Thomas E. Flynn Papers

Thomas E. Flynn served as General Secretary-Treasurer of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters from March 1969 until his death in March 1972. A lifelong union member, born in 1906 in Chicago, IL, Flynn was involved in and instrumental to numerous labor agreements, union organizations, executive positions, and roles of leadership. In 1924, Flynn joined Local 753 of the Milk Drivers Union while driving a team of horses on a milk route. He transferred to Local 702 of the Ice Drivers Union in 1929, where he drove trucks delivering ice to cars in Chicago’s freight and produce yards, as well as coal to hotels and office buildings.

In 1936 Flynn was appointed a general organizer in Indianapolis, IN for the International Union and in 1937 he was transferred to South Bend, IN. It was during this period that Flynn played a prominent role in the establishment of the Central States Drivers Council, negotiating the initial Central States Over-the-Road Agreement – one of the first area wide Teamster contracts that led ultimately to the creation of a National Freight Agreement.

General President Daniel J. Tobin selected Flynn as Executive Assistant in 1941, where he established and directed the initial affairs of the Southern Conference of Teamsters until the conference was functional and operational. Upon the retirement of Tobin in 1952, Flynn was assigned by General President Dave Beck as National Director of the National Freight Division. In October 1953, Beck selected Flynn to handle the establishment of the Eastern Conference of Teamsters.

At the 1957 Convention, Flynn was elected Vice President of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters a position to which he was re-elected in 1961 and 1966.