Who are the Teamsters?
The Teamsters are the largest, most diverse union in the United States. In 1903, the union started as a merger of the two leading team driver associations. The Teamsters Union began working to organize these workers in order to secure the pay and benefits that they deserved as the backbone of America’s economic growth.
The Teamsters are well known as the champion of freight drivers and warehouse workers, but have also organized workers in almost every occupation imaginable, both professional and non-professional as well as both public and private sector workers.
The Teamsters represent public defenders in MN, vegetable workers in CA, sanitation workers in NY, newspaper workers in WA, construction workers in NV, health care workers in RI, and bakery workers in ME. The Teamsters represent some airline pilots, secretaries and police officers, among many other jobs.
There are nearly 1,900 Teamster affiliates throughout the United States Canada and Puerto Rico, and our WV members are represented by statewide Local 175. Teamsters officials work hard to organize members, help negotiate contracts, do pension management, health and safety, community outreach, as well as governmental affairs and communications. Since the Teamsters creation, it has been a voice for the rights of working people and ensuring that those rights are protected in the workplace.