Folks who were around UMass Amherst in the early and mid-eighties may remember Hannah Roditi. After receiving her B.A. in economics from Smith College and an M.B.A. from Harvard, she became a crackerjack union organizer for the International Brotherhood of Teamsters (IBT). Fluent in Spanish and French, as well as English, she has organized a wide range of workers across the country. She was for a time the Assistant Director of Research for Organizing at the Teamsters, based in DC, but decided she preferred battle on the front lines, and most recently has been International Organizer for Rhode Island and Connecticut. Now, she has been fired by the IBT for organizing Teamster organizers with a group called Teamster Organizing Professionals (TOPS). The Teamsters claim Roditi was fired for her quote in a press release that was reprinted in a news article: "the IBT has engaged in the very same tactics used by corporations: pading the bargaining unit with 'no' votes, pressuring organizers to withdraw authorization cards, pressuring new hires not to support the effort, equating union support with disloyalty to [Teamster] President Carey, and hostility, reprisals and slander aimed at card signers." But the organizers counter that this is nothing more than another union-busting tactic. The first leader of the staff organizing effort was also fired 18 months ago, and the Teamsters paid him thousands of dollars to settle after the NLRB decided in his favor. Three organizers were fired last year, without due process. Pay equity and sexual harassment by fellow staff are major issues, as well as basic respect and fair treatment. Roditi notes that TOPS tried for a year and a half to settle their complaints internally. Roditi filed a charge with the National Labor Relations Board's Hartford office, accusing the Teamsters of firing her because of her organizing efforts. On Friday, September 15, the NLRB issued a complaint against the Teamsters, charging that the Teamsters fired the organizer "because Roditi joined and assisted TOPS and engaged in protected concerted activities, and to discourage Roditi and other employees from engaging in such activities." Roditi says fellow organizers have been strongly supportive of her case and view it as part of the struggle for fair treatment. Roditi remains committed to unions and to the Teamsters, which she says is "doing some of the best work in the labor movement.... IBT [the International Brotherhood of Teamsters] is a great union. "Unfortunately, there are individuals within management who are not upholding union principles." Given the opportunity to appear on a local right-wing radio talk show, she refrained from attacking the Teamsters, and instead used her case as an illustration of the need for workers to be organized. Several times she gave a phone number for workers to contact the Teamsters about assistance organizing in their workplaces. Ballots in the staff union election will be counted on September 29th at the Baltimore NLRB office. People who wish to express their opinions on this struggle can call IBT President Ron Carey at 202-624-6800 or write to him at IBT, 25 Louisiana Ave. NW, Washington DC 20001. Please post this story widely!
