I hear Gerry Gross told the members of 653 there were no ongoing talks about a merger with 25. Just so happens a few of the 653 guys showed up at 25's monthly meeting, asked the bald midget if he's been talking to gerry about a merger and guess what??? He spilled the beans. they are talking. Could 122, 82, and 1 be next ??

What's your problem with Local 25 and Sean O'Brien? For that matter why do you have a problem with Local 25 growing it's membership through a merger with another Local Union?

Sir, until sunday I did not have a problem with obrien.
i hope local 25 grows to 20 thousand, I just dont think it should be at the expense of other locals. why didn't he refer the members from 653 to ask their president if he's talking about a merger. He should not have answered that question. Now gerry looks like a lying sack of shit thanks to obrien. Do you want him as field rep or buisness agent for local 25 if the merger happens.As far as more members, its called organizing, and how about getting them into the pension plan. I would like to know what percent of NEWLY ORGANIZED members are in the pension and health plans?? X174driver, I hope that answers your question.

I would not worry about your pension under ERISA a merge in pensions is under strict guide lines

Apparently Gerry is a lying sack of shit! He has been telling his members that no merger talks were taking place, meanwhile HE initiated talks with Local 25 Leader Sean O'brien. Sean was asked about this merger at a Local 25 Union meeting point blank by members of Local 653. Sean did what Gerry should have done, he told the truth, very refreshing wouldn't you say. Your insults mean nothing to real teamsters maggie. Sean keep up the good work and don't let the bastards get you down.

here is my two cents on mergers. banks are doing it, corporations are doing it. it only makes sense that unions do it. it a matter of survival. local union numbers will come and go, its the survival of the union that is most important.

I don't disagree with you O Silent One but there are good mergers and there are bad mergers and there are also forced mergers which usually fit into the bad merger category. Many private agendas at play when you get into merger considerations and the will of the member and their best interests are not always served. The IBT seems to be promoting mergers right now and are often too far removed from what is taking place to make good judgement calls on some of these mergers. Transparency and honesty with the members is always the key to success. When you sneak around the truth, generate a lot of falsehoods, and start taking care of cronies, a recipe for disaster is being cooked up. The laudable ends simply do not justify the distorted means. Initial discussions between officials almost always are done in private, because it is a feeling out process. These meetings are generally considered to be confidential and I could see it getting awkward for an official when he is asked the question and does not want to breach someone elses confidence. Sounds as though that is happened in the instance that generated this thread. I don't know the persons involved but I understand the reasons as being absent of malice.

Creating mega Locals may be a good thing from an efficiency and power standpoint, but it is very important that the brotherhood sense of belonging to one's Union is not lost in the transition. Also critical to the formation of mega Locals is that the selected leadership needs to have a proven record of positive membership representation. I choose the word selected and do the use the word elected because that is never what happens in a so called merger or an acquisition of a Local by another Local. The members do eventually get to vote though and when the members get dealt with poorly or disrespectfully tor perceive it as such, they do remember and when they do get a chance to vote, its payback time and they dump their leadership.

This whole issue of mergers is a very timely and important issue as many merger instances and considerations are occurring across the country. It would probably good to know what is happening with your brothers when a merger is being considered. Right now then discussions all seem to take place at the 'official' level and the members get input only at the completion of the process. Might be good if TeamsterNet (hellooooo VegasJim) created a forum specifically for this topic, sort of a merger clearinghouse forum, so that the good and the bad and perceptions thereof can be kicked around and sorted out. Perhaps we could even create a merger that was initiated by the members. Now that would be a real reach, but when you think about it, why not.

Alex,

I think the merger stuff probably rightfully belongs on the T-Talk section because it's obviously Teamster Talk, and it's stuff that I'm not sure should be relegated to some other low-visibility forum. Since we're both on the EXACT same page about good and bad trusteeships and mergers, I hope you understand that I think they deserve *LOTS* of attention as opposed to little, something I fear they'd get were they cordoned off in a dedicated forum.

What I usually do is ask posters to keep similar topics in similar threads. So, for example, since there's now a 653-25 merger thread, I'll ask that all closely-affined subjects stay in this thread (e.g. those having to do with the rumored merger). That way it can have its own dedicated space on T-Talk which gives it visibility and a quasi dedicated spot.

The IBT said quite some time ago....and Ill quote (figure of speech) " Find somebody to merge with yourself or eventually we will do it for you".

The nerve of that Sean O'Brien to tell the truth and give a straight answer when asked. This Union is going to hell in a handbasket.


Some people have just resolved themselves to never being happy under any circumstance.

Local 25 has been growing its membership by organizing. It is one of the few Locals to be aggressively organizing. They're doing a great job up there. And by the well-known video of the waste removal picket, Local 25 will fight, as that turned into a very successful campaign.
I'd go so far as to say that a 25 - 653 merger would be a good thing. O'Brien is doing a good job, he ruffles feathers within the cushy structures (union and corporate). The members of 653 should ultimately decide if they want to be in a Boston Local. Maybe there should be a choice involved, I don't know how that works.

When our local merged obrian said we would be better off(local 379}. our dues have been raised, our buisness agent given a job then forced out, our principal officer made a field rep and will be forced out next. you tell me, are we better off? PLEASE.

Paul was NOT forced out, that job took its toll on a good FAMILY man who opted to go to work back in the field omn his own - with NO hard feelings. Jerry is NOT about to be forced out either. You guys from 379 have benefitted greatly by that merger, the construction division of Local 25 is one of the strongest in the USA, people as far away as Texas know that. Maybe you ought to get to a meeting some time real soon............