POWER D.R.I.V.E. - Teamsters Local 25

Paul Nardi of Boston Sand and GravelLOCAL 25 FINISHES RECORD-In just under two weeks, nearly 1,700 Local 25 memberseither increased their weekly contribution or joinedDRIVE (Democratic, Republican, Independent VoterEducation) for the first time. DRIVE is the InternationalBrotherhood of Teamsters’ registered political action fund,which helps us to elect or defeat candidates for public officeon a national level.“DRIVE funding is very important to our survival goingforward,” said Sean M. O’Brien, President and Principal Officerof Teamsters Local 25. “The recent war on workers campaignwe all witnessed started with a newly elected anti-uniongovernor and anti-union legislature in the state of Wisconsin.DRIVE funding will help us defeat these types of adversariesof working people.”The Local 25 DRIVE effort was spearheaded by BusinessAgent Steven J. South and he was supported by DRIVE RepresentativesTom Curtin and Tim Dunn. More than 30 differentlocations were visited. A special thanks goes out to theLocal 25 business agents and stewards who helped make thecampaign so victorious.“I had no problem increasing my DRIVE contributionthis year. We need to start building our war chest for the presidentialelection next year. If a right-wing president and TeaParty Congress get elected, organized labor as we know itmight be in jeopardy of becoming extinct. We need to bandtogether and fight for our lives,” said Brian DeLuca, steward atUPS in Watertown, Massachusetts.Big business spends big money in Washington to influencemembers of Congress to push their anti-worker plans. Theyoutspend working families on politics by more than 15-1.Through grassroots political action and aggressive lobbyingon Capitol Hill and in statehouses and city halls across thecountry, Teamsters have stopped some of the worst attacks onworking people. But big business is pushing their agendaharder than ever. That means we have to fight back strongerthan ever. And we have to move forward with our own programs,like improving job safety, fighting for affordable childcare,and stopping abuses by corporate health providers andinsurance companies.You can take a stand for working families by contributingto DRIVE. Your contribution will support grassroots actionby Teamster families to stand up to big business interests. Andyour membership to DRIVE will help elect political candidateswho care about working people.Contributions to DRIVE support a wide range of Teamsteractivities, such as:• Keeping members and their families informed on the keyissues that affect our future, including voter guides thatshow the records of our Senators and Representatives inCongress;• Rallies, news conferences, advertisements and phonebanks to build support on issues of concern to workingpeople; and• Voter registration and financial support for political candidateswho will stand up for working families. DRIVE isnon-partisan and independent from any political party.“I would like to thank everyone who dug deep into theirpockets to support this recent DRIVE campaign. Your commitmentto Local 25 is truly appreciated,” O’Brien said.6 | The SPOKESMAN | FALL 2011 | www.teamsterslocal25.com