Introduction to the New Edition

The new Introduction begins by discussing that this second edition can help the new generation of labor activists and socialists to understand why unions are less open to their ideas than they may hope, and can help them develop effective ways to act toward union staff, union officers, employers, and the government to strengthen workers’ power to change workplaces and the society as a whole. It describes some limitations and enduring strengths of Teamster Rank and File. It updates the histories of the Teamsters Union, the freight industry, Local 208, and Teamsters for a Democratic Union. It then discusses the need for a movement of socialist labor activists, and how socialists and labor activists might act to help produce such a movement.