Life In the Teamsters: The Civil Rights Movement

One of the first crucial decisions facing these workers who were coming together to form the International Brotherhood of Teamsters in 1903 was regarding this issue. Would the union fall in line with the prevailing segregation in American society and become a whites-only union? Or would it fight segregation by organizing all workers and demanding economic justice for all workers? It was as clear in 1903 as it is now: There is no color line in the Teamsters Union.