The head of a Boston local who urged a more assertive stand toward employers like the United Parcel Service declared victory Thursday in his bid to lead the International Brotherhood of Teamsters.
The victory by Sean O'Brien, an international vice president of the Teamsters, would put a new stamp on the union after more than two decades of leadership by James P. Hoffa, who did not seek another five-year term.
The outcome appears to reflect frustration over the union's most recent contract with the company and growing discontent with the tenure of Mr. Hoffa, who ran the union from 1957 to 1971.
Mr. O'Brien had more than two-thirds of the vote in his race against Steve Vairma, a fellow international vice president who had been endorsed by Mr. Hoffa. Mail-in ballots were due Monday for the election.
The contract that the union negotiated with the company allowed them to create a category of employees who work on weekends and top out at a lower wage, among other flaws, and Mr. O'Brien railed against it.
Why would anyone want to join the Teamsters union if we were negotiating substandard agreements and concessionary contracts? At a candidate forum in September, Mr. O'Brien said that he frequently tied his opponent to Mr. Hoffa.
Many in the labor movement regard Amazon as an existential threat, and Mr. O'Brien has criticized Mr. Hoffa's approach to the company. Mr. O'Brien said the efforts were too late because the union approved a resolution at its recent convention that promised to supply all resources necessary to unionize Amazon workers.
