International Brotherhood of Teamsters Local 639

The local union president is usually the individual who leads negotiations on behalf of the union.
The President of Local 639 is Bill Davis. Union members DO NOT get to vote on who leads negotiations.

Local 639 NLRB Representation Election Track Record

How has Local 639 fared in NLRB representation elections and first contract negotiations?

Teamsters Local 639 has filed 162 representation petitions with the NLRB.

Out of the 162 representation petitions filed by Local 639, here are the results:

  • Won 63 elections (39%)

  • Lost 45 (28%

  • Withdrew 48 prior to the vote (29%).

Unions usually withdraw a petition if they feel they are going to lose an election.

Of those 63 wins, Local 639 was able to reach a contract on only 24 occasions.

Out of the 24 contracts signed, employees got more in wages and benefits than what they had prior to unionization just 3 times out of 162 tries.

That is an overall success rate of 2%.

Below is information from an independent research firm reflecting these results:

Where does Local 639 spend its money?

Found on the IBT 639 LM2 Report: STATEMENT B - RECEIPTS AND DISBURSEMENTS

Teamsters Local 639 LM2 Report 2023

Every year unions are required to file financial reports with the U.S. Department of Labor. These reports show all the money a union collected in a particular year, including the source of the income. Reports also show where the union spent the money it collected.

$2,173,519 Representational Activities – money spent attempting to organize non-union workers

$1,544,455 Per Capita Tax – this is a tax paid on behalf of every member of Local 639 to the International Brotherhood of Teamsters in Washington, DC

$960,073 Union Employee Benefits – health, welfare, retirement benefits for employees of the union itself

$270,740 Union Administration -There is no specific definition of this term. It could include various general costs of carrying out union business

$979,259 General Overhead - There is no specific definition of this term. It could included various general costs of operating the union and maintaining its physical assets

$0 Strike Benefits – Part of all dues paid by members to their union goes to a discretionary strike benefit fund. This is a fund maintained by the union to supplement income for striking workers who are not receiving a paycheck from their employer during a strike.

This is particularly troubling because in 2023, Local 639 called a strike involving 150 drivers at OmniRide. These drivers were out of work on strike for 27 workdays without a paycheck and the union chose not to provide any strike benefit pay to its members (line 57 above).

$0 Disbursements to assist with fines, fees, assessments, etc.

$5,306 in Individual Member Disbursements for their 11,075 members

The Teamsters International Constitution

All unions, including the Teamsters, have an International Constitution that contains the rights and powers of union officials, as well as rules and obligations all members must follow.

According to the Teamsters Constitution:

  • Members are bound to an oath of loyalty to the Teamsters. If a member violates a rule in the Constitution, they can be fined, suspended, or expelled from the union.

  • Members vote on whether they want to ratify a proposed contract. If they vote YES, the contract is ratified. If the majority vote NO, the deal is rejected and constitutes automatic authorization for a strike without any further voting.

  • During a strike, the union can heavily fine a member who decides to cross the picket line and go to work.

  • The union can bring members up on internal disciplinary charges. At a hearing, the member is entitled to representation, but cannot bring their own personal attorney. The representative must be a member in good standing of the Teamsters union.

Local 639 also has a set of Bylaws that contains additional rules members must follow. According to their Bylaws, Local 639 charges new members initiation fees (in addition to dues) in Section 18 (B):