight and win and has achieved significant triumphs since our last convention in 2022.

In Presidential Emergency Board 250, we retained significant per diem improvements that escalate with CONUS; per diem has not changed for 28 years.

We established paid sick leave across most railroads in the industry, and we will not stop pushing until it is all railroads.

Our federations and arbitration office have won millions of dollars in claims for membership, including RailPro flagging claims, setting precedents for thousands of future flagging claims.

Together, we reduced the qualifying years for vacation accrual. We negotiated several national agreements in this last round ahead of or close to the moratorium. We fought back as a collective Union and reversed a serious attack on Railroad Retirement, convincing the government to change course and came together to get Department of Transportation assurance that any restructuring of Amtrak would not affect BMWED workers there.

“The strategies for fights do not all come from this Union’s leadership,” President Cardwell said. “They come from you – the members.”

“When the ATI fight began, we knew the only way to win was with working members who knew this work. We have brought on members to conduct hundreds of interviews with Track Inspectors nationwide. The information and ideas provided by membership are instrumental in our fight. Attorneys, government leaders and other Unions who watched this fight have said this is the strongest fight they have ever seen on a rule-making issue like this.”

President Cardwell added, “I am convinced that if we all recognized who we are fighting with and focus our efforts, we operate at our best and give ourselves the best chance to win.”

Proceeding President Cardwell’s State of the Union, BMWED National Division Secretary-Treasurer Dale E. Bogart Jr. addressed the delegation, summarizing the financial situation of the Brotherhood, which is strong.

“I can confidently report that the financial stability of this Brotherhood is significantly stronger today than it was four years ago,” Secretary-Treasurer Bogart said. “We remain financially positioned to confront the challenges that lie ahead while continuing to protect the interests of our members, their families and the communities in which they work and live.”

Secretary-Treasurer Bogart informed the delegates that the BMWED has achieved balance budgets and generated operating surpluses in three of the last four years. Membership increased by 6.5 percent between August 2022 and April 2026, reversing a trend of decline and reflecting the Brotherhood’s continued efforts to organize, retain and serve its membership.

In addition to Brothers Cardwell and Bogart, other guest speakers addressed the room. U.S. Rep. Dina Titus and Rep. Chuy Garcia brought the house down with stirring remarks in support of rail workers. They have both been key legislators in leading efforts on rail safety and visual track inspection measures on Capitol Hill.

Speaking on the Secure Tracks Act legislation she has led in Congress, Rep. Titus spoke highly of the work our BMWED Legislative team, led by Director Jeff Joines and his staff, has done to help her progress language out of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee.

“There were a lot of people saying, you can’t do it, the railroad lobby is too strong, you’ll just p**s people off, you’ll never do it, but guess what, we did do it!” she said. “I was shouting from the rooftops that the rail workers know best what is the safest way to inspect track. We make a good team and I look forward to seeing it across the finish line.”

Rep. Garcia spoke on the Railway Safety Act, which has garnered bi-partisan support and includes vital measures for all railroaders.

“The Railway Safety Act is an important step forward and we cannot allow safety reforms to remain stuck while risks continue to grow,” he said. “ATI is not a substitute for experience, judgment and expertise of human inspectors, who find problems that machines miss.”

In addition to speakers, the delegation did take up some important work, including deliberation of the Brotherhood’s operating bylaws. A proposal to change delegate election of National Division officers, including president, secretary-treasurer and vice presidents, saw general debate and opinions on both sides of the measure but ultimately was solidly voted down.

Delegates will return to the convention hall tomorrow at 9 a.m. CT to resume the important work of our Brotherhood, including the election of National Division officers. Stay tuned for more additional coverage as the convention proceeds Tuesday morning.

https://www.bmwe.org/secondary.aspx?id=1126

Delegate registration began today in Chicago, Illinois for the 6th Quadrennial BMWED-IBT Regular Convention. The delegat...
06/21/2026

Delegate registration began today in Chicago, Illinois for the 6th Quadrennial BMWED-IBT Regular Convention. The delegation representing lodges on 12 system federations nationwide will chart the course and governance of our Union, beginning tomorrow when the call to order officially opens proceedings at 9 a.m. CT.

Stay tuned to the BMWED Facebook and Instagram pages, along with updates on our website (www.bmwe.org) for updates and reports as the official convention business begins in earnest tomorrow morning.

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Today, we salute the railroad dads. Early risers, hard workers, problem solvers, and everyday heroes, whether at home or...
06/21/2026

Today, we salute the railroad dads. Early risers, hard workers, problem solvers, and everyday heroes, whether at home or wherever they are needed most.

To the many BMWED delegates gathered in Chicago this week who are spending Father's Day away from their families to conduct the business of our great Brotherhood, we are especially grateful for your sacrifice and dedication today.

Happy Father's Day to all the railroad dads. Thank you for everything you do, both on the job and at home.

BMWED-IBT President Tony D. Cardwell spoke to the delegation representing 1.3 million Teamsters on Day 3 of the IBT conv...
06/18/2026

BMWED-IBT President Tony D. Cardwell spoke to the delegation representing 1.3 million Teamsters on Day 3 of the IBT convention, where he addressed the prominent issues in the rail industry confronting our members and all railroaders. In close tandem with BLET-IBT President Mark Wallace, President Cardwell commended newly-reelected Teamster General President Sean O'Brien and highlighted the ways the International has strengthened our campaigns. President Cardwell's speech is below:

Brothers and Sisters:

My name is Tony Cardwell.

I serve as President of the Brotherhood of Maintenance of Way Employes Division of the Teamsters Rail Conference.

I stand here representing the men and women who build and maintain the railroad infrastructure this country depends on.

I want to recognize every Teamster in this great union — across every division, every craft, every corner of this country.

You are the ones who go to work, hold the line, and get the job done.

It is your work that moves this country and keeps this economy functioning.

There are so many ways rail workers benefit from being Teamsters.

Teamster leadership has helped us address many issues on a national scale.

A perfect example of that was back in 2022.

After nearly four years of bargaining, the railroads refused to give railroaders a contract.

Teamsters leadership helped secure our release from mediation.

Unfortunately, Congress then imposed a contract on BMWED without sick leave.

Teamsters stood together and fought.

After the railroads were publicly shamed, we broke the industry and gained the first National Sick Leave Agreements.

Other rail unions benefited from the Teamsters’ fight.

80 percent of railroaders now have paid sick leave.

This doesn’t happen without the might of the world's strongest, fastest, and most powerful labor union.

We didn’t stop there.

The fight for sick leave carried right into the next round of national bargaining.

The greedy railroad bosses did not want to get dragged through the mud again.

This leverage helped us secure national agreements in record time.

For the first time in nearly 70 years, BMWED negotiated a national agreement ahead of the moratorium.

Under the Railroad Labor Act, carriers manipulated the law to avoid reaching agreements on time.

They intentionally stall bargaining for their benefit.

Teamsters were able to break this abusive cycle.

That is what the strength of being a Teamster looks like.

Something else has been building in rail labor and within this very International, and I am proud of it.

The relationship between the BMWED and the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen through the Rail Conference has changed the way we fight.

Rail labor has a long history of craft divisions, separate priorities, and separate fights.

That history has cost us.

But right now, we are doing it differently.

BMWED and BLET are working closer together than at any point in our history.

Shoulder to shoulder, we are fighting for the members who build and maintain the track and the people who operate the trains.

Different crafts, same fight, and it has made both organizations stronger.

With the backing of this Teamsters leadership, we have taken that fight beyond the bargaining table and directly to the investors.

That kind of reach only exists because we are Teamsters.

Right now, Teamsters leadership is standing with us on two major issues.
Both of which have the potential to negatively impact rail workers and their families

The first is the attempt by Union Pacific and Norfolk Southern to pursue a merger without providing real worker protections.

We all know what happens when these corporations start talking about mergers.

Jobs disappear, protections get ignored, and working families are left paying the price.

The second issue is automated technology.

We know what that usually means: fewer workers, less accountability, and more risk pushed onto the workers doing the job.

These are fights that will shape the future of our craft.

Once again, the Teamsters are standing with us.

Allow me to speak a little more on these two issues.

This mega merger will reshape the rail industry and ripple through the entire United States economy.

Teamsters rail workers will not let this happen without genuine guarantees that protect workers.

This fight is ongoing in the streets, in the halls of Congress, and in the state capitals.

We have even taken our fight to the doors of Wall Street to let them know union labor will not be left out.

Back to automated technology.

Technology does not replace judgment, and it does not replace experience.

Railroads are trying to use automated track inspection technology and reduce the number of BMWED track inspectors.

If allowed, the railroads are exposing workers, communities, and the environment to serious risks, all to save a buck.

This is not innovation.

It is cost-cutting applied to railroad safety.

Everything we have talked about here, the fight for sick leave, standing up to exploitation, pushing back on consolidation, drawing a line on safety, none of that happens without this union.

It happens because of the strength of every rank-and-file Teamster, carried through every level of this International.

It happens because when we walk into a fight as Teamsters, we are backed by something bigger than any one craft, any one railroad, or any one contract.

The Teamsters Union has stood behind the BMWED and supported our objectives at the table, in Washington, and everywhere our fights are taking place.

That backing matters.

The Teamsters' name matters.

We are proud to be part of that.

Because that is what it means to be a Teamster.

And when we stand together, there is not a greedy corporation in this country that is stronger than this union.

Thank you, and God Bless this great union.

Stop the Rail Merger Coalition today responded to alarming comments made by Union Pacific CEO Jim Vena at an investor co...
06/17/2026

Stop the Rail Merger Coalition today responded to alarming comments made by Union Pacific CEO Jim Vena at an investor conference in which he suggested that the Surface Transportation Board (STB) should rush its review of the proposed UP/NS merger, despite UP/NS’s own failure to provide the information necessary to judge whether the merger is in the public interest.

“Jim Vena wants the STB to short circuit the STB process and rush to a decision with incomplete information. UP/NS have been less than forthcoming so far: This merger proposal will not enhance competition for railroad shippers and will hurt consumers and the American public.”

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE June 17, 2026  WASHINGTON, D.C. — Stop the Rail Merger Coalition today responded to alarming comments made by Union Pacific CEO Jim Vena...

Reminder‼ The BMWED-IBT 6th Regular National Division Convention will be held next week, June 22–24, 2026, in Chicago, I...
06/17/2026

Reminder‼ The BMWED-IBT 6th Regular National Division Convention will be held next week, June 22–24, 2026, in Chicago, Illinois.

Visit www.bmwe.org/weleadtheway for important Convention information, delegate resources, and other helpful materials related to the Convention.

Be sure to follow the BMWED website and social media channels throughout the week for daily updates, Convention results, and highlights from the proceedings.

Teamster General President Sean O’Brien and Secretary-Treasurer Fred Zuckerman have been reelected today at the IBT conv...
06/16/2026

Teamster General President Sean O’Brien and Secretary-Treasurer Fred Zuckerman have been reelected today at the IBT convention.

O’BRIEN, ZUCKERMAN REELECTED TO SECOND FIVE-YEAR TERM LEADING TEAMSTERS

The International Brotherhood of Teamsters announced today that Sean M. O’Brien and Fred Zuckerman have been reelected to another five-year term as General President and General Secretary-Treasurer, respectively, renewing a mandate for powerful, militant leadership on behalf of 1.3 million rank-and-file Teamsters across North America.

The O’Brien-Zuckerman Teamsters United slate was elected by white ballot at the union’s 31st International Convention in Las Vegas following a secret ballot vote of 1,572 delegates. All voting delegates were democratically elected to the convention by rank-and-file members from more than 330 local unions across the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. No opposition candidates received enough votes to meet the Teamsters’ constitutionally required threshold to challenge the O’Brien-Zuckerman team.

“This victory belongs to rank-and-file Teamsters. When we were sworn into office four years ago, our leadership team committed to building a bigger, faster, stronger union, and that’s exactly what we’ve done. We’ve organized more than 100,000 new members, won historic agreements including a record contract for 340,000 members at UPS, and put rank-and-file members back in the driver’s seat. The Teamsters is now the most aggressive, effective, and respected labor union on Earth,” O’Brien said. “Over the next five years, we have a lot of work ahead of us. The Teamsters face big fights at UPS and Amazon, and we are prepared to tackle those head on with the militancy and organization that has defined our administration. We will keep growing and never stop working for the members.”

“The Teamsters are stronger, more secure, and more prepared to take on greedy employers than at any point in our 123-year history. We have more than $1 billion in total assets, and our Strike and Defense Fund stands at approximately $365 million, providing the ammunition to take on the boss and protect our members,” Zuckerman said. “The Teamsters have accomplished so much to expand our ranks, exert real political influence, and safeguard our members in an ever-evolving economy. But we’re just getting started. The future is bright and the state of the union is strong in the Teamsters.”

O’Brien is a fourth-generation Teamster from Local 25 in Charlestown, Mass. Zuckerman joined the Teamsters more than four decades ago as a rank-and-file member in Houston and later went on to lead Local 89 in Louisville, Ky. Together, they bring an aggressive grassroots approach to taking on employers and prioritizing member involvement in the union.

Over the next five years, O’Brien and Zuckerman have pledged to continue the fight at UPS and Amazon, strengthen Teamsters density in core industries, defend and improve contracts across every division of the union, and build even bigger bipartisan coalitions to pass the Faster Labor Contracts Act and other legislation to benefit working people.
The O’Brien-Zuckerman Teamsters United slate will take the oath of office in March 2027.

The 2027-2032 Teamsters General Executive Board includes:

International Vice Presidents At-Large: Juan Campos, Secretary-Treasurer, Local 705, Chicago, Ill.; Lindsay Dougherty, Secretary-Treasurer, Local 399, Hollywood, Calif.; Tom Erickson, President, Local 120, Blaine, Minn.; Greg Floyd, President, Local 237, New York, N.Y.; Peter Finn, Secretary-Treasurer, Local 856, San Bruno, Calif.; Thomas Gesualdi, President, Local 282, New Hyde Park, N.Y.; and James Wright, President, Local 822, Norfolk, Va.;

Western Region Vice Presidents: Mark Davison, President, Local 162, Portland, Ore.; Rick Hicks, Secretary-Treasurer, Local 174, Tukwila, Wash.; Victor Mineros, Secretary-Treasurer, Local 396, Covina, Calif.; and Karla Schumann, Secretary-Treasurer, Local 104, Phoenix, Ariz.;
Central Region Vice Presidents: Danny Avelyn, Secretary-Treasurer, Local 554, Omaha, Neb.; Pat Darrow, Secretary-Treasurer, Local 348, Akron, Ohio; and Dustin Roach, President, Local 135, Indianapolis, Ind.;

Eastern Region Vice Presidents: Rocco Calo, Secretary-Treasurer, Local 1150, Stratford, Conn.; William Hamilton, President, Local 107, Philadelphia, Pa.; and Matt Taibi, Secretary-Treasurer, Local 251, Providence, R.I.;

Southern Region Vice Presidents: Thor Johnson, Vice President, Local 79, Tampa, Fla.; and Brent Taylor, Secretary-Treasurer, Local 745, Dallas, Texas;
International Trustees: Sean Cedenio, Secretary-Treasurer, Local 570, Baltimore, Md.; Willie Ford, President, Local 71, Charlotte, N.C.; and Vinnie Perrone, President, Local 804, New York, N.Y.;

Teamsters Canada International Vice Presidents: François Laporte, President, Teamsters Canada, Laval, Quebec; Stan Hennessy, President, Local 31, Delta, British Columbia; and Craig McInnes, President, Local 938, Mississauga, Ontario.

Address

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