OUR
LOCAL

Who We Are
& Get in Touch

Teamsters Local 135 is a strong, member-focused local of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters. We represent over 14,000 members in over a dozen Teamster divisions.

Our mission is to organize for the strongest contracts possible, hold companies accountable, and ensure that workers’ voices are heard. We do so by engaging, educating, and involving every Local 135 member.

Get in touch with us!
Teamsters Local 135
2829 Madison Avenue, Indianapolis, IN 46225

(317) 639-3541
local135@local135.com

Branch Offices

9301 Innovation Dr., Suite 115

Daleville, IN 47334

Phone: 765-282-2229

Fax: 765-284-5703

2529 Schuyler Ave., Suite 300

Lafayette, IN 47905

Phone: 765-423-1039

Fax: 765-423-5616

703 N Harrison St.

Shelbyville, IN 46176

125 S 8th St.

Terre Haute, IN 47807

Phone: 812-232-9431

Fax: 812-232-1600

The
135 Team

Dustin Roach

President

Sarah Revard

Secretary Treasurer

Paul Dwigans

Vice-President

Ryan (Tim) Jordan

Recording Secretary

Dan Melvin

Trustee

Kerry Dearth

Trustee

Mike Gillespie

Trustee

Our
History

Teamsters Local Union 135 has been a Local Union of general jurisdiction, affiliated with the International Brotherhood of Teamsters since 1928. The principal office of the Local Union has always been located in Indianapolis, Indiana, but the Local Union fell on hard times in the late 1940s, and was put under Trusteeship by the International Union around 1948. The Local Union had approximately 3000 members at that time and an individual by the name of Gene SanSoucie came to Indianapolis from St. Louis to run the Local Union during the Trusteeship. Gene was elected President at the conclusion of the Trusteeship in about 1950. Mr. SanSoucie was a very dynamic individual and made great strides to stabilize and build the Local Union.

During the 1950s, Local Union 135 engaged in extensive organizing efforts and substantial amounts of litigation taking on unorganized companies in and around Central Indiana. In addition, during the 1950s, a warehouse Local in Indianapolis merged into Local Union 135, and Local Unions in Columbus and Bloomington, Indiana also became part of the ever-growing Local Union 135.

The most significant merger with Local Union 135 in the 1950s was the merger of Local Union 369 this merger took place in the latter part of 1958, this brought Teamster members into Local Union 135 who worked for companies in the Marion, Muncie and Anderson areas in the State of Indiana. The merger between Local Union 369 and Local Union 135 caused the membership of Local Union 135 to be in excess of 9,000 members at the end of 1959.

The growth of Local Union 135 continued in the early 1960s from organizing efforts and mergers, with a merger taking place in January of 1961 with Local Union 691 on the east side of Indiana with offices in Richmond and Lawrenceburg, Indiana.

Gene SanSoucie made his mark as a Teamster, an organizer, and as a successful builder of a Local Union. Gene SanSoucie was also on the original Trustees of the Central States Health and Welfare and Pension Funds. When he was in the prime of his life and his career, Gene SanSoucie died in a plane crash in April of 1961. The position of President of Local Union 135 was then filled by Lloyd Reisner, who continued as President until January 1,1966, when Loran W. Robbins became the President of the Local Union.

Loran W. Robbins served as President of Local Union 135 from January 1, 1966 until April of 1983. During his tenure as President, the Local Union continued to grow, primarily through organizing and the growth and expansion of companies under contract with the Local Union. There was one merger, and that was with Local Union 188 in Indianapolis in 1967; Local 188 was primarily a bread and dairy Local Union that needed the support and stability of Local Union 135.

One of the most memorable strikes in the history of the Local Union took place in 1968, when the Local Union had the Batesville Casket Company on strike seeking a contract for its truck drivers from April of 1968 until that Fall when the strike was finally settled. President Robbins engineered a successful boycott of the struck products by engaging in consumer boycott activity at the National Funeral Directors Convention at the Convention Center in Detroit, Michigan. Several of the Batesville Casket Company truck drivers were in Detroit during the week long National Funeral Directors Convention passing out letters to the Convention Delegates about our problems, passing out souvenir key chains with the Teamsters emblem on them, and passing out bumper stickers that stated “I wouldn’t be caught dead in a Batesville Casket”. The strike was settled shortly after the conclusion of the boycott week in Detroit and Local Union 135 has since that time enjoyed a very decent relationship with the Company.

In 1971, the Local Union moved into its new Union office next door to the old school house that had served its members well for many years. The old Union office was torn down and became a parking lot for the members.

During the tenure of President Robbins, the membership of the Local Union climbed to well over 17,000 members, but then in the early 1980s, the deregulation of the trucking industry began, and Local Union 135, as well as many other Teamster Local Unions, lost thousands of good Union jobs. Deregulation cost Local Union 135 members several thousand good jobs in the freight industry, but the Local Union continued to work to succeed under both President Robbins and his successor as President, John Neal, who became the President of the Local Union in April of 1983.

Under the leadership of John Neal, Local Union 135 recovered from many of the adverse effects of deregulation. Local Union 135 also received a boost in its membership in about 1986 when several hundred United Parcel Service employees were transferred into Local Union 135 by the Local Union that had previously represented them.

During the early 1990s, Local Union 135 again responded to Local Unions around it that needed help and assistance, as three mergers took place that have helped protect and preserve the strength of the Local Union in the State of Indiana. On April 1, 1990, Local Union 298 in Michigan City, Indiana became a part of Local Union 135. This was followed on August 1, 1990 by a merger of Local Union 543 in Lafayette and Kokomo, Indiana into Local Union 135. Finally, on January 1, 1992 Local Union 144 with offices in Terre Haute and Vincennes, Indiana merged into and became a part of Local Union 135.

John Neal left the Local Union in August of 1996 and he was succeeded by President Danny L. Barton who was re-elected in 1998. Barton served as President until January 31, 2022. The Local Union also has a campground and fishing lake near New Castle, Indiana, and it is available for members, retirees and their families.

In 2021, Local 2001 also merged into Local 135 in August 2021 bringing members employed at Gannett Publishing (Indianapolis Star) into Local 135.

In 2022, Teamsters Local 135 gained new leadership with the election of our current President, Dustin Roach, and a new executive board. Today’s Local leadership is focused on engaging, educating, and involving members so that we can win strong contracts, achieve a better future for members and their families, and grow our union. We hope you get involved to build a stronger, faster Local 135!

Photo
Gallery

If you’re interested in organizing a union at your workplace, contact a Local 135 organizer