Teamster Local 63 is a local labor union and affiliate of the left-of-center International Brotherhood of Teamsters (IBT) located in Southern California. The union claims to represent over 16,000 employees in a variety of different industries throughout southern California, with the union’s geographic region extending from central California to the U.S.-Mexico border and west to the Arizona and Nevada borders. Much of the union’s activities center on the greater Los Angeles metropolitan area as well as industrial areas east of Los Angeles in the Inland Empire region.

Much of the union’s organizing takes place at shipping and logistics companies and other companies employing drivers. Teamsters Local 63 represents a large number of United Parcel Service (UPS) drivers and participated in UPS union contract negotiations. ^{1 2}

Background and History

Teamsters Local 63 was chartered by the International Brotherhood of Teamsters in 1975. The IBT, among the largest unions in North America, principally represents private sector employees in the trucking, railway, and airline industries. The Teamsters union has over 1.2 million members. Local 63 began as a 3,000-member local union based solely in Los Angeles and has since grown to represent over 16,000 employees throughout the southern half of California. Local 63 operates eight divisions: Dairy, Meat, Freight, Grocery, Bakery, Car Haul, UPS, and Miscellaneous. ³

Since 1975, twelve unions have merged into Local 63, most recently in 1995 when Teamsters Local 208, an exclusively freight local, merged into the union. The union has been involved in many strikes and collective bargaining negotiations throughout its history. ⁴

Activity

Teamsters Local 63, in addition to conducting strikes, protests, and other union organizing activities, is involved with a variety of other union organizations. Resources and other organizations linked on the union website including UPS Rising, The Western Conference of Teamsters, Teamsters Western Region and Local 177 Healthcare Plan, Labor Alliance Managed Trust Fund, Teamsters Safety and Health, state voter registration, Teamsters Joint Council 42, and The James R. Hoffa Memorial Scholarship Fund. ⁵

Representing UPS employees is a major focus of the union’s organizing activities. In 2023 the union held “practice picketing” events in anticipation of a potential strike against UPS amid contract negotiations. ⁶

The union makes political endorsements through Teamsters Joint Council 42, which covers California and Nevada, and endorses almost exclusively Democratic candidates for office. In 2024, the joint council endorsed Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA) for U.S. Senate, and dozens of other Democrats for the U.S. Congress, state legislature, and local offices. ⁷

Criticism

Teamsters Local 63 has frequently been criticized for employing tactics including retaliation and intimidation in response to members who seek to cease their union membership or not participate in funding the political activities of the Union. In 2024, an employee at a Los Angeles-based shipping company filed a complaint against Local 63 alleging that the union employed intimidation tactics against the employee for sharing publicly available salary information of union leadership. The employee, John Cweik, alleged that “a union official appeared at Cwiek’s workplace the day after Cwiek sent letters to fellow union members sharing the salary information, made accusations against him, and threatened that Cwiek wouldn’t be working at Dependable Highway Express by the next contract period.” ⁸

Leadership

Randy Cammack is the secretary-treasurer of Teamsters Local 63. He earned over $330,000 in annual compensation from the union in 2022. Sam Stewart, the union president, earned $241,000 in 2022. ⁹

1. “About Us.” Teamsters Local 63. Accessed March 15, 2024. http://www.teamsters63.org/index.php/about-us-2#:~:text=ABOUT%20TEAMSTERS%20LOCAL%2063,Coast%20to%20Arizona%20and%20Nevada.
2. “UPS TEAMSTERS ORGANIZE ACTIONS TO STOP PAY CUTS.” Teamsters for a Democratic Union. February 25, 2022. Accessed March 14, 2024. https://www.tdu.org/upsers_fight_pay_cuts
3. “About Us.” Teamsters Local 63. Accessed March 15, 2024. http://www.teamsters63.org/index.php/about-us-2#:~:text=ABOUT%20TEAMSTERS%20LOCAL%2063,Coast%20to%20Arizona%20and%20Nevada.
4. “About Us.” Teamsters Local 63. Accessed March 15, 2024. http://www.teamsters63.org/index.php/about-us-2#:~:text=ABOUT%20TEAMSTERS%20LOCAL%2063,Coast%20to%20Arizona%20and%20Nevada.
5. “Member Resources.” Teamsters Local 63. Accessed March 15, 2024. http://www.teamsters63.org/index.php/benefits/member-resources
6. Sandler, Norton. “Teamsters ‘practice picketing’ as UPS contract expiration nears.” The Militant. July 24, 2024. Accessed March 14, 2024. https://themilitant.com/2023/07/15/teamsters-practice-picketing-as-ups-contract-expiration-nears/
7. “Endorsements.” Teamsters Joint Council 42. Accessed March 15, 2024. https://www.teamstersjc42.com/political-action/endorsements/
8. “Ontario Trucking Employee Who Revealed Union Boss Salaries Hits Teamsters Union with Federal Charge After Job Threats.” National Right to Work Legal Defense Foundation. February 6, 2024. Accessed March 15, 2024. https://www.nrtw.org/news/cwiek-teamsters-ulp-02062024/
9. Teamsters Local 63, Annual Report of a Labor Organization (Form LM‐2), 2022, https://olmsapps.dol.gov/query/orgReport.do?rptId=854232&rptForm=LM2Form