100-Year-Old Teamster Recalls Union’s Early Years

There used to be a saying. About trouble. And a man.

If you were a Teamster in Maryland 50 years ago, you were probably familiar with both.

If you want trouble, go see Reynolds.

That’s Paul Reynolds: President of Local 876 (now Local 355) and the Maryland Conference of Teamsters.

A Teamster for more than 40 years, Reynolds is now 100 years old, living in Nebraska City, Nebraska. Though he is past his trouble-making days, Reynolds vividly remembers what it was like to fight for your well-being, your life and your rights.

Reynolds recently sat down for an interview with the Teamsters Union to talk about his life and what it was really like to be a Teamster when the union was just starting to gain traction.

The interview, which was captured on video, will be placed into the Teamster archives at George Washington University. Below are highlights from the life of a man who believes one must stand for something or he’ll fall for anything.

Early Life

Born in 1909 in Bridgeville, Delaware, Reynolds had a troubled childhood. One of four children, his parents separated at an early age and he was sent to live with an abusive uncle.

Even as a child, Reynolds was headstrong and clearly knew right from wrong. At 10 years old, he packed his belongings and ran away from the only family he knew. He spent the next five years of his life washing dishes in a restaurant.

He eventually lied about his age, joined the military and attended Calvin Coolidge’s inauguration where he was a runner for the head of security. When the armed services learned of Reynolds’ real age, they threw him out.

Reynolds later got a job driving a truck for Campbell’s Soup and General Chemical. It was as a truck driver that Reynolds first learned of the Teamsters.

Union Stronghold

“Two guys climbed right up on my running board. They told me they were with the Teamsters Union,” Reynolds said. “The next day I followed them to the local union hall and signed up.”

That was in 1935. Not long after joining, Reynolds led a strike against the company he drove for, successfully increasing the rate of pay he and his coworkers received by $10 per week.

Reynolds would go on to organize more than 10,000 poultry workers in Maryland and Delaware—a figure practically unheard of at the time. Reynolds also became President of a local union and helped charter the Maryland Conference of Teamsters.

Through it all, Reynolds was a fighter—he had to be. As he explained, in his day, there was no other way to gain respect or authority.

“I was a boxer. I used to have a beautiful left jab,” Reynolds said. “You know what they say: everything follows the left jab.”

And on more than one occasion, Reynolds put that left jab into play. As a Teamster organizer and leader, Reynolds survived brutal strikes, threats against his life and even a murder attempt.

“They were going to hang two of us union organizers in Frankfurt, Delaware,” Reynolds said. “We called a union meeting for 12 o’clock to try and get cards signed. The cops came just about in time with their pistols drawn. They broke the crowd up. The whole damned town came out to see it.”

Family Man

Despite his contributions to labor and loyalty to the Teamsters Union, Reynolds believes his life’s greatest accomplishment was raising a happy, loving family.

“My family always came first,” Reynolds said.

Married for more than 70 years to his beloved wife, Reynolds raised three children. Reynolds’ son, Ronnie, followed in his father’s footsteps, becoming President of Local 355 until his death 11 years ago from complications with diabetes.

Today, Reynolds is the proud great-grandfather of 13 and the great-great grandfather of one.

The Teamsters remain a source of inspiration, fascination and pride for the 100-year-old.

“There were some good times and some bad times,” Reynolds said. “If I had to do it all over again, I would.”