IN THE SEPTEMBER 2005 ISSUE of Teamster, the magazine put out by the International Brotherhood of Teamsters the opening page has an article written by James Hoffa. He can talk the talk but can he walk the walk. I think he had better have a talk with Rome Aloise, secretary treasurer of Teamsters Local 853. He broke up the Conference of Newspaper Unions at the San Francisco Chronicle by meeting with management without the 7 other Union representatives present and then ratifies a shit contract with a NO STRIKE clause, leaving everyone else in a very vulnerable position. Just ask the Guild, Mailers and Paper Handlers membership. They have signed the worst contracts in the history of their Unions, I'm sure the threat of the Teamsters going through a picket line had something to do with it! How you can belong to a Union and sign a NO STRIKE clause is beyond me. That would be like being in the military and getting sent off to Iraq without a weapon. Hoffa talks about breaking away from the AFL-CIO because they were focusing more on politics than workers ģIt's time to put organizing workers firstē. How can that be when a large majority of Teamster locals are signing NO STRIKE contracts. If the Union I belong to signed a NO STRIKE clause I would quit paying my Union dues. The next time around you can give up the GRIEVANCE PROCEDURE. We have been getting the shit kicked out of us since the 70s. In a conference call with many Union officials present Rome Aloise told San Francisco Web Pressmen and Prepress Workers' Union No. 4 President and Vice President that management has bought the Teamsters bullet proof vests in case of a strike! Welcome to the Teamsters Brothers and Sisters. Another words they are going through your picket lines. What an organizing tool. You can join the Teamsters, you get to pay Union dues, you get a bullet proof vest and get to go through picket lines!! The NO STRIKE clause started with Medical, Fire and Police departments. How come no one from organized labor raised hell about it when corporate america introduced it into the private sector? There is a movement going on in this country to establish a Union free environment and I see no one stepping up to the plate. It has gone so far I think the only way Unions will ever gain back the respect they deserve is to have a Solidarity Movement like Lech Walesa did in Poland, guess the Teamsters couldn't show up since they have NO STRIKE clauses in their contracts! You should solidify the base before trying to organize. People want to join Unions that they can be proud of. Why would someone want to join a Union when the majority of them are rolling over for Corporate America. Cutting wages, Vacations, Sick Leave, Health and Welfare Benefits & Contributions, Retirement Benefits & Contributions. I have been a Union member for 42 years and no one can blow smoke up my ass. I know how it used to be and I don't have to like the way it is. IWW, Industrial Workers of the World (or "Wobblies"; Organizer Joseph Ettor said: If the workers of the world want to win, all they have to do is recognize their own solidarity. They have nothing to do but fold their arms and the world will stop. The workers are more powerful with their hands in their pockets than all the property of the capitalists.

Bruce Carlton
Pressman IBT-GCIU 4
San Francisco Chronicle
BBSIX@aol.com