A Helping Hand in Pennsylvania

A Helping Hand in Pennsylvania

Local 397 Teamsters Raise Money for Fellow Member

December 26, 2003

In September, Roy Baum, an 18-year Teamster member at Ames True Temper in Union City, Pennsylvania, wrote a letter to his local’s executive board requesting assistance in purchasing a special lift chair for his wife, Gloria. Gloria was diagnosed with Amotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) in 2001 and her condition has deteriorated since.

Baum’s health insurance company deemed the chair “not a medical necessity,” so Local 397 in Erie, Pennsylvania stepped in.

With the holiday season approaching, the local’s Executive Board immediately sprang into action by sponsoring a benefit raffle for the lift chair. Teamster stewards proved that Teamsters care about one of their own by selling more than 1,700 tickets in a short time.

On Sunday, December 14, prior to the local’s regular membership meeting, Baum was on hand to draw the winning ticket for the raffle. Baum also spoke about his wife’s disease and gave a special thanks to all the Teamsters who helped him out by selling and buying raffle tickets.

The raffle was successful in raising the money so Baum could buy the lift chair for Gloria.

“It’s times like this that I am truly proud to be a Teamster,” said Ron Gibbs, Local 397’s Secretary-Treasurer, who headed the benefit drive.