TEAMSTERS ORGANIZING FOR POWER     
      #WITHHER  SECRETS - DRIVE LADIES AUXILIARIES

We continue to celebrate #WomensHistoryMonth, reflecting on recent history making events such as the #WomensMarch, #MeToo movement, #Time'sUp initiative and record numbers of women running for office this year and sharing the history of some incredibly amazing #TeamsterWomen, the DRIVE Ladies Auxiliaries, who organized & fought back against labor's enemies by bringing their #PowerToThePolls.


Between 1961-1967, before the internet and social media, thousands of DRIVE Ladies Auxiliaries (DLA's) donated their time and leadership skills all across the country by hosting thousands of parties, picnics, back yard barbecues & banquets, making thousands of phone calls, passing out thousands of voter ed flyers, registering thousands of voters, organizing motorcades of buses to lobby representatives in Washington, D.C., spent hours picketing the White House, had thousands of conversations with members, family, friends, neighbors & elected leaders, collected & shared with thousands the voting records of those elected representatives, launching the DRIVE program on behalf of the #Teamsters, their families, working people, civil rights, human rights and freedom.  Along with doing all of that they took care of their children, families and homes. Whew!  These Teamster Women were warriors!

This is part 3 in a series on The Teamsters DRIVE Ladies Auxiliaries (DLA's).  Please read part 1 TEAMSTER WOMEN WARRIORS FOR FREEDOM! Did you know that Josephine Hoffa was one of the first to see that political action was the best defense against the erosion of workers’ rights in the 1950's?  She was quoted as saying, "labor's enemies don’t stop for lunch, so neither can we." find out more in part 2 TEAMSTER FREEDOM FIGHTER JO HOFFA

Officially launched in 1960 DRIVE which stands for "Democratic Republication Independent Voter Education" has two main objectives:

To elect candidates to public office who are friendly to the interests of Teamster members;
Passage or defeat of legislation of special concern to Teamster families.

DRIVE quickly became one of the strongest political action groups in the country.  Senator Hubert Humphrey said "he had never seen a more effective political action program."  Giving birth to the power & strength of the program DRIVE Ladies Auxiliaries took the time to nurture true solidarity by using grassroots organizing skills.

In this blog post we will take a look at some of their organizing secrets that you can use today.

#1  IT'S ALWAYS ABOUT POWER

"I am opposed to ’right to work’ legislation because it does nothing for working people, but instead gives employers the right to exploit labor."

- First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt.

Organizing is about building long-term capacity and power.

Mobilizing is about leveraging that capacity and power for immediate action.

EDUCATE FOR POWER

"In 1962, DRIVE Ladies Auxiliary “Parties” were held across the country to recruit more wives in preparation for the 1962 elections. Much like regular Auxiliary meetings that occurred each month, one DRIVE Ladies Auxiliary member would serve as the hostess and open her house for these recruitment parties. 

To help the women organize a party, National DRIVE designed an eight-page “DRIVE Goes to a Party” folder. Inside the folder was a “party packet” that included party invitations and DRIVE membership cards to distribute to friends. The packet also included recipes and ways to make the event festive. There were also special flip charts and accompanying LP records that were used in unison for a 15-minute informational presentation about DRIVE. A “party report” card that the wife hosting the party filled out afterwards offered valuable information for national DRIVE about how the party went and was used for future organizing purposes. 

The parties were very popular. One of the best “recruiting tools” developed by the DRIVE Ladies Auxiliary women was to take time with each guest after the presentation to discuss how she could use her own special skills to help DRIVE. " -Life in the Teamsters The History of DRIVE by David R. Piper

Here we see DLA member Ruth Thornton hosting a small house party to educate friends and neighbors.

The International Teamster May 1962

San Antonio Timeline

January 1962 Jo Hoffa dinner kicked off a DRIVE membership campaign.

February 8 Louise Shafer, wife of BA local 657, organized a DLA in Corpus Christi -33 enthusiastic present.

February 9th Louise held a DLA mtg in Austin.

February 11 during monthly general membership mtg the hall was so crowed that they sat in windows as the goals of DRIVE were outlined.

February 13 DLA held an election of officers and went into high gear- with 50 members present plans were laid for a chili supper to raise funds and upcoming political education classes announced.

February 16 first political education class with 125 present.

February 23 second class is held with 150 attending - cleared over $300 selling cakes, cookies & coffee.

March 4 over 500 attend a dance, talking politics, buying beer and barbecue.

March 9 brought out unprecedented 500 to general membership mtg where candidates spoke. 

In Houston under Marion Millers direction DLA members are using a card index system which listed every Teamster, wife, and relative in Harris County, included notations on workers skills and potential leadership.

DLA members are ringing doorbells and carrying news to their neighbors.  Workers who previously had not participated in political activity now see hope and are enthusiastically getting involved.

-The International Teamster May 1962

AGITATE FOR POWER

Agitate - to arouse concern about an issue in hope of prompting action.  

Think of creative ways you can insert a story or symbol that can cause change and shifts in power.  Take a look at this cover of the International Teamster April 1964 magazine. 

Immediately questions come to mind like "What is the Boss voting for?"  "Would the Boss vote in favor of protecting collective bargaining rights?" "How about days off and vacations?"  "Healthcare & Pensions?" or you might be reminded of long hard fought & died for OSHA and workplace safety standards.  If you're connecting the dots you come to realize that the Boss only has one vote.  

ORGANIZE FOR POWER

Organizing is less about one-time action opportunities and more about building a powerful and enthusiastic base of support. You do this by developing meaningful relationships with people, engaging them in our work, building leadership among members, and building on the organizing power of our union. Then, when the time comes, you can mobilize these members, and they’re ready and willing to take action.

Create spaces for ideas, images, and stories connecting people to the 'soul' of our movement.  Keep moving forward and trying new things.  We are worth it!

#2  THINK & ACT LIKE AN ORGANIZER ROUND THE CLOCK

"Every moment is an organizing opportunity, every person a potential activist, every minute a chance to change the world."

- Dolores Huerta, labor organizer and leader of the Farm Worker’s Union during the 1960’s.

Build power one person at a time.  

SET GOALS & MAKE A PLAN

CREATE A CONVERSATION STARTER

Local 886 in Oklahoma City found a unique way to help promote voter registration by making country singer Norma Jean Beasley an honorary member of the local’s DRIVE unit and having her serve as a worker at the event. Beasley had already won fans in the union when she released a single in March 1968 called “Truck Driving Woman.” The song became a country hit a few weeks later. 

Norma Jean - Truck Driving Woman

#3  BUILDING RELATIONSHIPS

"Solidarity is what we want. We do not want to find fault with each other, but to solidify our forces and say to each other: We must be together; our masters are joined together and we must do the same thing."

- Mother Jones, Irish-American Union Activist and Leader, Schoolteacher.

GET PEOPLE TOGETHER DON'T LEAVE ANYONE OUT

Picnics, movie nights, rallies, celebrating labor holidays etc. brings people together. Solidarity is contagious!

115,000 attended Labor Day picnic sponsored by Joint Council 41, Ohio DRIVE  Ohio DLA.  Considered the largest gathering of union members on an outing in the US that day with dozens of judges, mayors, state house and senate members and candidates on hand.

-The International Teamster October 1968 

SOCIALIZE TO ORGANIZE

Local 745 registers 4,100 at Texas style barbecue.

#4  WE>ME

"Fight for the things that you care about, but do it in a way that will lead others to join you."

- Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Supreme Court Justice and co-founder of the Women’s Rights Project of the ACLU

Everything you do that unifies us, makes us stronger, and builds our power matters!  The best way to predict our future is to create it.

Motorcades:  A Powerful Tool for Change

Between 1962 and 1968, more than 15,000 women delegates from Teamster joint councils, state conferences and auxiliaries -- women of all races, and from different neighborhoods and states -- boarded buses and traveled for hours to speak with their senators and representatives about labor and social justice issues.

While on the bus they shared stories, built relationships and had fun singing songs.

Teamsters' Song Book: C'mon, Teamsters, Let's All SIng!

DRIVE and DRIVE Ladies Auxiliary, Teamsters Local 838 (Compiler)

Published by DRIVE and DRIVE Ladies Auxiliary, LIttle Rock, AK

Singing was felt to bring union members closer together. This collection of songs of work and brotherhood were selected by DRIVE and the DRIVE Ladies Auxiliary of Teamsters Local 878, Little Rock, Arkansas. Some of the Union songs were later adopted by the civil rights movement. Special acknowledgement was given to the committee headed by Mrs. Judy Smith and to James Harvey and Dorothy Harvey.

When they returned home, the women visited schools, churches and even went house to house to talk about the experience and give an evaluation of how well the politicians understood or were meeting local community needs.

#5  TAKE ACTION

"I am no longer accepting the things I cannot change....I’m changing the things I cannot accept."

- Angela Davis, political activist, academic, and author.

ORGANIZE FOR THE LONG HAUL

Motorcade inspires DLA member to run for office.

-The International Teamster June 1968

From Life in the Teamsters The History of DRIVE- "In 1968, Mary Luenna Bergen became so inspired by her DRIVE motorcade experience that she ran for—and won—a spot on the Holbrook, Massachusetts Board of Health.

Bergen was the wife of William Bergen, the Recording Secretary of Local 380 in Roxbury, Massachusetts. In July 1967, Bergen was a member of the Joint Council 10 motorcade that made a trip to Washington. Like all DLA members, Bergen sacrificed much of her own time to protect what Teamsters had won at the negotiating table and on picket lines. 

Throughout her life Bergen had accomplished some remarkable things. In 1946 she graduated from St. Joseph’s Hospital in Lowell, Massachusetts as a registered nurse. The following year Bergen travelled to Kentucky where she served as a medical missionary. Yearning for more education, Bergen eventually received a bachelor’s degree in sociology before doing graduate studies for two years at Boston University.

For three years she was enlisted in the Army Nurse Corps as a First Lieutenant, with much of that time spent in Korea. By the time she made her life-changing motorcade trip to Washington in 1967, Bergen was married and a registered nurse in Massachusetts. 

Over the course of her five-day trip in Washington, Bergen got the opportunity to attend a voter education program at the IBT and meet with Massachusetts Senators Ted Kennedy and Edward Brooke, and Representative James Burke. Bergen enjoyed her motorcade experience so much she wrote about it in a letter published in the Holbrook Sun and used it as an entry into the race. She said she had come across many people in the country who couldn’t afford adequate medical assistance and she wanted to work as a public servant to make sure that didn’t happen in Holbrook. Bergen concluded her letter by saying “If you elect me to represent you, I promise to look into every situation and see that you have a reply as to what action may or may not be taken."  

Bergen won a spot on the Board of Health in dramatic fashion by garnering the largest total of votes that a woman had ever received in a Holbrook election. In a letter she sent to DRIVE headquarters in Washington, Bergen trumpeted the way DRIVE inspired people like her to delve into political action for working people. “My trip to Washington last summer led me to become a candidate for public office. I have not been sorry since making the decision. You are doing fine work encouraging people to register and become more active in government.” 

#6  PASS IT ON

"What we would like to do is change the world...by crying unceasingly for the rights of the workers, of the poor, of the destitute. We can throw our pebble in the pond and be confident that it’s ever widening circle will reach around the world."

- Dorothy Day, journalist and social activist

Marie Prior won a DRIVE essay contest and chose to bring her grandaughter Vikki to Washington D.C.  Vikki summed up the feelings of all who were guests of DRIVE when she said "I am so happy.  I want you all to know that people have been so nice to me." -The International Teamster August 1963

As Teamsters we have a lot to be thankful for and a legacy we can be proud of! The Teamsters Union was founded in 1903 and for more than a century has helped millions of workers improve working & living standards for American families and communities. 

We are proud to be among the people who fought and sometimes died for the Right To Organize, Right to Strike, 40hr Work Week, 8hr Work Day, Pay Raises,  Overtime Pay, Weekends off, breaks, paid vacation, Holiday Pay, Child Labor Laws, FMLA, sick leave, Social Security, Minimum Wage, Civil Rights, OSHA, Workers Compensation, Unemployment Insurance, Pensions, Employer Health Care Insurance, Equal Pay, Age Discrimination in Employment Act, Americans With Disabilities Act, Pregnancy & Parental Leave, Military Leave, Wrongful Termination Laws, Whistleblower Protection Laws, Veteran’s Employment & Training Services, Sexual Harassment Laws and Public Education for Children.

We are proud of the DRIVE Ladies Auxiliaries who got off the sidelines, educated-agitated & organized to bring our #Teamster #PowerToThePolls!

Celebrate and share the good stuff!  Our vision and values.  Use creativity and put your heart into it & pass it on!

Teamsters still fight anti-labor legislation through D.R.I.V.E. and work hard to protect all working families. The Teamsters have honed their political skills greatly in the decades since D.R.I.V.E. was formed and have become a leading voice for workers in Washington. But, D.R.I.V.E stays true to its principles and still depends on voluntary member support for funding; it still uses rank-and-file grassroots activities to achieve its goals.

RESOURCES:

https://teamster.org/about/teamster-history/drive

Life in the Teamsters The History of Drive by David R. Piper

The International Teamster magazine

#ItsAboutFreedom