SOB silent on Chris Smalls

[OT+]

[AlJackson1962!]

Chris Smalls, to my knowledge, has shown himself to be committed to organizing the unorganized. and fighting for economic justice.

And, his active commitment to the age-old Union principle: "An injury to one is an injury to all" , by engaging in peaceful, non-violent action to feed starving Palestinians, by attempting to break through the illegal decades long Israeli government blockade of Gaza, should be recognized by our Union as a shining example of heroism by a Teamster member.

His illegal detention, imprisonment, and beatings by Israeli Defense Forces, should be protested and condemned by our Union in the strongest, lawful means possible.

If this were a circumstance wherein a Teamster member represented by our Union, engaged in other acts of heroism, such as saving the life of a motorist in a car crash on the highway, I believe we would see such an action honored by our Union in a very public way.

But O'Brien's silence on Chris Smalls recent detention and imprisonment, shows again (and again and again and again): Our General President , Sean O'Brien is a Trump/MAGA supporter that has set our Union back in our struggle for workers' rights and economic justice.

O'Brien's view of the World is the very narrow view of nationalism, with no recognition that we share this planet with workers everywhere; that this global economy will continue to foster greater disparity of wealth: more for the billionaires and "white collar criminal corporations" (as O'Brien readily states in his tough guy persona) and less and less for the working class, unless our Union joins the fight for workers' solidarity everywhere and not prop up the nationalist, racist Trump/MAGA policies that are destroying whatever is good, decent, and equitable in the US.

We need Teamster leadership that actively fights for the rights of all workers, in accordance with the Preamble of our Teamsters Constitution, that O'Brien and every elected Teamster officer took an oath to uphold.

Those with first hand knowledge to the contrary; those who fought side by side with Smalls in the organizing drive at Amazon, can weigh-in here.

- Dave Robbins, Local 251, retired

[UnionistIBT]

Well said regardless of position on Gaza.

[Barry455]

I'm not sure I would jump to support Chris Smalls, isn't he the guy that bankrupted ALU? Big spender of donated funds? Yeah he did deliver ALU to O'Brien but I remember him traveling the world on ALU's dime.

Agree with what your saying AlJackson1962 but Smalls is a questionable example. Considering the timing of his departure from ALU (now Local 1) i don't believe he ever paid dues to the Teamsters, therefore not a member.

[AlJackson1962!]

I read about the ALU r&f wanting the overdue elections, that resulted in new leadership. But, I commend anyone that has put their well being and life in jeopardy by
fighting the apartheid Israeli government and it's decades long oppression of the Palestinian people. I doubt that Chris Smalls has lost sleep over O'Brien's view of his participation in the Gaza Freedom Flotilla. Chris Smalls sees and acts for international solidarity, while O'Brien seems like he'd love a photo op with Netenyahu just as much as the ones he's had with Trump, JD Vance, Josh Hawley and the rest of the right wing anti-worker fascists.

[WTF891]

O'Brien would never take a position on anything or anyone affected by the mess that is Gaza. His play is to stay in line with the Trump agenda. If you remember he said nothing in response or in support of the Canadian Teamster President when he protested Trumps idiodic tarriffs which will result in job losses on both sides of the border. O'Brien is a tool. Oh, for the record incorporating LU1 into the IBT is pissing money down a hole, we will never get a contract with Amazon.

[Nickjamesups]

[1934Teamster]

I confronted O'Brien on Gaza and Zuckerman when they came to my hall. O'Brien " you don't get involved in a street brawl between two people you let them fight it out" was his lame response to me. The problem with that is that brawl is between a nuclear armed power and a stateless people with no standing army , tanks , artillery.