Sunday, December 14, 2008

Newsvine - Ron Carey, Who Led Teamsters Reforms, Dies at 72

If I recall he was from Local 804 that had many that worked for Macy's, Abraham & Strauss, etc., when the United Parcel Service (UPS which started as a motorcycle messenger service in Seattle, Washington) delivered furniture and appliances, etc., for the large department stores. My father worked for UPS then Leaseway who handled the large A&S fleet from under the Manhattan Bridge in Brooklyn, as a night-loader then a router. I worked on occasion for them both two, out of Roosevelt Field, Carle Place, or Jay Street. I recall the belief that Congress ruined the union when it found that mandatory union meetings for membership "unconstitutional" and allowed representative management which let in the "crooks". May he rest in peace and all the old-timers that were once on the night-shifts or lugging furniture, rugs and appliances up and down stairs in NYC and the suburbs.  Newsvine - Ron Carey, Who Led Teamsters Reforms, Dies at 72
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I was never in the union, never had "a book". The furniture guys were more informal, didn't wear uniforms and weren't replaced by part-timers just phased out, which led to the Leaseway (they are the blue car-carriers on the interstates) from Shaker Heights, Ohio, run by a woman, working for A&S until they went to NJ, single owner/operator hire your own helper delivery. Didn't last too long I think, Macy's started by a Nantucket whaler, (red star tatoo) who failed in business in lower Manhattan at five other efforts it's written, then bought out A&S. They were employee owned then I think then part of Federated, a Canadian firm. I work in archaeology some of the back-hoe operators are Teamsters, not the Operating Engineers union. Sun Dec 14, 2008 1:18 AM EST

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