Weldon Mathis
Encyclopedia
Weldon Lamar Mathis was an American
labor
leader. He was secretary-treasurer of the Teamsters
from 1985 to 1991. After Teamsters president Jackie Presser
took a leave of absence for health reasons, Mathis was interim president from May 5, 1988 - July 18, 1988. He was defeated for the presidency in an executive council vote, and served out the rest of his term as secretary-treasurer before retiring.
in 1926. He served in the United States Army
in World War II
.
Mathis joined the Teamsters in 1946. Mathis' Teamster career began when he was elected business agent for Local 728 in Atlanta, Georgia
, in 1950. He was elected the local's secretary-treasurer in 1953 and its president in 1956. He remained the local's president, even though he held additional national offices as well, until 1976.EDWARD CLACK HELPED HIM
In 1957 he was hired by the Teamsters' Southern Conference to be an organizer. He left that post in 1967 when he hired as an organizer for the international union.
Mathis was appointed a vice president of the international union in 1972 to fill an empty seat. He was elected 1976 and re-elected in 1981.
In 1967, president Frank Fitzsimmons
appointed him his executive assistant.
In 1978, Fitzsimmons appointed him director of the union's Building Material and Construction Department.
about Mathis before making him secretary-treasurer. The FBI said he was not involved with organized crime
.
Ten days after he was named interim president, Mathis resigned as president of Local 728. The United States Department of Labor
was investigating him at the time due to allegations of vote fraud in his last re-election bid.
was diagnosed with cancer and took a four-month leave of absence on May 5, 1988, Mathis was named interim president.
Presser was subsequently diagnosed with brain cancer, setting off a power struggle within the union. The members of the union's freight and warehouse and its air freight divisions voted overwhelmingly against their respective three-year national contracts after Mathis took over. But Mathis declared each contract "ratified" because the "no" vote fell short of the two-thirds needed to reject a contract and authorize a strike. The contract votes weakened Mathis' support on the union's executive board because Mathis was the highest-ranking official involved in the talks.
Mathis's support among the union's leadership was never strong. Mathis was considered much more liberal Presser or the rest of the Teamsters' leadership at the time, and he was much more in favor of participating fully in AFL-CIO
.
Mathis was challenged by a faction of conservative Teamsters led by Joseph Trerotola, the union's First Vice President. Trerotola was deeply angered by the 1986 constitutional amendment which allowed Mathis to assume the presidency, and he began building a coalition to oust him. When Mathis called a meeting in Arizona
(where Presser was being treated), Trerotola refused to attend. Initially, possible challengers included Joseph W. Morgan (who had sought to become interim president after Roy Lee Williams
' resignation in 1983, Walter Shea (director of the Eastern Conference of Teamsters in Washington, D.C.
), Donald Peters (a Teamster leader in Chicago
), and Arnie Weinmeister (a Teamster official in Washington state and protege of former interim president George Mock
).
Mathis suffered another blow to his candidacy on June 28, 1988, when federal officials filed suit in federal court to impose a trusteeship on the Teamsters union..
Presser died on July 9, 1988, triggering an election for a new president.
But at an executive board meeting on July 18, 1988, Mathis was unseated as president in favor of William J. McCarthy
, president of the New England Conference of Teamsters. McCarthy, a protege of Jimmy Hoffa
, emerged as a candidate days before the vote. He was seen as a much more aggressive leader than Mathis. McCarthy—who led the opposition to the freight and warehouse contract—promised to fight the government's trusteeship suit, adopt a more confrontational collective bargaining posture, end the union's thaw toward the rest of the AFL-CIO, and endorse a George H.W. Bush in the 1988 presidential election. Peters, Shea and Weinmeister pulled out of the running, throwing their support behind McCarthy. After a bitter, rancorous, two-and-a-half-hour board meeting, the board voted 9-to-8 to select McCarthy as the union's new president. Vice president Daniel Ligurotis of Chicago cast the deciding vote.
In March 1989, Mathis signed an agreement with the Department of Justice. He consented to aggressively seek internal reforms in the union in exchange for being dropped from the government's labor racketeering suit.
The Teamsters reached an agreement with the Justice Department on March 12, 1989, in which the union agreed to institute internal reforms in order to end corruption and improve the democratic nature of its elections.
Mathis was chosen by the executive board in 1990 to run for re-election as part of an incumbent slate. President McCarthy declined to run for health reasons, and the board selected R.V. Durham, an international vice president, to run as their candidate for president.
In February 1991, Mathis backed a decision by Durham to reject a McCarthy-backed candidate for an empty vice presidential seat. The move was seen as an attempt to put political distance between the Durham candidacy and the McCarthy administration, which was increasingly unpopular with Teamster members. In retaliation, the board sued McCarthy and Mathis for labor racketeering.
A week later, on February 8, 1991, Mathis recommended that the Teamster executive council look into the bidding process McCarthy used to award his son-in-law a contract to print the union magazine. Mathis' move was widely seen as a possible "coup attempt": If McCarthy were found to have committed improper acts, he would be forced to resign—allowing Mathis to become president of the union as well as be seen as a reformer. But the Teamster general board deadlocked 7—7 over the issue, and no investigation was made.
On April 10, 1991, Mathis withdrew from the race for the secretary-treasurer position. Durham replaced him with Walter Shea.
Shea attempted to oust McCarthy in June 1991, once more charging that McCarthy should step down immediately over the contract awarded to his son-in-law. A court-appointed administrator of the Teamsters had ruled that McCarthy had improperly awarded the printing contract but did not seek charges against him. A federal district court judge agreed with that decision. McCarthy turned the meeting of the Teamster executive board over to Mathis, who subsequently ruled that no vote could be taken until after the Teamster convention.
Mathis retired from his post as secretary-treasurer on October 31, 1991, two months early.
Mathis and his wife, the former Myrtle Henson, had five children. Two of Mathis's sons, who controlled Local 728, were voted out of office in a federally-monitored election. Rather than return to Georgia, Mathis retired to Florida.
Weldon Mathis died of cancer on October 20, 2001, in Ormond Beach, Florida
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
labor
Trade union
A trade union, trades union or labor union is an organization of workers that have banded together to achieve common goals such as better working conditions. The trade union, through its leadership, bargains with the employer on behalf of union members and negotiates labour contracts with...
leader. He was secretary-treasurer of the Teamsters
Teamsters
The International Brotherhood of Teamsters is a labor union in the United States and Canada. Formed in 1903 by the merger of several local and regional locals of teamsters, the union now represents a diverse membership of blue-collar and professional workers in both the public and private sectors....
from 1985 to 1991. After Teamsters president Jackie Presser
Jackie Presser
Jackie Presser was an American labor leader and president of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters from 1983 until his death in 1988. He was closely connected to organized crime, and allegedly became president of the Teamsters based on the approval and support of the Cleveland Mafia...
took a leave of absence for health reasons, Mathis was interim president from May 5, 1988 - July 18, 1988. He was defeated for the presidency in an executive council vote, and served out the rest of his term as secretary-treasurer before retiring.
Early career
Weldon Mathis was born in Sylvester, GeorgiaSylvester, Georgia
Sylvester is the county seat of Worth County, Georgia, United States. The population was 5,990 at the 2000 census. The city is the county seat and business center of Worth County and is claimed to be the Peanut Capital of the World due to its ability to produce more peanuts per acre than anywhere...
in 1926. He served in the United States Army
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
in World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
.
Mathis joined the Teamsters in 1946. Mathis' Teamster career began when he was elected business agent for Local 728 in Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta is the capital and most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia. According to the 2010 census, Atlanta's population is 420,003. Atlanta is the cultural and economic center of the Atlanta metropolitan area, which is home to 5,268,860 people and is the ninth largest metropolitan area in...
, in 1950. He was elected the local's secretary-treasurer in 1953 and its president in 1956. He remained the local's president, even though he held additional national offices as well, until 1976.EDWARD CLACK HELPED HIM
In 1957 he was hired by the Teamsters' Southern Conference to be an organizer. He left that post in 1967 when he hired as an organizer for the international union.
Mathis was appointed a vice president of the international union in 1972 to fill an empty seat. He was elected 1976 and re-elected in 1981.
In 1967, president Frank Fitzsimmons
Frank Fitzsimmons
Frank Edward Fitzsimmons , was an American labor leader. He was acting president of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters from 1967 to 1971, and president from 1971 to 1981.-Early life:...
appointed him his executive assistant.
In 1978, Fitzsimmons appointed him director of the union's Building Material and Construction Department.
Secretary-treasurer
In 1985, Mathis was elected secretary-treasurer of the Teamsters. In 1986, Presser won an amendment to the Teamsters' constitution so that the secretary-treasurer rather than the First Vice President would become interim president. Presser secretly consulted the Federal Bureau of InvestigationFederal Bureau of Investigation
The Federal Bureau of Investigation is an agency of the United States Department of Justice that serves as both a federal criminal investigative body and an internal intelligence agency . The FBI has investigative jurisdiction over violations of more than 200 categories of federal crime...
about Mathis before making him secretary-treasurer. The FBI said he was not involved with organized crime
Organized crime
Organized crime or criminal organizations are transnational, national, or local groupings of highly centralized enterprises run by criminals for the purpose of engaging in illegal activity, most commonly for monetary profit. Some criminal organizations, such as terrorist organizations, are...
.
Ten days after he was named interim president, Mathis resigned as president of Local 728. The United States Department of Labor
United States Department of Labor
The United States Department of Labor is a Cabinet department of the United States government responsible for occupational safety, wage and hour standards, unemployment insurance benefits, re-employment services, and some economic statistics. Many U.S. states also have such departments. The...
was investigating him at the time due to allegations of vote fraud in his last re-election bid.
Interim president
When Teamster president Jackie PresserJackie Presser
Jackie Presser was an American labor leader and president of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters from 1983 until his death in 1988. He was closely connected to organized crime, and allegedly became president of the Teamsters based on the approval and support of the Cleveland Mafia...
was diagnosed with cancer and took a four-month leave of absence on May 5, 1988, Mathis was named interim president.
Presser was subsequently diagnosed with brain cancer, setting off a power struggle within the union. The members of the union's freight and warehouse and its air freight divisions voted overwhelmingly against their respective three-year national contracts after Mathis took over. But Mathis declared each contract "ratified" because the "no" vote fell short of the two-thirds needed to reject a contract and authorize a strike. The contract votes weakened Mathis' support on the union's executive board because Mathis was the highest-ranking official involved in the talks.
Mathis's support among the union's leadership was never strong. Mathis was considered much more liberal Presser or the rest of the Teamsters' leadership at the time, and he was much more in favor of participating fully in AFL-CIO
AFL-CIO
The American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations, commonly AFL–CIO, is a national trade union center, the largest federation of unions in the United States, made up of 56 national and international unions, together representing more than 11 million workers...
.
Mathis was challenged by a faction of conservative Teamsters led by Joseph Trerotola, the union's First Vice President. Trerotola was deeply angered by the 1986 constitutional amendment which allowed Mathis to assume the presidency, and he began building a coalition to oust him. When Mathis called a meeting in Arizona
Arizona
Arizona ; is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. It is also part of the western United States and the mountain west. The capital and largest city is Phoenix...
(where Presser was being treated), Trerotola refused to attend. Initially, possible challengers included Joseph W. Morgan (who had sought to become interim president after Roy Lee Williams
Roy Lee Williams
Roy Lee Williams was an American labor leader who was president of the Teamsters from May 15, 1981, to April 14, 1983.-Early life and career:...
' resignation in 1983, Walter Shea (director of the Eastern Conference of Teamsters in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
), Donald Peters (a Teamster leader in Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
), and Arnie Weinmeister (a Teamster official in Washington state and protege of former interim president George Mock
George Mock
George Earl Mock was labor leader and official of the Teamsters. He was interim president of the Teamsters from May 7 to May 15, 1981, after the death of president Frank Fitzsimmons....
).
Mathis suffered another blow to his candidacy on June 28, 1988, when federal officials filed suit in federal court to impose a trusteeship on the Teamsters union..
Presser died on July 9, 1988, triggering an election for a new president.
But at an executive board meeting on July 18, 1988, Mathis was unseated as president in favor of William J. McCarthy
William J. McCarthy
William J. McCarthy was an American labor leader and official in the Teamsters. He was appointed president of the Teamsters on July 18, 1988, defeating interim president Weldon Mathis...
, president of the New England Conference of Teamsters. McCarthy, a protege of Jimmy Hoffa
Jimmy Hoffa
James Riddle "Jimmy" Hoffa was an American labor union leader....
, emerged as a candidate days before the vote. He was seen as a much more aggressive leader than Mathis. McCarthy—who led the opposition to the freight and warehouse contract—promised to fight the government's trusteeship suit, adopt a more confrontational collective bargaining posture, end the union's thaw toward the rest of the AFL-CIO, and endorse a George H.W. Bush in the 1988 presidential election. Peters, Shea and Weinmeister pulled out of the running, throwing their support behind McCarthy. After a bitter, rancorous, two-and-a-half-hour board meeting, the board voted 9-to-8 to select McCarthy as the union's new president. Vice president Daniel Ligurotis of Chicago cast the deciding vote.
Post-presidency
In late December 1988, the federal government sued to overturn Mathis' 1987 election as president of Local 728.In March 1989, Mathis signed an agreement with the Department of Justice. He consented to aggressively seek internal reforms in the union in exchange for being dropped from the government's labor racketeering suit.
The Teamsters reached an agreement with the Justice Department on March 12, 1989, in which the union agreed to institute internal reforms in order to end corruption and improve the democratic nature of its elections.
Mathis was chosen by the executive board in 1990 to run for re-election as part of an incumbent slate. President McCarthy declined to run for health reasons, and the board selected R.V. Durham, an international vice president, to run as their candidate for president.
In February 1991, Mathis backed a decision by Durham to reject a McCarthy-backed candidate for an empty vice presidential seat. The move was seen as an attempt to put political distance between the Durham candidacy and the McCarthy administration, which was increasingly unpopular with Teamster members. In retaliation, the board sued McCarthy and Mathis for labor racketeering.
A week later, on February 8, 1991, Mathis recommended that the Teamster executive council look into the bidding process McCarthy used to award his son-in-law a contract to print the union magazine. Mathis' move was widely seen as a possible "coup attempt": If McCarthy were found to have committed improper acts, he would be forced to resign—allowing Mathis to become president of the union as well as be seen as a reformer. But the Teamster general board deadlocked 7—7 over the issue, and no investigation was made.
On April 10, 1991, Mathis withdrew from the race for the secretary-treasurer position. Durham replaced him with Walter Shea.
Shea attempted to oust McCarthy in June 1991, once more charging that McCarthy should step down immediately over the contract awarded to his son-in-law. A court-appointed administrator of the Teamsters had ruled that McCarthy had improperly awarded the printing contract but did not seek charges against him. A federal district court judge agreed with that decision. McCarthy turned the meeting of the Teamster executive board over to Mathis, who subsequently ruled that no vote could be taken until after the Teamster convention.
Mathis retired from his post as secretary-treasurer on October 31, 1991, two months early.
Mathis and his wife, the former Myrtle Henson, had five children. Two of Mathis's sons, who controlled Local 728, were voted out of office in a federally-monitored election. Rather than return to Georgia, Mathis retired to Florida.
Weldon Mathis died of cancer on October 20, 2001, in Ormond Beach, Florida
Ormond Beach, Florida
Ormond Beach is a city in Volusia County, Florida, United States. The population was 36,301 at the 2000 census. As of 2004, the population recorded by the U.S. Census Bureau is 37,929. Ormond Beach is the northern neighbor of Daytona Beach and is home to Tomoka State Park.-History:Ormond Beach was...
.