What do you know about the Teamsters?
Unions like to present themselves as similar to a nonprofit organization, working for the benefit of those they supposedly represent. One of the best ways to evaluate the trustworthiness of a nonprofit is to look at the percentage of total spending that goes directly into their stated programs, versus what they spend on running the organization.
Charity watchdogs like the Better Business Bureau Wise Giving Alliance and the Charity Review Council say this percentage should be no lower than 65%.
The average spending on programs of the top 100 charities in the country, according to the Forbes Top Charities list for 2022, was 88% – far above the minimum.
The image above is a list of how some well-known nonprofits stack up to this measure.
Did the Teamsters even come close?
Hardly! According to their own financial statement, the Teamsters posted total income of over $225 Million in 2022, yet spent only 27% on Representational Activities, including strike payments. The rest was spent on salaries, benefits and perks, office space and equipment, politics, taxes, and other overhead expenses. Almost the exact opposite of organizations whose stated purpose is to help people.
151% Increase in the amount of dues and fees collected per member.
- 2000: $57 per member per year 43%
- 2009: $113 per member per year 65%
- 2021: $187 per member per year 100%
In 2000 the Teamsters collected $79,526,628 in dues and fees from 1,402,000 members. In 2009 they collected $154,445,823 from 1,362,059 members, and in 2022 they collected $192,885,463 from 1,253,634 members. The amount of money they have to take from your paycheck has steadily risen. Where will it go next?
An old adage reminds us to “choose our friends wisely.”
The table at the right provides some indication of the “company you keep” with the Teamsters. If you know anything about the history of unions, you’ve probably heard the mystery of the disappearance of Jimmy Hoffa, a former Teamsters President, and the alleged connection of the Teamsters (and other unions) with the mafia.
Another indication is how many Unfair Labor Practice charges have been filed against them. Over the last 10 years this totals 7,132, for an average of about 713 ULPs per year. That’s some serious misbehaving!
They have also averaged about 29 strikes per year during that same period. Fifteen of those strikes were over 100 days long, and two of them were over 650 days – just a couple of months less than 2 years long! That’s quite a while to be without a paycheck.
