Bring Member Power to the Table By Opening Up Bargaining (opens in new tab)

Since electing new leadership in 2022, Teamsters Local 135 in Indiana has completely changed the way it conducts negotiations. It’s using open bargaining to revitalize the local. Under the previous leadership, a small bargaining team negotiated behind closed doors. Gag orders ensured that members would know nothing about negotiations until an agreement was presented for a vote. “It would be the business agent and a couple of stewards,” says business agent Robert Doolin, who started out in 199...