March 28, 2022
Dear Members,
I am honored to have been chosen to serve you as the new Director for the Airline Division. While this is a very challenging industry, I look forward to representing your needs in the best way possible. I'm hopeful that my background of forty years in the airline industry will provide the insight needed to accomplish that goal. I would also like to introduce you to Greg Unterseher. I'm pleased to report that Greg was chosen to serve as Deputy Director and brings with him over 25 years experience in Teamster Pilot leadership, as an airline captain, organizer, and pilot representative.
General President O'Brien tasked me with growing this Division, and I intend to do just that. In my opinion, the best way to bring in new members is to serve the current members well. To that end, a meeting with Greg and Division Representatives took place at Headquarters in Washington D.C. last week. During this meeting our team discussed the current state of bargaining and grievance processing on all properties. We also discussed how to best move forward. While nothing was finalized at this introductory meeting, one thing I expressed to the team was that, when we can, we need to be out in the field talking with representatives and members alike to receive and act on feedback.
Communication will be the key to our success. In the next coming months, it is my plan to travel with Greg and meet as many of your Local leaders as possible. Please stay tuned for further updates as this transition unfolds.
In Solidarity,
Joe Ferreira
Airline Division Director
International Brotherhood of Teamsters