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Recognized as an Effective School-to-Work Practice,
November, 2002
Teaching Unionism in the Classroom
Teamsters Local Union 769
Miami, FL
Overview of the Project
Teamster’s Local Union No. 769 has made a unique
commitment to junior and senior high school students in
the Miami and other south Florida communities. The local
is involved in several school-to-career activities that
include classroom presentations and several special
initiatives that reach out to the African American and
Hispanic youth residing in the inner city communities of
south Florida. Over the past four years, hundreds of
students from eight junior and senior high schools have
participated in the career development activities
sponsored by Local 769 members.
Local 769 represents more than 5,600 workers in
industries such as dairy, bakery, laundry, warehousing and
distribution, UPS, airlines, construction, and the public
sector. Geographically, Local 769 serves the southern
Florida area from Key West to Coco Beach, and west to
Clewiston. The city of Miami is also a major service area
for the local. Several members of the local have been
actively involved in supporting schools throughout this
large geographic area. In addition, Local 769 has involved
numerous partners including other unions, businesses,
churches, and other civic organizations that reach out to
junior and senior high school students.
Featured in this profile is Local 769’s Future Labor
Leaders (FLL) program, established in 1998. The FLL program
is a collaborative effort between Local 769 and the South
Florida Coalition of Black Trade Unionists (CBTU). The
overall goal of the program is to mentor youth through
leadership programs and community service activities so they
become productive citizens and future labor leaders.
The Need
According to Rolando Pina, Business Representative
for Local Union No. 769, “It is important that we assist
young people by providing alternative pathways other
than four or six years of college studies. Young people
need to know the true value of being union members. They
need to know how unions support workers in terms of
earning a livable wage and receiving the benefits that
will support them and their families. We need to help
these young people understand that while college is
important, there are many other types of careers
available to them where they can make a livable wage.
And, we need to make sure they know and understand that
the Teamsters and other unions play a role in making all
of this happen.” Based on this conviction, Local 769 has
created several career development opportunities for
junior and senior high school students through the
direct involvement of its members in schools and
communities throughout southern Florida. Classroom
presentations and other interactions with teachers and
students have been the primary vehicle through which
Local 769 helped students understand the true value and
benefits of being a union member. Through these efforts
the local has also communicated the wide range of career
opportunities students can prepare for and enter upon
graduation from high school.
The Future Labor Leaders program was established
in response to parent and community level needs to help
youth realize the importance of education, preparing for
future careers and becoming knowledgeable about the benefits
of working in a union shop. As Tyronne Brewster, Local 769
Business Agent and one of the founders of the Future
Labor Leaders program, comments, “Many young people
living in the inner city area only see the problems of their
communities. Far too many of these youth become involved
with gangs, fall into problems with drugs, commit crimes,
and fail to complete high school. The inner city becomes
their whole world and they fail to develop a personal vision
about themselves as productive and contributing citizens.”
The Future Labor Leaders program was created by Local
769 and CBTU as an intervention and strategy to engage these
youth in constructive educational, youth leadership and
community service activities that would help to circumvent
these problems.
Future Labor Leaders was also established to
ensure that students have an opportunity to learn about
unions. Local 769 recognized that junior and senior high
schools were not actively presenting students information
about organized labor. Tyronne Brewster comments, “Schools
don’t really know how to teach students about unions and it
simply isn’t a priority. By bringing young people together
in our union halls and through our community events, we have
an opportunity to make sure that these young people
understand the benefits and importance of becoming future
members of the labor community. These young people learn
first hand from our members and through the support of the
Coalition of Black Trade Unionists (CBTU) what unions are
about and how they benefit workers and their families.”
Local 769 believes that it is essential that all students
become informed about the benefits of unions in terms of
organized labor’s history, wage and benefit possibilities,
protection of worker rights, and why it is important to be
part of something larger where workers rely upon one
another. This local believes all of this information is
essential in helping students to make good decisions about
future career choices.
Meeting the Need
The message of the Future Labor Leaders
program to youth is the significance of education, youth
leadership, community service, and the importance of
organized labor. Organized in 1998, south Florida’s
chapter of the CBTU with active organizing support from
Local 769, established the Future Labor Leaders
program designed to engage unions, corporate leaders,
schools, and community faith-based organizations in
working with inner city youth. The Future Labor
Leaders program operates through a broad based
partnership that includes Local No. 769, the
International Longshoremen Association (Local 1416),
Transportation Workers Union (Local 291), AFSCME
(several locals), United Teachers of Dade County (Local
1974), local junior and senior high schools, Family
Christian Association of America, local churches,
employers, and other civic organizations. The South
Florida Coalition of Black Trade Unionists serves as the
umbrella organization for the Future Labor Leaders
program. Approximately 98% of the students involved in
this program are African American youth living in the
inner city areas of Dade County.
The Future Labor Leaders program started with 10
students who were the children of union members. These were
parents who were concerned about the impact of inner city
life on their children and wanted an alternative available
and saw the union playing a role in addressing this concern.
The Future Labor Leaders program started by involving
young people in after school activities and meetings at
Local 769’s union hall. There, students had the opportunity
to talk with union members and learn about union jobs, wages
and benefits, rights, protections, and other important
messages of the union. Students were also assisted in
looking for part time jobs, discussing school and community
related problems, and in thinking about future careers.
Local 769’s and CBTU members served as mentors to individual
students and worked with them on these and other related
issues. Several strategies were used to keep these afternoon
activities and meetings interesting and motivating for
students. Presentations were made by representatives from
Local 769 as well as the International Longshoremen
Association, transportation workers union, and others.
Students were also served refreshments and given the
opportunity to develop relationships with individual union
members.
Developing youth leaders is an important component of the
Future Labor Leaders program. A youth board is
elected by FLL student members and performs several
leadership functions. The youth board sets standards for
student participation and youth development. These standards
must be maintained by all FLL student members as a condition
for continued participation. These standards include: (a)
establishing a dress code; (b) requirements that school
attendance and grades be kept up; and (c) rules that address
appropriate social behavior and conduct of FLL members in
their school and community. The youth board also takes the
leadership in planning activities and community service
involvement for its members. Local 769 and CBTU members
serve as members and advisors to the youth board. By the end
of its first year of operation, FLL expanded from 10 to 50
students. In commenting on this growth and interest in
participation, Tyronne Brewster said that, “These young
people come because they experience something different in
their lives through FLL participation. The youth board and
our members plan high interest activities and create a
caring environment so that these young people feel
comfortable and recognize that this is a secure place to be.
We also hold high expectations that any young person who
participates in the FLL program will do well in school,
complete their high school education, dress and act
appropriately, and have fun through their participation.”
By 2001, more than 400 junior and high school students
were participating in the FLL program. This dramatic
increase in student participation is primarily due to word
of mouth advertising. That is, parents talked to other
parents, the word spread, and student participation
increased significantly. No special marketing or advertising
was undertaken by Local 769.
A wide range of activities are planned by the FLL youth
board in cooperation with Local 769 and CBTU volunteer
members. Provided here are several examples of these social
and recreational activities as well as community service
involvements that the FLL youth have participated in since
1998. This is not an all inclusive listing but rather,
reflective of the types of activities these young people
have engaged in with the support of union members.
Clothing drive and distribution. FLL youth visited
and distributed clothing to the Safe Space Center for
Battered Women. Students were also provided an informational
session on how to prevent domestic violence.
Awards banquet. FLL hosted the Joseph Caleb awards
banquet ceremony. The evening event consisted of an awards
ceremony, dinner and dancing. The FLL youth assisted in
planning and supporting this event.
Youth bazaar. The youth bazaar was held at St.
Andrews Missionary Baptist Church and was sponsored by the
Youth Committee at St. Andrews Church. The FLL members
managed a booth at this event and sold items and raised
donations for future youth activities.
National convention. For the first time in CBTU’s
history, a youth group was invited to the 1999 Coalition of
Black Trade Unionists national convention held in New
Orleans. These youth were recognized for their leadership
and commitment to positive youth development.
Teen Crime and Career Development Conference. FLL
members were invited to attend the Family Christian
Association of America (FCAA) Teen Crime and Career
Development Conference in 1999. The conference included
several presenters who shared information on crime and drug
prevention, career development, and other topics. Dade
County junior and senior high school students were also
represented in addition to FLL members.
Field trip to Birmingham. Several FLL members
received an opportunity to take their first plane ride on a
field trip to Birmingham, Alabama. There they toured a wide
range of historical sites.
More than 40 similar events have been planned and
conducted by FLL youth members and volunteers from Local 769
and CBTU since 1998. Strict standards for student
participation in these events is maintained. For example, in
order to be eligible to attend the annual convention or take
field trips, students must maintain a minimum 2.8 grade
point average at school. Students must also meet the other
standards established by the youth board pertaining to dress
codes and maintaining appropriate social behaviors and
conduct. In addition, students are expected to request
homework assignments from their teachers and complete these
assignments on the road during field trips. A special time
is set aside each day for students to meet their homework
commitments. Several strategies are used to cover the costs
associated with these events and field trips. These include
fees paid by parents, union member donations, and
fundraising.
The Results
Tyronne Brewster comments, “One of the most important
outcomes of this program is that students’ self esteem
and motivation to do well in school and in their
personal lives improved dramatically. They began to see
beyond the day-to-day problems and difficulties they
encounter within their community. They begin to
understand that there are many different ways to live
and see themselves as productive citizens.” The FLL
program has also achieved significant educational
results for students participating in the program. For
example, 100% of FLL members graduate from high school.
Further, 90% go on to college, some form of vocational
training or the military. School administrators and
teachers have also provided positive feedback to Local
769 and CBTU organizers of the FLL program. The schools
have seen important changes in student motivation and
attitude, school completion rates have increased, and
many students are doing better academically. The FLL
program has also been highly valued and supported by
parents. The increase in FLL membership from 50 students
in its first year to over 400 by 2001 is a clear measure
of the program’s importance to parents. As noted
earlier, no formal marketing or advertising has occurred
to promote FLL membership. People arrive at this program
largely because parents learn about the program from
other parents whose children have experienced positive
results and outcomes through the FLL.
The FLL program has also helped Local 769 to express its
commitment to community service within the south Florida
area. This local has worked extensively with United Way in
supporting a wide range of community service activities,
i.e., clothing drives, food drives, and others. Local 769’s
members routinely participate in these community service
activities. The FLL program has provided yet another
opportunity for Local 769 and CBTU members to support their
schools and communities through an organized youth
development and leadership initiative.
Reflections
The FLL program has been a great opportunity for
young people and their parents. According to Tyronne
Brewster, “We believe the FLL makes a difference in
their lives and has made a contribution to our
community.” He further notes that this type of youth
leadership initiative does require volunteer support, a
commitment to fundraising, and a high interest in
working with inner city youth. Volunteers must be highly
committed and willing to devote significant amounts of
time to support FLL activities and field trips which
occur after school, during evenings, and on weekends.
Any local interested in developing a youth program
should also fully understand that it takes resources to
conduct these programs. Donations from union members,
parents, and local businesses have helped to make Local
769’s and CBTU’s FLL program successful. Students also
engage in active fundraising through car washes, bazaars
and other fundraising activities. These fundraising
efforts are also good for promoting youth development
and leadership activities.
“All of this takes time and effort from union members.
It’s so important that it’s worth all the effort,” stated
Tyronne Brewster. He also offers several additional
observations and reflections on Local 769’s experiences with
the FLL program. “First, you have to put trust in young
people and give them the opportunity to express leadership.
Let them set and enforce standards for themselves. Above all
else, make these young people feel important and make them
see that an organization like FLL is their organization
first. This can go a long way in turning around many youth
to do better in school and ultimately become productive
citizens and future union members.”
More Information
For additional information about Sending Labor’s
Message to Junior and Senior High School Students,
contact:
Mr. Rolando Pina, Business Representative
Teamsters Local Union No. 769
8350 NW 7th Avenue
Miami, FL 33150
Telephone: (305) 691-8440
or
Mr. Tyronne Brewster, Business Representative
Teamsters Local Union No. 769
8350 NW 7th Avenue
Miami, FL 33150
Telephone: (305) 691-8440
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