AMERICAN NOTES: A Touch of Class

Marxists in various corners of the globe−and possibly even some people in the U.S.−who think of the American workingman as downtrodden, etc., should have taken a look at Las Vegas last week. Even though the International Brotherhood of Teamsters is operating in the red and is raising dues for its 2.2 million members by at least 25% (to a minimum of $10 a month), the Teamsters held their 21st international convention last week far from any conceivable barricades, amid the gaudy luxuries of Las Vegas. No pikers even in hard times, the bosses pushed through a 25% pay boost for themselves. That should ease matters considerably for Teamster President Frank E. Fitzsimmons, 68, who could scarcely support a life-style that includes golfing dates with Richard Nixon on his old salary of $125,000 (plus perks like an executive jet and an unlimited expense account). When a few Teamsters complained about the bosses’ high salaries and high-handed ways, Fitzsimmons silenced them with characteristic class. “Go to hell,” said he.

Fitz’s response was all the more remarkable in view of the pressures his union is under. Only last week a former administrator of the union’s Northern California trust funds was charged with embezzling $2.4 million; at the same time, Fitz disclosed that he had been subpoenaed to appear in Washington, reportedly about alleged irregularities in the Teamsters’ huge (nearly $2 billion) Central States, Southeast and Southwest Areas Pension Fund. Said Fitzsimmons to thunderous cheers: “I’ll challenge the record of any international union, of any corporation as far as America is concerned, against [our] record.”

Ah, solidarity forever!