Earlier today I posted a piece to Teamster.org about a group of Teamsters involved with making the White House Christmas cards. I thought that cross-posting to Kos would be a good way to begin closing a very busy day. Enjoy.
Teamster production specialists at American Greetings in Bardstown, Ky. had an extraordinary incentive to produce 250,000 perfect Christmas cards last November.
They were the official 2009 White House Christmas cards.
"It’s pretty special," said Ben Bramble, business agent for Local 89 in Louisville, Ky. "There’s a lot of work that goes into it."
About 525 Teamsters make American Greetings cards at the plant in Bardstown, a small town about 40 miles southeast of Louisville. Teamsters have represented these workers for about 25 years.
The workers make most American Greetings cards, though a few are made in China (before you buy one, check the back of the card to see where it was made).
Both Local 89 and Local 52 in Brook Park, Ohio printed the official White House Christmas card during the Clinton administration. The Bush administration switched to a nonunion greeting card manufacturer during its first year in office and never went back to American Greetings. The Teamsters did all they can to get that business back in union-made hands.
"We put a lot of work into it," Bramble said.
Teamsters General President Jim Hoffa sent a letter to the White House urging the Obama administration to again have the White House cards printed by union members with good jobs. Local 89 President Fred Zuckerman worked with congressmen from Kentucky to persuade the White House to choose American Greetings. Gov. Steve Beshear also lobbied to bring the printing job back to Kentucky.
"We worked hard to get it back because it’s such an honor," Zuckerman said. "We’re proud to get that work back."
The production specialists were specially chosen according to seniority. They had to promise perfect attendance for the long days they’d be producing the cards. Each of the cards was folded by hand and visually inspected to make sure there weren’t any dings or tears.
"The Teamsters at American Greetings are all hardworking and dedicated people," Bramble said. "They really want their fellow Teamsters to know if you buy greeting cards, please buy them from American Greetings."
Roger Vittitow has worked with greeting cards for 13 years at American Greetings as a production specialist. He’s certain the team that produced the White House card made the finest cards possible.
"These are the best I’ve seen," Vittitow said.