New Leadership at Washington Teamsters
John A. Williams new
President of Washington Teamsters Joint Council 28
 Seattle, WA – The Teamsters in Washington and Alaska will
see a change of leadership. Starting in March 2010, John
A. Williams will replace Al Hobart as the President of Teamsters
Joint Council 28, the parent body of twelve Teamsters Locals
representing 56,000 members across Washington and Alaska.
Hobart announced his retirement at a Joint Council 28 policy
meeting on February 9, 2010.
“The Teamsters in the Pacific Northwest are dedicated to
expanding the rights, wages and benefits of working families
through political action, organizing, and strong representation,”
Williams said. “I will do everything in my power to build
on the work of Al Hobart and aggressively pursue those goals.”
Williams announced that his first order of business as Joint
Council 28 President is to meet with stakeholders across
the region to map out priorities. He says he intends to take
the boldest ideas from the Locals and chart a course that
will help revitalize the labor movement in the Pacific Northwest.
“The role of Joint Council 28 is to provide a framework for
Locals to consolidate their combined membership strength,”
Williams said. Joint Council 28 consists of Local Unions
with main offices in Seattle, Everett, Bellingham, Bremerton,
Port Angeles, Tacoma, Centralia, Pasco, Yakima, Spokane,
and Anchorage, Alaska.
Williams is the Director of the International Brotherhood
of Teamsters Warehouse Division and was the Secretary-Treasurer
of Teamsters Local 117 from 1992 to 2008. He has been a Teamster
since 1968 and a Joint Council Executive Board Member since
1995. He is the Director of the Joint Council Warehouse/Beverage
Division, Co-Chair and Trustee of the Washington Teamsters
Welfare Trust, and Trustee for the Western Conference of
Teamsters Pension Trust.
For more information, contact Teamsters Communications
Coordinator, Paul Zilly, at 206-794-6673 or at paul.zilly@teamsters117.org.
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2009 Susan G. Komen Puget Sound Race for the Cure
 Did you know that one in eight women will be stricken with breast cancer in her lifetime? Breast cancer is the most frequently diagnosed cancer among women. This year, an estimated 182,460 women and 1,990 men will be diagnosed with breast cancer in the United States.
Today, Komen for the Cure is the world’s largest grassroots network fighting to save lives, empower people and ensure quality care for all. Komen for the Cure is also the largest source of nonprofit funds dedicated to the fight against breast cancer in the world due to events like the Puget Sound Race for the Cure.
This year’s Puget Sound Race for the Cure started out with a Survivors’ breakfast and ended with a Survivor’s parade that honored those who have survived breast cancer and remembered those who have not. The Teamsters Care Team lead by Captain Diana McDowell participated in the 3.11 mile co-ed walk that started and finished at Qwest Field and took the participants along the scenic Alaskan Way Viaduct.
>>Read More Here
February 2, 2009 Teamsters Disaster Relief Fund Update
The Teamsters Disaster Relief Fund recently received a "Disaster Alert Notice" for the state of Washington regarding severe storms, flooding, mudslides and landslides that caused major damage in the following counties on January 6~-16, 2009:
King, Lewis, Mason, Pacific, Pierce, Snohomish, Thurston, and Wahkiakum Counties.
On behalf of General President Hoffa, we would like to request your assistance to aid Teamster members in your area that have suffered a loss. We recognize the devastation in your area and, although our funds are limited, would like to help as many people as possible. Please contact your Local Union for the “Request For Help” form or download "Notice to Post" and the "Request For Help" pdf file here.
Please inform us if any of your members have been impacted by the disaster. The completed "Request for Help" forms (including all requested documentation) must be returned by Tuesday, March 17,2009.
While the immediate crisis is over, the IBT realizes the difficult task of rebuilding lives and the need to do an outreach to agencies that can assist.
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To Storm Victims: Teamsters Care
Adversity always brings out the best in Teamsters and when the call went out for assistance, the Teamsters immediately jumped in to help. Once again Teamster members came together to assist those impacted by the devastating floods and winds that rocked the Pacific Northwest
A Teamsters Local 174 truck led the charge in a parade of relief trucks organized by KOMO-TV and the Salvation Army, delivering donations to assist the flood victims. Local Union members pitched in with collecting, transporting and then unloading the items from Seattle to Centralia.
Also Teamster Local Unions, the Joint Council 28 Women’s Caucus and members from throughout Washington State have been generous with donations of cribs, play pens, toys, clothing, supplies, and supermarket gift certificates. “We feel for the Teamster members and their families who have been devastated by this act of nature. We are doing all that we can to let them know that they are not alone and that we are here to help, for whatever they need—we are here for them,” said International Union Vice President and Joint Council 28 President, Al Hobart.
Many Teamster members have been affected by the storm losing their household goods, cars, pets and even their entire homes.
If you would like to assist the Teamster storm victims, Teamsters Local Union No. 252 (217 East Main Street, Centralia WA 98531-4449) is accepting donations of gift cards (Safeway, Fred Meyer or Gasoline). The Local will distribute the cards to our Teamster families in need.
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Strengthening Joint Councils
JC28 President Al Hobart speaking at the 2006 IBT International Convention |
Strong Joint Councils and Conferences are increasingly important in an environment where corporations are growing stronger.
At Thursday’s (June 29th) session of the International Convention, delegates heard from General President Hoffa, “The structure of the Teamsters Union is an important reason why we are so successful in the work we do. Local Unions are the engine that drives our Union, ensuring that each and every member has representation. Then we have our Joint Councils and Conferences. By working across Local lines our Joint Councils and Conferences are able to harness the power at the Local level into something even greater.”
Strengthening Joint Councils is not only important for the Locals that fall under the Joint Council umbrella, but it benefits all members. As Teamster employers consolidate through growth, mergers and acquisitions, the Joint Councils and Conferences are increasingly important.
“To take on big employers, we must continue to strengthen this organization,” Hoffa said. Over the past few years, the International Union has worked to make Joint Councils and Conferences the coordinating center for Teamster power. Better communications coordination, political action, and training for Locals and their members are just a few of the benefits of this effort.
Click here for more convention news and photos
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Reprinted
by permission of the author. Floyd J. McKay, a journalism
professor at Western Washington University, is a regular
contributor to the Seattle Times editorial pages. 