As I reported last week, the Teamsters Union in Texas supported Gov. Rick Perry (R) for re-election for governor. One day before the midterm election on Tuesday, the drivers of City of Fort Worth buses, The T, went on strike. They are represented by the Teamsters. Though the city tried to keep the buses rolling, using management as drivers, hiring new drivers, offering free rides, service was reported to be compromised in the first few days of the strike with buses up to several hours late, people forced to leave overcrowded buses, some buses never showing up at all. Tuesday, election day, was the second day of the strike.
The city of Fort Worth (as opposed to it suburbs) has a big Democratic voting base. It also has a lot of citizens that rely on the buses for transportation, people who are too poor to drive, or people who have disabilities or are elderly or who just do not feel the need to maintain a car since the city has a bus system. If you think about the demographics of Democrats, it is easy to imagine that they are more likely to take buses than Republicans. Though the local Democrats did not raise any objections (how could they? Democrats are pro-union.) I am convinced that the Teamster bosses timed their strike to benefit Rick Perry, who was facing stiff competition from three challengers (at one point Democrat Chris bell was within 5 points of Perry). This was a plurality election. Whichever of the four candidates got the most votes, won the election.
Rick Perry won the election. No one knows if voters in Fort Worth did not go to the polls on Tuesday for lack of transportation. However, we do know that the Fort Worth bus drivers believe that they got nothing for their strike.
http://www.dfw.com/mld/dfw/news/local/16008381.htm"Fort Worth Transportation Authority bus drivers say they haven't decided whether to file a grievance against their union after last week's five-day strike resulted in a contract with no new benefits.
"Teamsters Local 997 voted Saturday to end the strike and accept a three-year contract with McDonald Transit Associates, a company that manages bus service for the authority, also known as the T.
"But fewer than half the union's 155 members took part in the vote, bus operator Bobby Brown said.
"Of 59 ballots cast, 37 were against the contract, 21 were for it and one ballot was voided. Because of the low turnout, a two-thirds majority was needed to reject the contract, so it narrowly passed."
What gives??? The union couldn't wait to go on strike. It was so anxious to get on the picket line, it had to infringe on the voting rights of the poorest citizens of Fort Worth. Then, five days later, the union leadership
couldn't wait to get back to work .It held a quicky vote that most members couldnt participate in and ok'd a contract that got no new benefits that a majority of those voting objected to!!!!!
I cite this is more proof that this was a phoney-baloney strike cooked up by some crooked member of the Teamsters management to benefit the re-election commitee of Gov. Rick Perry, Republican, and that this strike had nothing to do with helping the city of Fort Worth bus drivers. These men and women had to endure the anger of their fellow citizens so that some one in their union could get something from Perry, while they got nothing.
The Democrats will not say a word. They can not, since anything they say will be taken out of context to attack all unions, and unions are more important than this one election. However, I hope that members of DU who belong to unions keep this in mind. Watch out for your leaders, especially if you are in the Teamsters. Do not always assume that they have your best interest at heart. If something does not seem right, maybe it isn't.
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