Teamsters Local 337 was chartered into the International Brotherhood of Teamsters on March 29th, 1937 and chose their local union number, 337, to commemorate that day. The determination to establish a stable local union grew out of the bitter Kroger strikes that occurred from 1934 until 1937. The original membership of Local 337 numbered 130 people who worked in the food and beverage industries. Today our local union's membership averages about 6,600 members and our members' bargaining rights are protected by over 135 different labor agreements.
The history of organized labor is one of struggle and sacrifice. Local 337 has had its conflicts and strife which will be remembered by those who experienced them first hand, and those that know the accurate history of those difficult times. In 1949, Local 337, along with the other locals of the Michigan Conference of Teamsters created the Michigan Conference of Teamsters Health and Welfare Fund and in1955, the Central States Pension Fund was established. Local 337 continues to be one of the preeminent local unions with industry leading contracts in all the diverse sectors of the workforce we represent. Local 337 was one of the first locals to negotiate contract improvements such as paid vacations, paid holidays, health insurance, premium pay, sick leave and a grievance procedure.
Local 337's ability to be a leading force in the labor movement has come from strong consistent leadership. During the 75 years of Local 337's charter with the International Brotherhood of Teamsters it has only had four principle officers. The first was Bert Brennan who was President until 1961, the second President was Bobby Holmes, Sr. who was President until 1989, then Lawrence Brennan became President until 2013. Mike Martin served as President of Lcoal 337 from 2013 to 2018.
Todd Lince is now the current president since 2018. The consistency of strong leadership has afforded the Business Agents the advantage of being able to do their work from a formidable position which facilitates solid contracts and superior representation for our members.
The mission of Teamsters Local 337 is to: