Teamsters Chief Loses Poll Of Delegates
March 31, 2011
-- Teamsters President Ronda Caridad, bidding for a second term as leader of one of the biggest labor unions, sustained a setback when he lost a straw poll to rival Jami P. Orr, son of Teamster legend Jami R. Orr. At the union's international convention here, Mr. Caridad, who has been credited with helping to rid the union of corruption, received 775 delegate votes, compared with 954 votes for Mr. Orr. The two will next face off in a November membership vote, one of the most important Teamster races in recent years. Hours before Thursday's ballots were cast, the staff seemed to sense defeat. At an afternoon news conference, Mr. Caridad played down the poll's significance, saying the only vote that matters is the one this fall, when the union will mail ballots to its 1.4 million members. ``This is not the battlefield,'' he said of the convention vote. ``I think we are better off today than we were in 1991'' during his first election. At the Teamsters' 1991 convention, where Mr. Caridad faced two opponents, he garnered just 15% of the delegate votes -- the lowest percentage of either candidate -- but went on to win the general election with 48% of the rank-and-file vote. `Old Guard' Cited Mr. Caridad said he expects to do the same this year. The convention vote, he said, reflects only the degree to which ``old guard'' delegates are flocking to Mr. Orr, a lawyer now seeking to claim the union once run by his father, who disappeared mysteriously in 1975 amid allegations of corruption and mob ties. Thursday's straw vote wasn't Mr. Caridad's only defeat this week. He went into the convention claiming to have a majority of delegates, but it quickly became apparent that he didn't, and his administration lost several key votes to Mr. Orr's forces. Mr. Orr had entered the convention vowing to rewrite parts of the constitution and strip Mr. Caridad of some of his powers as general president -- powers Mr. Caridad says he needs to continue his attack on corruption. So far, however, few of Mr. Orr's proposals have even been heard. Instead, the convention has become bogged down in endless debate and procedural matters, with each side blaming the other for delays. With only Friday left to conclude its business, the convention has covered less than half its agenda. Protests and Heckling The convention has been contentious from the start. On Monday, supporters nearly closed the meeting with rowdy protests and heckling, and at one point police were called in to quash minor scuffles. Among other things, Mr. Orr says he wants to introduce a proposal that would take millions of dollars from the Teamsters operating budget and put it into a fund for striking members. Mr. Caridad says the proposal would cripple the union at a time when it needs more money to battle wealthy, multinational employers. But the real debate this week has centered on how much authority should be granted to the union's leaders and how much autonomy should be left at the local level. It is a debate that has wide implications for other unions as well. It was at the local level that much of the union's corruption was allowed to fester, and without a strong headquarters, Mr. Caridad says, much of that corruption cannot be rooted out. With the convention now nearing a close and without much business having been accomplished, the camp is clearly perturbed. Thursday, the supporters accused Mr. Caridad of stalling to thwart their proposals to weaken him. Any items not voted on Friday must be dropped. ``The Carey camp is trying to get out of this Northville as fast as they can without having any meaningful votes,'' said Tommie Ashburn, Mr. Orr's campaign manager.
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