A Salute to Today's Black Union Leaders & Activists

DEBRA SIMMONS-PETERSON ​Ms. Debra Simmons-Peterson joined Teamsters Local Union No. 743 in 1975 while working in the Transportation Department of Rush Presbyterian St. Luke’s Hospital. In 2003, Ms. Simmons-Peterson resigned from her position in the Transportation Department to pursue her own entrepreneurial endeavors. She enthusiastically returned to IBT Local 743 in 2008, serving as a Union Representative. In 2010, she was appointed to serve as the Vice President of IBT Local 743 and subsequently elected to the position of Secretary-Treasurer in 2011. Debra was elected to her current position as President of Local 743 in 2013, making her the first African American female to be elected to this position. Debra has also served as the President of Teamsters Joint Council No. 25 Women’s Committee and on the Teamsters Volunteers in Politics (T.V.I.P.) Committee.

RAMON D. WILLIAMS Ramon D. Williams is a longtime Teamster member, organizer, and business agent. Having worked as a rank and file member for more than two decades, Ramon began working for the Teamsters as an organizer for Teamsters Joint Council 25 in 2006.He has worked on dozens of local and national Teamsters organizing campaigns, including United Airlines and First Student School Bus Company. Ramon, who still holds his commercial driver’s license, worked as a driver for nearly 20 years and is a former member of Teamsters Local 705 and Local 731. He also served as a Business Agent for Local 726 before starting as a Business Agent for Local 700 in 2010. A second-generation Teamster, Ramon’s father, worked as a motor truck driver in the City of Chicago’s Department of Streets and Sanitation. Prior to being elected President in 2019, Ramon also served as Local 700’s Organizing Director and Executive Assistant for many years. Additionally, he served as the Recording Secretary on the Local 700 Executive Board.

Photo Courtesy of Tracy Reed-Bowers

This year's conference was a huge success following a 2-year
​hiatus due to the COVID-19 Pandemic.

IBT General President Sean O'Brien & Secretary-Treasurer, Fred Zuckerman

Photo Courtesy of Tracy Reed-Bowers

Wednesday, August 24th:

Thursday, August 25th:

Friday, August 26th:

Saturday, August 27th:

Attorney Richard Boykin ​for Cook County Board President

Meridth Hammer ​Democrat for Cook County Judge

Jaylin D. McClinton Candidate for Cook Co. Board

Candidate Biographies

Jaylin’s running for Cook County Commissioner to raise the level of service residents of the 5th District can come to expect. He wants to address long ignored quality of life issues impacting residents every day. Folks are getting pushed further and further out of Chicago and its suburbs due to the rising cost of living. And despite lip service from establishment politicians, neither public safety nor equity in the justice system have improved. https://www.jaylindmcclinton.com/meet-jaylin

Meridth Hammer is running for Cook County Judge in the Democratic Primary on June 28th 2022. She is an attorney with over 20 years of experience specializing in the areas of Real Estate law, Contract law, and Trust & Estate Planning. She formerly served as Deputy General Counsel to the Clerk of the Circuit Court of Cook County. As Deputy General Counsel for the Clerk of the Courts, she has a unique view into the inner workings of the largest court system in the country. ​https://hammerforjudge.com

Richard Boykin served on Capitol Hill for over 11 years: Chief of Staff for Congressman Danny Davis; Lyndon Baine Johnson Law School Intern for Congressman Bobby Rush; and Congressional Black Caucus Fellow for First Black Woman U. S. Senator, Hon. Carol Moseley Braun. He served on the Cook County Board from 2014 – 2018.

Voting Information