Episode Details

As general president of the union, Sean O’Brien has operated with a “Teamsters vs. Everybody” mentality, especially when it comes to dealing with President Trump and embracing the MAGA right. But now, 14 months into the second Trump administration, the labor movement and the entire working class—Teamsters members included—is under attack. In this episode of Working People, we speak with veteran Teamsters Richard Hooker Jr. and John Palmer, who are running to oust O’Brien from leadership in the upcoming union election.

Guests: 

• Richard Hooker Jr. has dedicated 26 years to the Teamsters, spending 20 of those years at UPS and the last six in leadership roles. He is the Secretary-Treasurer and Principal Officer of Teamsters Local 623 in Philadelphia, and he is now running on the Fearless Slate to unseat Sean O’Brien as a candidate for general president of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters. 
• John Palmer has 38 years of experience in the Teamsters and is currently serving as a vice president at large of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters. He is running on the Fearless Slate as a candidate to be the union’s general secretary-treasurer.

Additional links/info:

• Teamsters Fearless Slate website
• Hank Kennedy, Current Affairs, “Sean O’Brien sold labor to Trump, and got nothing”
• Michael Sainato, The Guardian, “Labor activist takes on Teamsters leader allying with Trump: ‘He doesn’t represent the workers’”
• Joe Allen, CounterPunch, “Why are the Teamsters endorsing Greg Abbott?”
• Peter Eavis, The New York Times, “UPS says it is cutting up to 30,000 jobs”
• Maximillian Alvarez, TRNN, “Everybody hates Sean”
• Maximillian Alvarez, TRNN, “We asked 8 different Teamsters what they thought of Sean O'Brien's speech—their responses may surprise you”

Featured Music:

• Jules Taylor, Working People Theme Song

Credits:

• Audio Post-Production: Jules Taylor

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