Robert Walston joins his immediate successor Richard Lopez in indictment for participation in a criminal conspiracy to rob hundreds of Teamsters members of their right to vote in two elections, one occurring in October 2004 and the other in December 2004. Several of the indictments focus on the second rerun election which was called when it was evident that reform candidate Richard Berg and the 743 New Leadership Slate would win. Berg and the New Leadership Slate won the 2007 election, which was supervised by the Department of Labor.

The charge further states that Walston and Lopez shall forfeit “approximately $2,364,533 in authorized salary, expenses and benefits…for the period of January 2005 to December 2007.”

“That chapter of Teamsters 743 is almost over and a new one is beginning,” said current 743 president Richard Berg. “We will move forward with the task of making this a real union again. Members can now participate freely.”

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This almost worked. Berg was fortunate to be hired into another Local 743 shop in the spring of 2007, just in time to become eligible to run for president in an election supervised by the Department of Labor in the fall. The NLS had proven that the 2004 elections had been stolen and with the Department of Labor running the 2007 election, was finally able to restrict the wholesale theft of votes.

In February, Berg returned to his co-workers in the Environmental Services department at the hospital. Over two meetings with 120 in attendance that day, they welcomed him back with embraces and cries of, “Richard, the hero!”

Fight Continued at UIC Even After Firing

“When the hospital fired me in 2004, they thought that they had won the fight with the workers here. They didn’t realize that when you knock one fighting worker down, another will rise to continue the struggle,” said Berg.

This was shown to be true, as workers on the campus side of the university had twice voted down a sell-out contract this past fall. This contract was the last act of the old guard in Local 743. By resisting this way, the workers had managed to win another half percent raise in the wage offering. The old guard business agent, Thor Hester, had manipulated the bargaining committee into recommending acceptance of the package. How foolish he looked after the members rebelled against them and won tens of thousands of dollars more from management through a militant fight back.

“We’ve never had representatives that wanted us to speak out and stand up to management. What progress we’ve made has been despite the union leadership,” said one supportive member.

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On the heels of Walston’s resignation, Lopez has just been indicted for stealing the last election. Three other former business agents were also charged with conspiracy to commit fraud. It is very likely that they will face jail time for their crimes. It is also quite possible that other corrupt officials will follow them.

Cleaning up the Corruption in Teamsters 743

This is good news for members of Teamsters Local 743, which has a sordid history of mob related corruption. Don Peters, who had ruled the local without holding any elections for 40 years was banned for corruption in 1987. Robert Simpson was appointed his replacement and served as president of the local until he was also banned in 1995. The 743 New Leadership Slate was formed to fight back against this corruption and to stand up for the true interests of members.

Now all of their crimes and collaboration are catching up with them. In 2004, with the 743 New Leadership Slate winning the election, Walston used his powers as Local 743 president to call a ‘do-over’ election. Now Lopez and others are being charged with fraudulently diverting ballots from union members to friends and family who were

not eligible to vote. They are also charged with stealing the ballots and embezzlement. They stole the do-over elections and they got caught.

Teamsters Local 743 is home to about 13,000 members, many of whom have worked for years for low wages and little or no benefits. This is due to the collaboration of these corrupt union officials with the bosses. Since the era of Don Peters, IBT 743 has operated as a company union at the expense of many of its members, selling them out on behalf of the factories, warehouses, health care facilities and other companies.

743 New Leadership Slate – Fighting for the Members

New elections are under way in IBT 743, with ballots due in to be counted on Oct. 22. Due to all of the shady dealings of the last elections, the Department of Labor is stepping in to run the election. The 743 New Leadership Slate is in the running against the ‘Ford-Galvan Unity Slate.’ Jose Galvan served as vice-president under former president Robert Walston. Reginald Ford served as trustee.

Richard Berg, presidential candidate for the 743 New Leadership Slate, says, “The Ford-Galvan gang have been nothing but a ball and chain for working people in the union They’ve negotiated give-backs and sweetheart contracts for employers. Now we have a solid chance to get rid of these crooks and take back our union. We will then be able to build Local 743 into a real union that represents its members.”

The 743 New Leadership Slate is gearing up for an aggressive campaign to take back the union from the clutches of the bosses and their collaborators. The corrupt officials are now set up for a big fall. New Leadership Slate organizers are working day and night, going to workplaces and talking to workers, building their campaign to make sure that members come out of this election with a fighting union.

#ChicagoIL #News #Teamsters #TeamstersLocal743 #NewLeadershipSlate #RobWalston #electionFraud

A suit was filed by the Department of Labor on Aug. 12. It charges Local 743 president Walston and the other officers of Local 743 with election fraud and other illegal violations. The complaint in federal court states they, “denied members the right to vote when Defendant mailed members’ ballots to incorrect addresses, the ballots were marked by individuals other than the designated recipients, and the ballots were returned and counted in the election tally.”

In plain language, Walston’s gang stole ballots from working Teamsters. Then they cast these ballots for themselves. They have done this for several consecutive elections. “We know this because we have caught them – several times!” said executive board candidate Esmeralda Cuevas of 743 NLS. “Finally the government is doing something about it.”

On Oct. 16, 2004, ballots were being counted by Walston and his executive board. Despite their rigging of the election, Richard Berg, leader of the 743 NLS was ahead in the count. Walston stopped counting the votes with just the challenged ballots remaining. The gangsters then cooked up an excuse to conduct a second election.

Hoffa Backs Up the Gangsters

743 NLS challenged their crime, but Teamsters International President James Hoffa’s refused to stop Walston. After that, 743 NLS asked the Labor Department to take the case.

“Hoffa is a joke,” said 743 NLS Secretary Treasurer candidate Tony Caldera. “He looked the other way while his good buddy Walston stole the election from 12,000 workers in Local 743.”

Hoffa will be running for reelection next year. “Hoffa shouldn’t expect to get any votes from Local 743,” said Caldera. “He had his chance. His name doesn’t have any influence here. Hoffa and Walston just take our dues money and make deals with the boss. We need a change.”

743 New Leadership Slate: The Rightful Winners

The Department of Labor suit calls for a new election that they would be run by the DOL, instead of officers of the local.

743 NLS presidential candidate Richard Berg said, “It is time for the rightful winners of the election to take office and it is time for those who stole the election to be prosecuted.

Berg went on to outline a plan to revive the local. “We need to create industrial standards in healthcare, in education, for clerical workers as well as for factory workers. We need to let the companies know that if they try to make us pay too much for health insurance, if they try to pay us too little, if they mess with any of our benefits or if they disrespect us in any way, then they will have a real fight on their hands. Being a Teamster has to mean something again.”

#ChicagoIL #News #Teamsters #TeamstersLocal743 #NewLeadershipSlate #RobWalston #electionFraud #stolenBallots

The 743 New Leadership Slate has gathered support from thousands of workers who have seen their union dues go up and union representation go down.

Because of the recent dues increases in the Teamsters, Local 743 collects over $1 million more a year from its members in union dues. Despite this, the Local lost over 1,000 members last year and made no significant advances for its current members. Members pay more for less health care, pension and other benefits. While wages have been uneven, they have not advanced at the rate they could have with better union representation.

Berg is a housekeeper at the University of Chicago Hospital. As a delegate to the International Convention, where dues were raised in 2002, Berg was the only Teamster from Chicago that spoke from the convention floor to oppose the dues increase. Berg denounced the convention, stacked with overpaid union bureaucrats. “We believe that the rank and file should have the right to vote on this issue. The rank and file do not like the fact that union leaders sneak off to Las Vegas after an election is over to raise their dues,” he stated.

The current president of Local 743, Robert Walston, campaigned in 2001 on a pledge to not raise dues. But when he got to the convention, his delegates did not stand for the head count to try to stop it. As a result, union dues went up by 25%!

Furthermore, Walston is responsible for the bankrupting of the Local 743 Health and Welfare fund in 2001. This caused thousands of union members to lose their health insurance.

Finally, Walston is a gangster. He stole the last election from the 743 New Leadership Slate. In that election, hundreds of ballots were returned to the post office because the addresses were bad and disappeared. Walston’s henchwoman had the only key.

Time For New Leadership

Workers know that it is time to vote the Walston crew out of our union and replace them with real leaders who will unite all workers in the fight for better wages, benefits and working conditions. Tony Caldera, a candidate for officer with the 743 New Leadership Slate, and a worker at the Frederick Cooper factory, says, “Management does not respect Local 743 because they are weak. The 743 New Leadership Slate will put our dues money to work for us. First, we will fight management, like getting the members involved in contract campaigns. We will go to the rank and file, keeping everyone informed. The representatives that we have now show up and go straight to the bosses’ office. Not us.”

Berg pledged that the dues paid by members would be spent on good representation, organizing new members, research and legal assistance. He singled out the current officers for stuffing their pockets. “Walston is paid over $150,000 a year, Richard Lopez over $100,000, Jose Galvan, Diane Strickland and Reginald Ford each is paid $99,000 every year. They’re not worth those salaries.”

Addressing the fear that many workers have that the criminals will just steal the election again, Berg declared, “To get the representation we deserve, the workers in Local 743 have to vote in numbers large enough that the Walston gang can’t steal it. I urge all 11,000 members to vote, and ask them to cast their vote for the 743 New Leadership Slate.”

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