TEAMSTER #SHERO VIOLA LIUZZO

On March 25, 1965 Viola Liuzzo, 39 years old, was driving back from a trip shuttling fellow civil rights activists to the Montgomery airport, she was shot in the head, murdered by members of the Ku Klux Klan. The International Teamster April 1965 said this "She was murdered, as the President of the United States characterized it, “by the enemies of justice who for decades have used the rope and the gun, the tar and the feathers, to terrorize their neighbors.” Mrs. Liuzzo died trying to make an American dream come true."  She was a daughter, sister,wife, mother, friend, activist, believer who grew up in poverty, went to school in the Jim Crow south, faced many challenges but #Nevertheless #ShePersisted!  She was a woman with uncommon courage, a freedom fighting angel, a Teamsters #Shero, a Civil Rights #Shero, Everybody's #Shero!

Viola was born Viola Fauver Gregg on April 1, 1925, in the small town of California, Pennsylvania, to  Eva Wilson, a teacher, and Heber Ernest Gregg, a coal miner and World War I veteran. While on the job, in 1930,  Heber's right hand was blown off in a mine explosion, and during the Great Depression, the Greggs became solely dependent on Eva’s income.  During that time, work was very hard to come by for Eva, as she could pick up only sporadic, short-term, teaching positions.  The family decided to move, when Viola was six, to Chattanooga, Tennessee, where Eva found a teaching position.

The family was very poor and lived in one-room shacks with no running water. The schools Viola attended did not have adequate supplies. Having spent much of her childhood and adolescence poor in Tennessee, Viola experienced the segregated nature of the South firsthand. This would eventually have a powerful impact on her activism. It was during her formative years that she realized how unjust & unfair segregation and racism is, as she and her family, in similar conditions of great poverty, were still afforded social privilege and amenities denied to African Americans under the Jim Crow laws.

In 1941, the Gregg family moved to Ypsilanti, Michigan, where her father sought a job assembling bombs at the Ford Motor Company. Two years later, Viola 18yrs old, the Gregg family moved to Detroit, Michigan.  According to an article "Detroit In The 1940's" in The Atlantic "The early part of the 20th century saw the city of Detroit, Michigan, rise to prominence on the huge growth of the auto industry and related manufacturers. The 1940s were boom years of development, but the decade was full of upheaval and change, as factories re-tooled to build war machines, and women started taking on men's roles in the workplace, as men shipped overseas to fight in World War II. The need for workers brought an influx of African-Americans to Detroit, who met stiff resistance from whites who refused to welcome them into their neighborhoods or work beside them on an assembly line. A race riot took place over three days in 1943, leaving 34 dead and hundreds injured."  Witnessing these horrific ordeals was a major motivator that influenced Viola’s future civil rights work.

In 1943, Viola married George Argyris, a restaurant manager where she worked. They had two children, Penny and Evangeline Mary, and divorced in 1949.  She later married Anthony Liuzzo, a Teamster Business Agent & Organizer for Local 247 in Detroit. They had three children: Tommy, Anthony, Jr., and Sally. "She was the nature-loving mom, whose Tennessee roots inspired barefoot strolls and an insistence on exposing her kids to planetariums, rodeos, circuses and even watching their dog giving birth, so they’d appreciate the natural world. She was the caring mom who cured son Tony’s terror of the noisy trucks spraying pesticides on the neighborhood’s trees by visiting City Hall and arranging for him to ride in one. She was a fun mom." Viola as described in a Washington Post article many years after her death.

When a neighbor’s house burned down one Christmas eve, Viola after taking up a neighborhood collection, pounded on the door of a toy store owner’s home, insisting he open his shop so she could buy presents for the displaced family with 8 children.

Mary Stanton, author of "From Selma to Sorrow," says Viola Liuzzo "was one of these people who got really involved in everything she did, she discovered that a secretary where she worked had been laid off without severance pay. She gave the woman her entire paycheck hoping it would embarrass her employer into giving the woman severance. It didn't, and Liuzzo paid for her activism by losing her own job." Stanton says she was "intrigued by Liuzzo's refusal to play the part of the submissive housewife. While her neighbors were taking cooking classes or doing church volunteer work, Liuzzo was preparing for a career, crusading for workplace rights, and going back to college."

Viola attended the Carnegie Institute in Detroit, Michigan. She then enrolled part-time as a student in nursing at Wayne State University in 1962.  In 1964, she began attending the First Unitarian Universalist Church of Detroit, and joined the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), she was also a Teamster DRIVE(Democrat Republican Independent Voter Education) member. She passionately believed in the fight for civil rights and had a strong desire to make a difference, in her journal she wrote “I can’t sit back and watch my people suffer.” From the book "Life in the Teamsters The History of DRIVE" by David R. Piper "Taking a a stand on Civil Rights was something that Viola Liuzzo did regularly by attending meetings of the Congress on Racial Equality (CORE) and fighting for organized labor as a member of DRIVE."

The last time David Truskoff, one of the Selma marchers who would later write a book "The Second Civil War", saw Liuzzo was in a Selma church. She was standing before an applauding audience with a check in her hand. "She brought it up onto the stage and gave Hosea [Williams] a check from her husband's union," he says. "On her way back, there was a big cheer and applause. She was just beaming. She walked past me, nodding at me as if to say, 'We're going to win this thing.'"

Please watch this video

From David R. Piper's book "Liuzzo paid the ultimate price for her dedication to making the world a better place for working people no matter their color. Despite the danger involved, she went to Selma to assist in Dr. King’s campaign for equality. Anthony Liuzzo had feared for his wife’s safety, but having faced danger himself in the shape of company henchmen as a Teamster business agent, he supported her decision. Liuzzo learned about his wife’s death over the telephone late in the evening of March 25. Shortly afterwards he said, “She died doing what she believed in, and she believed in people whether they were white, black, Jew, or Gentile.”

Despite the efforts to discredit Liuzzo, her murder led President Lyndon B. Johnson to order an investigation into the Ku Klux Klan. It is also believed that her death helped encourage legislators to pass the Voting Rights Act of 1965.

Viola's life is recounted in the books;
"The Martyrs:Sixteen Who Gave Their Lives for Racial Justice" by Jack Mendelsohn
"From Selma to Sorrow" by Mary Stanton
"Murder on the Highway: The Viola Liuzzo Story." by Beatrice Siegel
"Free At Last" by Sara Bullard

In 2004, Paola di Florio showed her documentary on Liuzzo, Home of the Brave, at the Sundance Film Festival. The critically acclaimed film explored Liuzzo’s story as well as the impact of her murder on her children.

She is among the 40 civil rights martyrs honored on the Civil Rights Memorial in Montgomery, which was created in 1989. Two years later, the Women of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference placed a marker where she was killed on Highway 80. Liuzzo was also inducted into the Michigan Hall of Fame in 2006.

In May, 2013, Sally Liuzzo-Prado accepted the Ford Freedom Humanitarian Award in her mother's name, an honor given only to one other person — Nelson Mandela.

2015, Wayne State University student Viola Liuzzo was posthumously awarded an honorary doctor of laws degree, the first honorary degree awarded posthumously in the university's history. The honorary degree ceremony was followed by the dedication of a tree in the Law School courtyard as a permanent and living remembrance of Liuzzo's contributions and sacrifice.

2015, The Viola Liuzzo Park Association — a committee linking city and suburb, black and white, young and old, as Detroit celebrates what would have been her 90th birthday, a park renovation plan was unveiled, including a playscape, a walking trail, a picnic shelter and signs that tell the Liuzzo story. The committee, supported by the Greening of Detroit, has received financial commitments totaling $300,000 from the UAW-Ford, the Teamsters and others.

African proverb. "'As long as you say my name, I will live." Well, today we speak your name, Viola Liuzzo Teamster #SHERO!

RESOURCES:

https://teamster.org/content/civil-rights-martyr-viola-liuzzo-0

The International Teamster April 1965

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/retropolis/wp/2017/12/15/a-white-mother-went-to-alabama-to-fight-for-civil-rights-the-klan-killed-her-for-it/?utm_term=.e5c4dd5417a7

https://www.theatlantic.com/photo/2015/01/detroit-in-the-1940s/384523/

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2015/04/05/detroit-unites-honor-viola-liuzzo/25335391/

http://www.michiganwomenshalloffame.org/Images/Liuzzo,%20Viola.pdf

WSU’s Tribute to Viola Liuzzo http://video.tpt.org/video/2365457782/


https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Viola_Liuzzo

                 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

                 TEAMSTER FREEDOM FIGHTER JO HOFFA

The October 1963 issue of the International Teamster magazine had this to say about Mrs. Josephine Hoffa: “To the Teamsters movement, she symbolizes the woman in politics to protect economic gains her husband has won at the bargaining table and on the picket line…Jo Hoffa symbolizes the wife of the working man who stepped forward to meet the political challenge of the times and to put DRIVE into ACTION.”  Yes it is true, we could also say, she was a GIANT FREEDOM FIGHTER who inspired thousands of women & men, even to this day, to get involved and organize, to learn from mistakes & successes and become stronger in the process, to get a sense of their own power to make change, fight for justice and affect the world around them.

This is part 2 of  a series on The Teamsters DRIVE Ladies Auxiliaries (DLA's).  " It was the DRIVE Ladies Auxiliaries who took the time to nurture true solidarity, using grassroots organizing skills & labor, that gave birth to the power and strength of the program."  Senator Hubert Humphrey said "he had never seen a more effective political action program."  Please read part 1 TEAMSTER WOMEN WARRIORS FOR FREEDOM!

Josephine Hoffa 1918-1980

1918 Michigan male voters approve a state constitutional amendment granting suffrage to Michigan women.

1920 The 19th Amendment to the Constitution, granting the vote to women, becomes law. Women vote for the first time in the presidential election on November 2.

1923 The Equal Rights Amendment is introduced in the U.S. Congress.

1930 The Detroit Housewives League, the first such league in the nation, is formed to encourage African-American women to use their economic power to improve their own community. Founder Fannie Peck* of Detroit later becomes the first president of the National Housewives League formed in 1933.

Josephine Poszywak or Jo as she preferred, grew up during "The Great Depression" a severe worldwide economic depression that took place mostly during the 1930's, originating in the United States. It was the longest, deepest, and most widespread depression of the 20th century. Her parents Phillip and Anna came to the United States from Poland and lived in Detroit.  Stated in an article about The 1932 Ford Hunger March massacre that took place when Jo was 15 yrs. old "No city in the United States was hit harder by the Great Depression than Detroit. By 1932, some 10,000 children huddled every day in Detroit’s bread lines. Eighty percent of the auto-building capacity lay idle. Wages had dropped 37 percent for those lucky enough to have a job. The average monthly caseload of the city’s welfare department had increased almost 10 times – from 5,000 cases in 1929 to nearly 50,000 in 1932."

In 1936, at 18, Jo sorted & packaged for the Durable Laundry Company in Detroit making 17cents an hour.  It was a sizable plant with many women sorting, bleaching, washing, drying, packaging and billing.  Tired of the abuse from the boss one day, before Myra Wolfgang nicknamed the "battling belle of Detroit" planned a sit-down strike at Woolworth's five and dime stores and the infamous Women's Emergency Brigade and UAW Women's Auxiliary, led by Genora Dollinger, supported the sit-down strike for union organizing at General Motors Corporation in Flint, Jo and her coworkers just sat down and refused to work.  The boss had a short fuse, got a shotgun, aimed at the women and told them to get out. 

To seek that woman's voice in history, though it may not be written in a book somewhere, we must ask ourselves, "What is she thinking, doing, saying etc...?"  

#Neverthelessshepersisted!  She and her coworkers got up and started picketing.  Several social historians suggest that female workers challenging authority of management and even the police, risking arrest for their activism may be more militant strikers than male workers.  The Durable drivers were Teamsters and while Jo was picketing she met James R. Hoffa(Future General President of the Teamsters) and a few months later they married.  

Also during this time the wife of President Franklin D. Roosevelt, Eleanor Roosevelt changed the role of the first lady through her active participation in American politics. In 1937 Eleanor Roosevelt wrote in her syndicated My Day column that the only way to improve wages and working conditions was through legislation and unionization.

1938 Jo gives birth to her daughter Barbara Ann Hoffa.

1941 Jo gives birth to her son James Phillip Hoffa(Current General President of the Teamsters).

1941 The United States enters World War II, Rosie the Riveter would become the star of a campaign aimed at recruiting female workers for defense industries, and she became perhaps the most iconic image of working women.

1943 The All American Girls Professional Baseball League, formed while players on men's baseball teams are in military service, includes the Grand Rapids Chicks, the Battle Creek Belles, and the Muskegon Lassies; the League is active until the mid-1950's.

1940 - 1945, the female percentage of the U.S. workforce increased from 27 percent to nearly 37 percent, and by 1945 nearly one out of every four married women worked outside the home.

1946 James R Hoffa becomes General President of the Teamsters.

1950 The Salt of the Earth Strike was a major strike conducted by women and children when the predominantly Mexican, Mine‐Mill Workers Union struck the mines in southern New Mexico.

Women’s auxiliaries were an innovation in the labor movement. At their peak in the 1950's, there were more women in labor auxiliaries than labor unions. One of the best resources the union has is wives and women members, as women had been proven to be outstanding political organizers. But as Karen Sacks reminds us in her study of hospital organizing in the 1950's and 1960's, the absence of women in formal, publicly visible leadership roles should not necessarily be taken as an indication of female powerlessness or lack of influence.  Sacks uncovered an informal and hidden structure of power that differed from the formal and more obvious one. In the organizing committees and unions she observed, the male union "leaders" and "spokesmen" took positions only after consulting with and gaining the approval of key women on the shop floor-women who never held formal positions.

Jo knew unions could only hold on against tough odds by active participation and constant vigilance. She 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." 

1959 Sid Zagri(Teamster Political Director) develops a partnership with Jo to create a women's auxiliary political action program. The ultimate goal was to have a major auxiliary in every Joint Council and make each DRIVE unit a political force at the precinct and block level.

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.

Jo knew taking on a task like DRIVE was not for the fainthearted. 

She traveled from city to city in 1960 and early 1961 attending rallies that only a handful of people would attend. She and her family were subjected to negative editorials and editorial cartoons for her actions, but #Neverthelessshepersisted, she did not stop. She said, "Labor unions were not built by men and women who got their feelings hurt or quit after the first disappointment."

Finally, in 1961-62 the tide begins to turn. By 1963 the numbers of attendees at her rallies and luncheons ranged from 1,200 to 5,000 at single events. For example luncheons in Milwaukee had 5,000 attendees; 1,000 in Des Moines; Kansas City 1,800; and 1961 Chicago had 14,000 and 12,000 in Boston. 

1963 Teamsters march with Martin Luther King, Jr.

1965: Arrest of the Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr., and more than 2,600 others in Selma.

1965 Dolores Huerta became the first female leader of the farm worker’s union.  She co‐founded the United Farm Workers with Cesar Chavez and became its contract negotiator.

1965 Public workers win collective bargaining rights. (Right now Janus vs AFSCME is being heard by the U.S. Supreme Court and a decision is expected by summer. This lawsuit aims to take away the freedom of working people to join together in strong unions to speak up for themselves and their communities.  Look for a link to more information in the resources section.)

Charles M. Payne, author of "I’ve Got the Light of Freedom: the Organizing Tradition and the Mississippi Freedom Struggle" warns us repeatedly to look at the everyday work that builds movements and creates social change and to draw from those experiences in order to learn the lessons for our work today. He writes, "Overemphasizing the movement's more dramatic features, we undervalue the patient and sustained effort, the slow, respectful work, that made the dramatic moments possible."

At those luncheons thousands of women & their husbands were getting educated, radicalized and organized to take action and bring their #PowerToThePolls!  Jo's guiding leadership encouraged thousands of women between 1961-1967, before the internet and social media, through DRIVE Ladies Auxiliaries to donate 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. 

WHAT THEY SAY ABOUT DRIVE:

"These ladies could make the difference in any congressional election."  Congressman Fulton of Pennsylvania

"You taught me quite a lesson on how to get a point across...and I have learned the power of a woman...all of our Congressmen are very impressed by you."  Congressman Ryan of Michigan

From the DRIVE Ladies Auxiliaries' first victory of electing a Teamster, Lendall Bates as Mayor of Muskogee, Oklahoma to the election of Lyndon B. Johnson as President of the United States who signed the bills that led to Medicare and the Voting Rights Act of 1965 it is clear, there's a whole lot of hidden volunteer work that we should think about and if you're a Teamster, you need to vote!

1966 The National Organization for women (NOW) is founded by activist Betty Friedan to end sexual discrimination.

1968 Shirley Chisholm (D‐NY) becomes the first African American woman U.S. Representative.  Four years later, she becomes the first African‐American person to run for President in the Democratic primaries.

1972 Ruth Bader Ginsburg founded the Women’s Rights Project (WRP) of ACLU, which focuses on assisting and empowering poor women, women of color, and immigrant women, who historically have been deeply victimized by gender bias and continue to face pervasive barriers to equality today. Through litigation, community outreach, advocacy, and public education, WRP pushes for change and systemic reform of those institutions that perpetuate discrimination against women.

Jo is referred to as a guiding force & the "First Lady of the Teamsters" and I must say, as a Teamster woman who volunteers my time, energy & talents to internal organizing, that indeed I wholeheartedly agree!  She is a GIANT FREEDOM FIGHTER on whose shoulders we stand!

The International Teamster magazine August 1966

The International Teamster magazine May 1964

The International Teamster magazine August 1966

In Memoriam We Remember

RESOURCES:

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

http://www.pennfedbmwe.org/?zone=/unionactive/view_article.cfm&HomeID=95500

http://mlhs.wayne.edu/files/050823_LaborsLegacy_lo.pdf

https://www.afscme.org/now/janus-for-leaders

https://smlr.rutgers.edu/sites/default/files/documents/faculty_staff_docs/OtherWomenMovement.pdf

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

I’ve Got the Light of Freedom: the Organizing Tradition and the Mississippi Freedom Struggle by Charles M. Payne. University of California Press, 1995.

#ItsAboutFreedom

         TEAMSTER WOMEN WARRIORS FOR FREEDOM!

This year as we celebrate #WomensHistoryMonth and we reflect on recent history making events such as the #WomensMarch, #MeToo movement, #Time'sUp initiative and that record numbers of women are running for office we wanted to share with you the history of some incredibly amazing #TeamsterWomen 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 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 dong all of that they took care of their children, families and homes.  Whew!  These Teamster Women were warriors!

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.

In 1959, The Teamsters recognized the need to develop comprehensive legislative and political programs within the union following the passage of the Landrum-Griffin bill and other anti-labor legislation.

A great idea is born in November of that year when James R. Hoffa established the Department of Legislation and Political Education calling for the development of a political action program with member support.  I would also say it was the DRIVE Ladies Auxiliaries who took the time to nurture true solidarity, using grassroots organizing skills & labor, that gave birth to the power and strength of the program.  Senator Hubert Humphrey said "he had never seen a more effective political action program."  DRIVE quickly became one of the strongest political action groups in the country.

From a U.S. News article The 1960s: A Decade of Change for Women "in the 1960's, deep cultural changes were altering the role of women in American society. While Lesley Gore's hit song 'You Don't Own Me' climbed the charts, Leave It to Beaver and Father Knows Best dominated television."  To seek that woman's voice in history, though it may not be written in a book somewhere, we must ask ourselves, "What is she thinking, doing, saying etc...?"  Well we know what Josephine Hoffa & DRIVE's Ladies Auxiliaries(DLA) were doing... they were making history!

Here's a brief timeline of events to keep in mind:

1955

• Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat.

1961

• April, 250,000 Teamsters & wives attend 226 meetings throughout the country.
• May, Freedom Riders begin.  DLA members picket the White House.
• July, first Jo Hoffa luncheon to kick off  DRIVE Ladies Auxiliary program.

1962

• Equal Pay Act
• DLA house parties were held across the country.  
• DLA motorcades(the most powerful & memorable political action tactic) begin.  Teamster 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.

1963

• January, "Gloria Steinem, then a freelance journalist, packed her leotard in a hat box and auditioned to become a Playboy Bunny in an undercover assignment for Show magazine. Steinem exposed the low pay, sexual harassment and racism..." - The Guardian
• Betty Friedan published her book "The Feminine Mystique" about the problem with no name.  Symptoms included, from an article in The Guardian, "creeping fatigue, tranquilizer and alcohol abuse, bleeding blisters that appeared suddenly on their arms, which doctors attributed not to the cleaning fluids they used constantly, but a deeper malaise. In the years since the war, women had grown smaller (department store buyers reported they had shrunk three or four dress sizes), more feminine, and apparently much sadder.
• Thousands attend DRIVE rallies in the south.  "Through the Ladies' Auxiliary being launched here, your voice will be heard.  It will be heard in your neighborhood, it will be heard in your community.  It will be heard in the Nation's Capital." Josephine Hoffa in Houston.

1964 

• January, The National Master Freight Agreement was signed, 16,000 trucking companies(yes, you read that right) were signatory to the 3 year agreement.
• Civil Rights Act of 1964 bans discrimination & creates the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC).
• 1 out of 5 union members is a woman. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS)

1965

• About 26 million women are in the labor force.  This is 37 percent of all women of working age.  Women are 35 percent of the labor force.  BLS
• 190 DLA members were in the hearing room as Sidney Zagri, Teamster legislative director, testified before the House Judiciary Committee about the unions concern over the denial of the right to vote to minority groups.

1966

• DRIVE & DLA members successfully protected the jobs of more than 40,000 Teamsters in the Parcel Post Rates Bill.

1967

• Declaration on the Elimination of Discrimination against women is a human rights proclamation.
• November, the Teamsters & allies in the House protect consumers by defeating a motion to severely weaken the USDA meat inspection laws.

1968

• Shirley Chisholm becomes the first black woman elected to the House.
• Miss America 1969 Protest.
• DLA member wins election.
• 115,000 show up to a DLA sponsored Labor Day picnic in Ohio.

1969

• Women who meet the physical requirements can work in many jobs that had been for men only.
• DRIVE motorcades come to an end, in six years more than 15,000 Teamster women came to Washington D.C. to fight on labor's behalf, lawmakers had never seen such a powerful, tenacious group of women.

1971

• U.S. Supreme Court outlaws the practice of private employers refusing to hire women with preschool children.

From the DLA's first victory of electing a Teamster, Lendall Bates as Mayor of Muskogee, Oklahoma to the election of Lyndon B. Johnson as President of the United States who later signed the bills that led to Medicare and the Voting Rights Act of 1965 it is made clear that when Teamsters educate, agitate and organize we win!

This year for our locker room collage posters we used some photos from the book every Teamster must read to truly see how AMAZING the women of the DLA's were, "Life In The Teamsters The History of DRIVE" by David R. Piper.

You can view our posters below:

Directly from the book:

"1960 The legislative agenda included promoting an upgrade of the federal highway program, expanding Social Security, encouraging the enactment of a Federal Aid to Education bill, pressing Congress to do more to find jobs for the unemployed, raising the minimum wage, and fighting compulsory arbitration laws."

"The political action of the Teamsters proved influential again when Congress passed the National Highway Safety Act."

"Teamster truckers who serviced mines benefited from the Metallic and Non-Metallic Mine Safety Act of 1966.  This legislation placed the responsibility of enforcement of safety guidelines at mines on the Federal Government.  It was considered groundbreaking reform at the time because it helped break control over enforcement of mine safety by state agencies dominated by representatives of mine companies."

"Members of DRIVE managed some local victories in 1969. When Teamster truck drivers in Minnesota began to be victims of high insurance surcharges, Minnesota DRIVE took action to help the truckers. What prompted the involvement of DRIVE was that many Teamster truckers had their personal auto insurance premiums increased from $100 to $200 annually, while others had their insurance cancelled altogether because of accidents they had been involved in while behind the wheel of commercial vehicles. 

DRIVE members contacted the Minnesota insurance commission to stop the surcharges from being levied against Teamsters. After DRIVE made its case to the commission, the insurance companies were ordered by the Minnesota insurance commissioner to stop putting surcharges on the drivers’ personal auto insurance if they were involved in accidents while driving commercial or emergency vehicles."

The Women's History Month celebration will continue as we share more of our Teamster women & DRIVE Ladies Auxiliaries history. We hope that you, sisters and brothers, will be inspired to use your leadership skills, get involved, volunteer your time and grab your boots because labor unions are under attack, women's rights are under attack, your fought for & died for freedoms are under attack and just like these Teamster Women Warriors we must organize and FIGHT BACK!

     

Resources

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

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

https://teamster.org/content/his-words-still-resound-teamsters-today

https://www.usnews.com/news/articles/2010/03/12/the-1960s-a-decade-of-change-for-women
https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2013/may/07/1963-beginning-feminist-movement

#ItsAboutFreedom

WE LOVE WAKING UP EVERY DAY KNOWING WE ARE TEAMSTERS!

        WE LOVE WAKING UP EVERY DAY                   KNOWING WE ARE TEAMSTERS!

The Teamsters union has played an important role in the lives of both Canada and America's workers since it's founding in 1903.  Even today, in 2018, working folks, both union and non-union, have a long list of reasons to love the labor movement and we want to take a moment on this Valentine's Day to share with you why we love waking up every day knowing we are Teamsters!

I love waking up every day knowing I am a Teamster for many reasons but as a woman one of the most important is Equal Pay for Equal Work!  Today many women, families and communities struggle because of the wage gap.  A typical white woman gets paid 83 cents for every dollar a man earns, for black and hispanic women it's worse at 65 and 58 cents on the dollar.  April 10, 2018 is the next Equal Pay Day, this date symbolizes how far into the year women must work to earn what men earned the previous year.  The Teamsters were the first to secure a gender blind and color blind contract in 1917, before the 19th Amendment when women gained the right to vote in 1920 & the Civil Rights Act of 1964.  Some have predicted that closing the wage gap would take until 2186, the minute I joined the Teamsters in 1993, I was paid equal, it's economic & common sense,  I know I'm worth it!

Andy Galaway:  "I loving being a TEAMSTER for many reasons, we negotiate for benefits like medical, dental, eye care, wages, paid vacations and working with a diverse group of people.  Our negotiated contracts means it's better to bargain than to beg.  Solidarity!" -Teamster for 16yrs.

FACT:   Collective bargaining (also called contract negotiations) is the heart and soul of the labor movement. It is when workers band together to negotiate workplace matters with their employer. The end result is a collective bargaining agreement or contract that spells out in black and white all of the terms both parties agree to, from pay rates and benefits, to a grievance procedure, time off and more.  -Teamsters.org

Meekel Allen:  "My wages and benefits make me and my family smile!" -Teamster for 22yrs.

FACT:  Research shows that inter-generational mobility and union membership go hand in hand. Mobility is greater not just for children whose parents are members of a union, but even for people who merely live in areas where union membership is strong. -Center for American Progress

Cherie Broberg:  "I love waking up every day knowing I am a Teamster because I'm thankful & fortunate to have benefits, paid vacation and a defined pension." -Teamster for 24yrs.

FACT:  The majority of union members participate in defined-benefit plans. Because union  members are better paid during their working years, they earn larger pensions — and have a better chance to save for retirement. -The Union Difference for Working Families Fact Sheet

Bob Dayton:  "To be a Teamster has been a blessing knowing that I will always have rights and a voice.  Harassment is not tolerated for production, our union is strong!  A honest days work for a honest days pay to provide for me and my family.  No one individual is the same but we are all sisters and brothers trying to provide and enjoy life.  I am proud to be a Teamster now & forever!  Thanks for the freedom!" -Teamster for 27yrs.

FACT:  Union members work together to negotiate and enforce a contract with management that guarantees the things you care about like a workplace free from harassment and being treated with dignity & respect.  Working people in unions make improvements at the workplace, and they fight to improve the rights of all people. Union members helped create workplace health and safety standards, the Americans with Disabilities Act, Family Medical Leave Act, increases to minimum wage, workers’ compensation and lots of the other laws you rely on. -AFL-CIO

Ron Peterson:  "Teamsters treat me well.  I will always be a Teamster!" -Teamster for 38yrs.

FACT:  The total number of union members grew by 262,000 in 2017.  Three fourths of those gains were among workers under 35. -Economic Policy Institute

Here's just one more reason from the many, why we love being Teamsters, enjoy!

Elvis Presley was a Teamster. Elvis drove a truck for Crown Electric in Memphis for three years, and always carried his union card even after he became famous. Elvis said he could always get a job if the singing gig didn’t work out because he was a Teamster.

Elvis Love Me Tender w/ The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra

If you're a Teamster, family member, friend or ally join us today & use the photos below to share with your social media community!  

                       Thanks for sharing!
                              #TEAMSTERS
                                          @Teamsters

<3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 


Resources:

https://teamster.org/about/teamster-history/early-years

https://www.americanprogress.org/issues/economy/reports/2015/09/09/120558/bargaining-for-the-american-dream/

http://dpeaflcio.org/programs-publications/issue-fact-sheets/the-union-difference-for-working-families/http://teamsters332.com/teamsters-fun-facts/

http://www.epi.org/publication/biggest-gains-in-union-membership-in-2017-were-for-younger-workers/

READY TO ORGANIZE! POWER TO THE POLLS!

            TEAMSTER WOMEN READY TO ORGANIZE!                                             POWER TO THE POLLS!

When Teresa Shook, a retired attorney in her 60's living in Hawaii, who  never considered herself much of an activist, heard the results of the presidential election she turned to Facebook and asked: What if women marched on Washington around Inauguration Day en masse?  No one could have predicted what was about to happen, how history changing events would soon follow from one woman just asking a question.

It's been a whole year since our group marched alongside 100,000 in St. Paul, MN. We joined in solidarity with our sisters and brothers for the Women's March On Washington Jan. 23, 2017 in support of women's rights, immigration reform, healthcare reform, protection of the natural environment, LGBTQ rights, racial justice, freedom of religion and workers' rights.   It was the largest one-day protest in U.S. history.

I remember how inspiring It was as I chanted with others, "This is what democracy looks like!" and "What do we want?  EQUALITY!  When do we want it?  NOW!"  More than reading words on a document or a book can describe, an empowering feeling came over me, this is what people power feels like,  what "We the people" really means and I knew that I would not face an uncertain future alone. 

The Merriam-Webster dictionary has chosen “feminism” as its word of the year, and it has certainly been an extraordinary 12 months for women.  Pause for a minute to think about just a few of these extraordinary moments...

"Nevertheless, She Persisted"

'Fearless Girl' Arrives in New York

Maxine Waters Reclaims Her Time

The #MeToo Movement Goes Global

Women Run For Office in Record Numbers

Black Women Defeat Roy Moore in Alabama

Time Names 'The Silence Breakers' Person of The Year

#Time's Up  initiative launched to fight systemic sexual harassment in workplaces nationwide

"It seems that right now, women, more than ever, are recognizing that our voices mean something.  We've taken a lot of crap over the years, aware of the injustices, but given the statement of "that's just how it is".  Well no more!  It's time we stand, raise our voices, and stand for equality and advantages for all!  I stand behind my sisters and brothers and will help in any way I can to further the pursuit of all, not just the few!"   Anne Hustvedt

The next stage of the movement, Power To The Polls, will channel the energy and activism of the Women's March into tangible strategies and concrete wins in 2018.  Like our Teamster sisters before us who hosted "D.R.I.V.E. Goes To A Party" activities and talked about the goals of D.R.I.V.E. (Democrat, Republican, Independent Voter Education) discussing issues relating to their families and communities, registering people to vote, talking with politicians and sharing evaluations about how well they understood their needs, we can too!  We are the leaders we have been waiting for!  It's time for Teamster Women to ORGANIZE!

"It is important to make your voice heard because your opinion does matter;   voting is one of the ways to voice your opinion.  As women it is especially vital to exercise your right to vote because we haven't always had that privilege.  We need to elect politicians who have their hand on the pulse of women's issues because there is still much work to be done so that all women ACTUALLY HAVE equal rights."  Mary Eikholtz

ALERT!  Minnesota is now ground zero in the 2018 midterm elections.  All Minnesota voters will have these races on their ballot:  U.S. Senator, U.S. Representative, Governor & Lt. Governor, Secretary of State, State Auditor, Attorney General, State Representative and signs are already pointing to yet another record-breaking year for "outside spending"  by national interest groups like The National Right To Work Foundation and the Koch funded Americans for Prosperity.  "Ohio is the new Missouri, Wisconsin is the new Ohio, Minnesota is the new Wisconsin," tweeted Republican ad-maker Brad Todd and President Trump supports the  National Right To Work (for less) Bill.

"On the anniversary of the Women's March, we women and our allies are going to let this administration know that We Won't Back Down!  As a Teamster Woman, I will get involved in anyway that I can, volunteering in voter registration drives, phone banking, caucusing for candidates who support both union and women's issues."  Maggie Tuff

Dan Tobin, president of the  International Brotherhood of Teamsters from 1907 to 1952, foresaw a strong future for Teamster women when he said, “Women members are coming into their own. In the future they will be out in ever increasing numbers…an army of labor amazons that the exploiters will learn to fear.” in 1947.

This is our defining moment, now is the time, the war on women is real, the war on workers is real and to quote Mother Jones, the  fearless fighter for workers’ rights—once labeled "the most dangerous woman in America" by a U.S. district attorney, "WE NEED TO FIGHT LIKE HELL FOR THE LIVING!"

As Teamster Women we join our Sisters and pledge:

We are ready!

We will organize! 

We will bring our power to the polls!

RESOURCES:

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

https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/it-started-with-a-grandmother-in-hawaii

http://www.powertothepolls.com/

http://www.sos.state.mn.us/election-administration-campaigns/elections-calendar/

http://www.sos.state.mn.us/election-administration-campaigns/elections-calendar/

https://teamster.org/news/2014/02/teamsters-celebrate-womens-history

https://teamster.org/news/2015/04/daniel-j-tobin-teamster-visionary

https://aflcio.org/about/history/labor-history-people/mother-jones