In the 1970s, the Teamsters Union claimed to have 2.2 million members. Fast forward to today and the union has lost almost a million members. Fewer members mean less dues money, so in recent years the Teamsters Union has been trying to recruit everyone – parking attendants, blood collection workers – to increase membership.
Teamsters Membership
Source: The Bureau of National Affairs
Teamsters Union Petitions for Representation
Source: The Bureau of National Affairs
Unions try to get new members through something called an "organizing campaign." As with political campaigns, that means reaching out to potential members with promises and other high-pressure sales tactics is trying everything it can to boost membership numbers.
Over the past ten years, the Teamsters filed petitions with the National Labor Relations Board for 3,730 union representation elections, an average of 373 campaigns every year. But as it turned out workers were more likely to say "no thanks" to the Teamsters than want to sign on: the union won just 47.6% of the time.
At the same time, plenty of employees already represented by the Teamsters decided they wanted out of the union. The Teamsters have been the target of 681decertification elections since 2015 and won only 117 of the 681. Decertifying a union is a complicated and often difficult process, which is why it's worth questioning by so many workers put in the effort necessary to vote the union out.
Teamsters Petitions for Decertification
Source: The Bureau of National Affairs
