Published
June 07, 2024
The International Brotherhood of Teamsters, usually called the Teamsters union, is one of America’s oldest labor organizations. However, like many other unions, its membership dropped sharply from its peak of 2.2 million in 1974 to less than 1.3 million in 2023. To stem the decline, the union has recruited members from anywhere it can, and now, rather than representing primarily truck drivers, the Teamsters cover a wide cross-section of disparate industries, including Red Cross workers, casino employees, flight attendants, public sector workers, catalog printers, and even zookeepers.
The Teamsters use aggressive and often questionable tactics with employers, whether in negotiating a contract or trying to recruit new members. The union is also the subject of Congressional scrutiny.
Find out what you need to know about the Teamsters.
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About the authors
Glenn Spencer
Spencer oversees the Chamber’s work on immigration, retirement security, traditional labor relations, human trafficking, wage hour and worker safety issues, EEOC matters, and state labor and employment law.
