IBT General President Candidates Forum – September 14, 2021, Las Vegas, NV

The second of three Candidates Forum was held in Las Vegas, NV on September 14, 2021.   General President candidates Sean O'Brien and Steve Vairma answered questions posed by a panel of journalists and submitted by Teamster members around the country.  Members viewed the Forum live on the Teamsters web page and Facebook page. You can view the forum here by clicking on the picture below.  For a full-screen view, place your cursor on the picture to view the control bar and click the icon at the right end of the control bar. If you would like to view the video directly from the Vimeo host page, where you may download a copy, please click the link below each video.

Transcript of Candidates Forum

2021 Candidates Forum Video Segments

Segment 1: Forum introduction by Ms. Rainey, Moderator.

Segment 2: Opening statement by Mr. Vairma.

Segment 3: Opening statement by Mr. O’Brien.

Segment 4: Question to Mr. O’Brien: What is the Union’s strategy for dealing with Amazon going forward?

Segment 5: Question to Mr. Vairma: How would Mr. Vairma’s slate improve the day-to-day lives of women Teamsters?

Segment 6: Question to Mr. O’Brien: How do you plan to approach the forthcoming federal vaccine mandate?

Segment 7: Question to Mr. Vairma: What is the impact of the UPS contract on the Union’s ability to organize new members?

Segment 8: Question to Mr. O’Brien: What does General President Hoffa’s endorsement of your opponent tell the membership about the candidates?

Segment 9: Question to Mr. Vairma: What specific targets are you looking for in terms of boosting the percentage of workers represented by unions?

Segment 10: Question to Mr. O’Brien: What is the Union’s role in seeking changes in the law to facilitate organizing?

Segment 11: Question to Mr. Vairma: How much of a priority would the political education of membership be for you?

Segment 12: Question to Mr. O’Brien: What should the Union focus on in terms of labor law reform if Democrats cannot get the PRO Act passed?

Segment 13: Question to Mr. Vairma: What should the Union do to address employers that use independently contracted workers?

Segment 14: Question to Mr. O’Brien: How would you convince a new generation of workers that the Union is here to help them?

Segment 15: Question to Mr. Vairma: Is referring to females or minorities as “tokens” offensive?

Segment 16: Question to Mr. O’Brien: Should on-the-job surveillance be a subject of the bargaining process?

Segment 17: Question to Mr. Vairma: Does the controversy surrounding the UPS contract have any bearing on the Union’s effort to organize Amazon?

Segment 18: Question to Mr. O’Brien: How do you plan to convince members that the Union has reformed itself?

Segment 19: Question to Mr. Vairma: What is the strategy for the Union to address classification of “gig economy” workers?

Segment 20: Question to Mr. O’Brien: How would you reassure members who want to know that new leadership really means change for the Union?

Segment 21: Question to Mr. Vairma: What protections would you seek for truckers in any legislation regulating autonomous vehicles?

Segment 22: Closing statement by Mr. Vairma.

Segment 23: Closing statement by Mr. O’Brien

Segment 24: Forum concluding remarks by Ms. Rainey, Moderator.