This Teamster is as local as it gets.
America’s strongest union, the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, may start taking its orders out of E. 33rd Street — that is, if Marine Park resident Tim Sylvester wins his bid for General President of the 1.3 million-strong labor organization.
“If I win, I’ll stay in Marine Park,” said Sylvester. “These days, you can do a lot of work from home.”
Sylvester, who is currently serving in his second term as president of Local 804, says the union is plagued with factional infighting, and he decided last year that he was tired of watching his beloved union tear itself apart.
“We’ve wound up fighting with each other, as opposed to fighting the corporations,” he said. “There’s a lot of rhetoric and very little organizing.”
So, the Brooklyn native expanded his ambitions in union politics and kicked off a campaign for its highest office — currently occupied by James Hoffa, son of legendary teamster leader Jimmy Hoffa — that’s taken him to more than a dozen cities across the country.
So far, his efforts have paid off in a big way and Sylvester’s campaigning earned his accreditation petition — the first step in a teamster’s presidential bid — 63,000 signatures, which is more than twice the 31,000 signatures required to be considered a candidate.
“Our support is grass roots, it’s rank and file, and the response has been fantastic,” he said.
Sylvester was born in Flatbush, where he began working for United Parcel Service as a driver, and lived there until 18 years ago, when a Yeshiva moved into an attached home beside his, and started doing some serious renovations.
“They basically tore it down,” he said. “I had to relocate.”
The move took him to an E. 33rd Street row house, where he and his wife, a teacher at Marine Park’s IS 278, have lived ever since.
When the candidate’s not out on the campaign trail, or fighting with United Parcel Service for concessions for his Local 804, Sylvester says he enjoys Marine Park’s selection of fine Italian dining.
“I’m a big fan of Salvi,” he said.
