Black Teamsters Caucus meets

Highlights of the Teamsters National Black Caucus meeting here Aug. 17-21 were the group's commitment to the struggle against the war and occupation of Iraq, its plans to participate in the Millions More Movement in October, and a keynote talk by Minister Louis Farrakhan of the Nation of Islam.

Minister Louis Farrakhan addresses meeting of unionists in Chicago.

Millions More Movement leader Farrakhan addressed 500 members and supporters of the TNBC who gathered in Chicago for their group's annual conference. Minister Farrakhan was invited to speak at the TNBC´s banquet by its current president, Chris Silvera, a Teamster leader in the New York area as well as one of the leaders of the Million Worker March Movement.

The invitation to Minister Farrakhan had grown out of discussions within the MWMM about how to highlight Black workers' and Black trade unionists' concerns and their participation in the upcoming Millions More Movement march, set for Oct. 15 in Washington, D.C.

Minister Farrakhan slammed the war in Iraq, saying, “Instead of Saddam Hussein, it´s Bush who should be put on trial for war crimes.’ The NOI leader noted that this was the first time he had spoken before a gathering of trade unionists.

MWMM Co-chair and International Longshore Workers official Clarence Thomas, who attended the TNBC event, said, “Having Minister Farrakhan here is a major breakthrough for Black labor participation in the Millions More Movement march this fall.’

Thomas also noted, “The fact that Farrakhan, in his remarks, called on the labor movement to go back to the table and work out its differences, because the split only serves the interest of greedy corporate executives, is very significant and timely.’

Recently several major unions, including the Teamsters, UNITE-HERE and the Service Employees, separated from the AFL-CIO.

The five-day-long TNBC conference endorsed the Millions More Movement march, the Sept. 24 anti-war march in Washington, D.C., as well as a call for three days of protest against the war, racism and poverty set for Dec. 1-3. These dates coincide with the 50th anniversary of the day Rosa Parks opened the famous Montgomery, Ala., bus boycott when she was arrested for refusing to give her seat to a white man.

Larry Holmes of the Troops Out Now Coalition and the MWMM, who also addressed the TNBC meeting, said: “The response at the caucus meeting to the protest on the anniversary of Rosa Parks´ defiant stand and the incredible bus boycott that it sparked is really strong. The support of the TNBC will help us get more trade unionists involved in the Dec. 1-3 protest, and it will help our ambitious plans to encourage workers to plan job actions during that time."

Trent Willis, MWMM co-chair and president of ILWU Local 10, also addressed the meeting, as did other MWMM leaders Brenda Stokely and Leo Robinson. Coalition of Black Trade Unionists President Bill Lucy and Transport Workers Union Local 100 President Roger Toussaint of New York City also spoke.