Hello!  I hope everyone is having a great summer, getting out, and enjoying your vacation time. Summer is winding down; soon the kids will be back in school and we will swing into the holiday season.

I would like to congratulate our four scholarship finalists; Teryn Huff, Caitlin Mahady, Abigail Myers, and Tyson Scheitrum. They’ll introduce themselves to you later in the newsletter. These young people are our future, and Local 776 is proud to play a part in their continuing education. Best of luck to all of you as you advance into your respective areas of study. I would also like to thank the members who participate in the Local’s continuing fundraising efforts to support the scholarship fund by purchasing 50/50 raffle tickets. It is through the sale of these tickets that the scholarship fund continues to grow’ Due to your continuing support, we were again able to offer four scholarships to qualified dependents this year.

Our new Union Hall in Camp Hill, PA was dedicated during the April monthly meeting. Members and Guests attended the meeting to help us memorialize our new home. “Our Local was chartered in 1937. From 1937 until 1956 the Local occupied various locations as it continued to grow. Then for the next sixty-six years from 1957 thru 2023, we called 2552 Jefferson Street or Jefferson & Radnor home. This is the Union Hall most of us came up in. Pride runs deep throughout Local 776; it was careful planning and allocation of resources by the Local’s Current and Former Leaders that helped make the new Union Hall possible.

The Officers and Business Agents all pulled together to pack up 66 years of Local 776 and move it 7 miles across the river to Camp Hill. Everyone chipped in with getting the new building ready and also prepping the old one for sale. Most of the work was performed by the Officers and Agents at night and on weekends. I want to thank all of them for all the hard work they put in to make it happen. I also want to thank our Members for their patience while we worked through the transition of locations.

June 9^th was a great day for Local 776 and our members. That was when we held our family picnic at Knoebels amusement park! The picnic was a perfect kick-off to summer: warm weather, a day on the rides with family and friends, and plenty of good food! This year we had over 5,000 members, retirees, spouses, kids, grandkids, and significant others descend on Knoebels. While I was strolling through the park, it seems many of you took our message to “Show Your Teamster Pride” to heart by wearing Local 776 branded merchandise. The wearing of the “colors” helps other members recognize Teamsters from a different employer or a different area of our jurisdiction, maybe stop, and say hello to a fellow Teamster! Photos from the picnic may be found in the newsletter and also in the “Photo Gallery” on the website.

Our Local’s membership is diverse. Presently we have employers under contract that range from airlines to warehousing, with corrections, county courts, freight, health care, law enforcement local municipalities, and UPS interspersed among them, along with many others. Except for three national contracts; ABF Freight, T-Force Freight, and UPS, the remaining contracts are negotiated in-house by the respective Business Agents and negotiating committees. It’s this diversity that allows each Business Agent to be skilled and have experience in several different contracts; for example, not all Police Departments, County Governments, or local municipalities are handled by the same Agents. This allows the Agents to interact with each other as they deal with their respective bargaining units to see what is alike and what is different with each group. Additionally, if the need should arise due to an emergency there is a Business Agent available to temporarily fill in for another one.

It’s shaping up to be another busy year at Local 776 but the one constant is that you, the members are part of a successful, financially sound, and united Local Union. We are 100% committed to providing you with the best possible representation you deserve in the workplace, along with social activities for you and your families to enjoy with each other and your Union Brothers and Sisters. Please monitor our website, the Mobile App, your Union bulletin boards, and future issues of the newsletter for important information concerning our planned activities. Negotiating and enforcing your collective bargaining agreement remains at the forefront of what we do. Take a moment to reflect on your life, what you have accomplished for yourself and your family, what being a Teamster means to you, and be proud to be a part of our great Union: The International Brotherhood Of Teamsters!

In Solidarity,

Ed Thompson,

President, Teamsters Local 776