Teamsters 89 will represent Booker staffers

LOUISVILLE, KY— Teamsters Local 89 and the Charles Booker for Senate Campaign are proud to announce that the Campaign has voluntarily recognized Local 89 as the exclusive bargaining agent for their staff. Proposal meetings with staffers have already been held and preparations for negotiations are well underway.

“I’m excited to announce that my campaign staff have decided to join Teamsters Local 89,” said Candidate for US Senate Charles Booker. "Every worker, whether working on a campaign, in a warehouse, or on the factory floor, deserves to be provided with representation that only a union can offer. I know that this partnership will strengthen our team and we look forward to working with these newly minted Teamsters.”

“This is a historic moment for Kentucky Teamsters and Labor in general,” said Secretary-Treasurer Avral Thompson. “Charles has always been a strong supporter of unions and workers’ rights, and he’s putting words into action by voluntarily supporting his staff’s decision to become Teamsters. It’s very refreshing to see.”

In recent years, there has been a growing trend for political campaign staffs to organize. By and large this has taken place with the staffs of heavily pro-union politicians, who have then voluntarily recognized their employee’s union rather than resort to corporate style union busting. It has become something of a litmus test to determine whether a candidate’s pro-union stance is genuine or for show. It is easy for someone to say they stand with labor; it is another to publicly support their own workers when they form a union.

“We commend Charles Booker for voluntarily recognizing his staff’s desire to become Teamsters. We hope other candidates out there take note of these actions because it’s truly an indicator of a genuine commitment to workers,” said Business Agent Jay Dennis who will be heading negotiations. “That said, the bottom line is we’re here to represent these workers, and we intend to set the standard for campaign staffs in the area when we get into bargaining.”

About Teamsters Local 89: Local 89 is affiliated with the International Brotherhood of Teamsters. It represents over 16,000 workers in Kentucky and Southern Indiana at major employers such as UPS, Zenith Logistics, and Yellow Freight. Teamsters 89 is led by President Fred Zuckerman and Secretary-Treasurer Avral Thompson. On March 22, Zuckerman will begin a five-year term as general secretary-treasurer, the second in command of the IBT.