Teamsters 117 Family -

I am grateful for the incredible honor of representing members of Teamsters 117 and serving as your Secretary-Treasurer.

With a union as large and diverse as ours, it’s only natural that we have members responding differently to the outcome of the recent election. While some of you may be celebrating the results locally or nationally, others are deeply disappointed.

However you are processing this moment, I am almost certain your feelings are raw.

In my experience, the political season we’ve all just lived through was particularly divisive and ugly.  Rather than continue to foment division, I encourage you to be kind to each other and, to the extent possible, seek out common ground and understanding with your friends, family and co-workers. Let’s try, as difficult as it may seem, to focus on issues that bring us together. We often have more common interests and agendas than we do differences.

As a Union member, there is so much we can agree on. Most of us can agree that people who put in a hard day’s work deserve fair pay for their labor. We believe families should be able to take their kids to the doctor without worrying that it will break the bank. At the end of our working lives, we all want to have some form of financial security so we can retire with dignity.     

Our Union, 18,000 members strong, embodies the hope of a better life. By working together, we can secure family wages, safer workplaces, and stronger, healthier communities.

So let’s not lash out, rub salt in the wounds of others, or harp on our differences. Instead, let’s stay united in our fight to defend any attack on workers' rights and committed to build a better future for all. Let solidarity win the day!

En Solidaridad,

Paul Dascher
Secretary-Treasurer