History of Local 808

researched and written by Chris Silvera

Teamsters Local 808 has built a strong legacy of militant action. Throughout its 82 years of existence, our local’s militancy has done more to move the agenda of railroad workers than any other union.

Teamsters Local 808 was first chartered in 1922. Local 808 was most noted for its militancy in representing the truck drivers of a company known as Railway Express Agency. Railway Express Agency started doing work recognizable today as that performed by UPS and DHL/Airborne.

Local 808 moves to center stage in 1947 as the struggle to win the forty-hour work week begins to heat up. In September 1947 John McNamara, without notice, called a strike that caused major confusion for New York businesses depending on REA for fast freight shipments. The garment industry was most affected by this strike action. Defying a return to work order by General President Daniel Tobin of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, Secretary Treasurer John McNamara declared that his union was determined to win the forty hour week, for which it had been fighting for the past six years. Virtually all rail and express workers were on a forty-four or forty-eight hour work week.

Local 808’s militant stance was supported by the members of several lodges of the Brotherhood of Railroad and Steamship Clerks (now TCU). Michael Gallagher, Committeeman of Local 2125 reported that the members at that meeting passed a resolution asking George M. Harrison, the International President of the BRSC, to join with the Teamsters in finding a solution to the dispute.

In spite of the hardship that was brought upon the clerks by the impact of the striking Teamsters, they understood that the goal of the struggle would improve the working conditions for all Railway Express Agency workers. This understanding, that the hardships of struggle will eventually produce better working conditions, allowed the clerks to maintain solidarity with the striking Teamsters.

Labor militancy during this era caused the Congress to pass the Taft-Hartley Bill into law. The garment industries’ employers met to discuss how to implement this law and lessen the impact on their industry. The twenty-five day strike was ended when Mayor Paul O’Dwyer promised the men that he would get President Truman to invoke a Presidential Emergency Board. A Presidential Emergency Board was granted and the striking Teamsters returned to work.

In February 1948 the PEB recommended a shortened work week for the Teamsters. The Railway Express Agency accepted the recommendation and effective March 4, 1948 the forty hour, five day work week became effective in the railroad industry for the first time. Local 808 members became the first workers in the railroad industry to enjoy the forty hour work week!

This militancy at Teamsters Local 808, once again, brought dramatic results for workers in the railroad industry at the Long Island Railroad. Previously represented by the Brotherhood of Maintenance of Way Employees (BMWE) the workers grew tired of the union’s inability to address their demands. In a dramatic move the workers dumped the BMWE and voted to be represented by Teamsters Local 808.

From 1966 through the era of the Rockefeller governorship Local 808 track and bridge and building workers moved from the least paid to the highest paid track and structures workers in America today. The militancy and solidarity of the workers were important in this remarkable achievement.

In 1980 Local 808 embarked on an organizing drive in the public sector. The drive centered on the Village of Mineola. The lead union organizers were John Mahoney, James Triall and Kenneth McGovern. Supported by workers like Jimmy Boroslawski, Fred Deodato, Marcia Everett and Joe Tartaglia, Local 808 was victorious in its effort to organize within the Public Sector.

Local 808 went on to organize additional municipalities on Long Island. In 1994, Port Washington Water Pollution Control District workers reached out to Local 808 and were organized successfully.

Under the leadership of John Mahoney Local 808 embarked on an attempt to solidify Teamster control of commuter railroads in the Northeast Corridor. This brilliant concept would later bring the wrath of the Federal Government down on Brother Mahoney.

In the summer of 1983 Track and Bridge and Building workers on Conrail’s commuter operations spin-off, Metro North Commuter Railroad, votes and were certified as members of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, Local 808.

Business Agents James Triall and Brian McGovern were appointed to represent the Metro-North workers. The Teamsters ushered in a period of militancy not seen in the railroad since the McNamara reign in Local 808. Triall, McGovern and their appointed stewards ushered in dignity and respect in the workplace. They were responsible for ushering in safety on the job as a way of life. Teamsters Local 808 used the safety rule book like a weapon against the company, bringing the company to it knees. The workers on Metro-North will always appreciate the leadership of Jimmy Triall.

In the Summer of 1984 Local 808 embarked on an organizing drive to bring the New Jersey Transit workers under the umbrella of the Teamsters. Battling both the railroad and the incumbent union, Brotherhood of Maintenance of Way Employees, Local 808 fell short in the fall of that year.

Turmoil and division shook the Local and by 1985 the Long Island Railroad workers left, thus ending the grand plans of Local 808 and John Mahoney.

In December of 1989 under the leadership of Chris Silvera, Ozzie LoVerme, Jimmy Frank, Pedro Cardi, Nancy Mobley and others, the Local’s membership was unified in a campaign to both bring democracy and put an end to the turmoil that threatened the Local’s continued existence. The members overwhelmingly voted in a new Executive Board.

This new leadership embarked on a road of renewed militancy and rooting out all vestiges of corrupt activity. The members of Local 808 have never looked back.

Local 808 brought factory workers at Swingline from under the thumb of organized crime control and into the sunshine of trade unionism in October of 1981. Successfully raiding Local 222, an “independent union”, Local 808 and the workers struck Swingline. This resulted in better wages, improved health and pension benefits and vastly improved working conditions in that factory. With the passage of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) the company decided to move production to Mexico. The workers again went into fight mode and got what is recognized as a trend setting agreement protecting their gains after the plant closed in Long Island City. This Effects Bargaining Agreement served as the model for workers nationally who were thereafter affected by the anti-worker, anti-American law known as NAFTA.

Teamsters Local 808 also represents workers in the Building Maintenance arena. By being proactive and building solidarity within the rank of its membership Local 808 has been able to secure better wages and superior health and pension benefits for its members. Today we are the highest compensated workers in this area of work in the nation.

In the summer of 1995 contract negotiations begin to heat up and by the winter workers are forced to take strike action. Teamsters on Metro-North united in struggle and achieved a great victory. Two limited strikes, supported by tough negotiating by the union result in workers gaining twelve sick days, six personal days and a dramatically reduced wait time for vacation entitlements.

Using guerilla tactics, the workers executed two limited strike actions that brought the companies to its knees without our members losing any pay. While the goal of parity was not achieved, significant movement toward our ultimately goal was made.

Teamsters hard nosed negotiations have continued to get us “better than pattern” agreements on the railroad.

The struggle for equal pay for superior work, parity, continues to be the ultimate goal for Teamster Track and Bridge and Building workers. This is a goal that we will achieve in the 2007 round of negotiations. We have waited long enough, we must make the final push for Parity, NOW.