Teamsters Logo Perfectly Illustrates How Antiquated, Inflexible Unions Have Become

Yesterday, American Experiment held a luncheon celebrating the Supreme Court’s ruling in Janus v. AFSCME featuring Mark Janus and Rebecca Friedrichs. The Teamsters Local 320, a labor union, decided to protest.

Unions once played an important role in allowing workers to withhold their primary commodity, their labor, in order to obtain concessions from their employers like safer and cleaner working environments and better wages. However, in many respects, modern unions have been replaced by government agencies like the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), which work to ensure employees are working in safe environments.

In light of a rapidly-changing global economy, there may not be more fitting symbolism for how outdated and out-of-touch labor unions have become than the logo the Teamsters have for themselves, which features two horses and an old wagon wheel.

Originally, the term “teamster” referred to a person who drove a team of draft animals, usually a wagon drawn by oxen, horses, or mules. A brief newsflash for those of you who are unfamiliar with modern farming or transportation systems- we don’t use draft animals for these purposes anymore.

Unless the Teamsters are representing the Amish, the logo is antiquated, outdated, and out of touch.

It appears the primary objectives of unions are now self-preservation, and playing politics, rather than working to further the best interest of workers.