Teamsters Build Ranks in North Carolina
On Saturday, Local 391 in Greensboro, North Carolina, hosted the Joint Council 9 Teamster Organizers Bootcamp, one of several held nationwide this weekend. Participants traveled to the training from throughout the region, making a left onto “Teamsters Place” in order to participate in a day-long training filled with timely subjects focused on communicating the Teamster message. The training was a joint effort between the International Union and Joint Council 9 as part of an effort to recruit and train 1,000 new Teamster member organizers by year’s end.
"I would like to thank the International Union for sending Claudia Galloway and Tremayne Johnson to conduct the training for Joint Council 9 volunteer organizers,” said Claude Gray, President of Joint Council 9. “I am proud that Joint Council 9 signed up to participate in this important training and we are ready to participate on any national campaigns.”
Communicating the Message
Rachel Baisden, an organizer with Local 391, was one of the instructors who, through her own experience as an organizer, was able to relate her own Teamster message and encourage those in attendance to do the same. Baisden, along with Tremayne Johnson, an International Union organizer, presented the module, “Opening the Lines of Communication by Understanding the Generation Gaps,” which helped participants improve their communication skills by first understanding the generational differences that often impede effective dialog.
“I enjoyed the training on how to communicate the union message. It was very useful to know how Teamsters are winning and building a workers movement,” said Shelby Moore, a member of Local 391 who works for Guildard County Schools. “This was a very resourceful seminar filled with a lot of useful information.”
“I appreciated the methods taught on how to reach across generations and learned a lot about the many scare tactics employers will utilize against workers,” said Jerry Robinson, who works at UPS and is a member of Local 71 in Charlotte.
Putting into Practice
Keith McCorkel, a UPS driver and member of Local 391, also picked up information from the presentation, which he plans to use in his daily interactions.
“This seminar gave me a new awareness of how to address different generations. The handbook that was passed out will help me with a lot of situations that will likely arise,” McCorkel said. “We definitely needed more time because all the presenters were great and knowledgeable of all subjects.”
“This seminar taught me how to approach and talk to prospective members,” said James Combs, a member of Local 509 who works at UPS Freight. “I enjoyed the training and will be proud to use what I have learned.”
