Today we think of a Teamster as someone who drives an 18-wheeler or a UPS truck. Actually, today's International Brotherhood of Teamsters (IBT) union represents a diverse membership of blue-collar and white-collar workers. But at the end of the 19th century, the word "teamster" had a very specific meaning -- a person who managed teams of horses pulling wagons bearing commercial freight. In fact the very word "teamster" means "person who drives a team of horses."
The Teamsters were founded in 1903 and, in 1910, the union decided to officially call itself the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, Chauffers, Stablemen and Helpers of America. That was the same year the union introduced to the world their new mascots -- Thunder and Lightning, the two horses that grace it's logo.
According to Teamster historian Karin Jones, Thunder and Lightning were a real team of horses owned by a member who had connections with the newly-established union headquarters in Indianapolis. The two horses represented power and strength and, in union folklore, you always knew a Teamster was coming because he had Thunder and Lightning by his side.
The teamster's love and respect for their horses was manifested in a strike by workers at the Seattle Transfer company in 1910. This was a strike by 75 men "in sympathy with the horses owned by the company." (Los Angeles Herald, Nov. 12, 1910).
According to the men, the company has always put a feed bag in the wagons for the noon "lunch" of the horses. The men claim that the company has now dispensed with the noon feed bag and that the horses are forced to work through the day without feeding. It was for this reason that the men walked out Friday morning, they say.
According to a report in the Labor Digest (Jan., 1911) this strike was called "not because of any personal grievance or sympathy with any fellow worker but because, the drivers claimed, to deprive the horses of their noon meal would be inhuman." Besides striking the drivers lodged a complaint with the local Humane Society questioning why the company did not consult with the Society before implementing the no-lunch policy.
In 1916, at the Teamsters national convention, Thunder and Lightning received a great honor. The delegates in attendance adopted a provision that the two horses would appear on any badge, button, or flag and could never be removed from the official logo. Years later the logo design was modified to include ten spokes on a wheel each representing the characteristic of a "true Teamster" -- loyalty, integrity, compassion, reliability, honor, steadfast, trustworthy, principled, fair and just. Newer designs were implemented in 2005 and 2018 but the two horses have remained as an enduring symbol of the heritage and tradition of this great union.
