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A while back, I invited all 2007 candidates for Local 384’s executive board to contact me if they wanted to be interviewed here. I am willing to post interviews with any and all candidates for this year’s Local 384 election, provided they contact me before October 12, 2007.

The interview questions below were submitted to Rob Ramsey, a candidate for Secretary-Treasurer in the 2007 local election. Here are those questions along with his answers:

What was your first exposure to union culture (through family, job experience, etc.)?

About 30 years ago while working for a company called Accupac as a shipping / receiving manager I dealt directly with Teamster drivers from Volpe, Roadway, ABF, and many more. Over the years we had many conversations about the union.

In what ways have you been actively involved in the union to this point?

I was a shop steward for about 8 years for the U.P.S. tractor trailer department. Also during the last strike our former president Bill Snead asked me to be his right hand man on the picket line when he wasn’t there. I was responsible for coordinating the other stewards and making sure we had enough manpower 24/7 for the line.

How would you prioritize the responsibilities of union leadership (tasks like contract negotiation, enforcement, grievance resolution, informing and training members)?

The first priority would have to be contract negotiations, because without proper language it’s harder to win a grievance and enforce the contract.

Does the lack of involvement by most union members bother you? If so, do you have any ideas to remedy the situation?

Yes it does. I believe if you spend more time at the workplace you can see and understand what our members are dealing with on a day to day basis. Once they know and feel their reps. are behind them they will feel more compelled to get involved.

What is your primary motivation for seeking office?

I have been considering seeking office for quite awhile. Many of my co-workers have encouraged me to do so for years. Over the past 6 years a lot of members have not been happy with the direction our local is heading, so I decided now is the time to step up.

What personal experience most qualifies you for the office you seek?

Personally I get a lot of satisfaction knowing that I helped someone out of a difficult situation or contributed to the success of their career. Also I like to make sure the bills are paid before they are due and loans paid off as soon as possible. The only people I owe anything to is the members, and that’s the way it should be.

For more information on Rob Ramsey, you can visit his campaign website www.getmorefrom384.com.

If you are a candidate for this year’s Local 384 officer election who’d like to be included in this Q&A format, please click here, or email info(at)cybersteward.net.

Click here to see an index of all Q&A posts on 2007 candidates for Local 384.

Filed under: Teamsters Local 384, Vote 2007 Q and A, elections, unionism