The Long and Proud History of “Thunder and Lightening” - the Horses of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters

A Century of Change ... and Undying Principles

Near the end of the 19th Century, the word “Teamster” had a very specific meaning: a person who managed teams of horses pulling wagons bearing commercial freight.  In those pre-unionized times, the work of a Teamster was hard and full of physical and financial risk.  Two Unions emerged to represent the interests of Teamsters: The Team Drivers International Union, founded in 1899, and the Teamsters National Union of America, founded in 1902.

Leaders of the two organizations recognized that by joining forces, they could immediately have more leverage on behalf of their members.  In 1903, they merged, creating the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, whose new insignia incorporated elements from the two founded Unions — including a horse's head, wagon wheel and horseshoe.  The Union's original motto “Unionzed to Protect, Not Combined to Injure,” was wound around the horseshoe.

By 1910, the Union's name had changed to the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, Chauffeurs, Stablemen and Helpers of America.  The insignia was changed to reflect the new acronym — and also introduce to the world Thunder and Lightning.  The spokes in the wheel each represented a characteristic that every true Teamster has: loyalty, integrity, compassion, reliability, honor, steadfast, trustworthy, principled, fair and honest.

The Teamsters experienced many changes over the coming decades, but one thing would never change: the horse would always be the Teamsters’ proudest and most enduring symbol, honoring the heritage and traditions that gave rise to a great Union.  In fact, at their 1916 Convention, Teamsters declared by proclamation that the horse would always be at the heart of the Union and appear on any badge, button, logo or flag.

The insignia changed slightly in 1941, when the Union's name was changed to reflect the times, replacing “Stablemen” with “Warehousemen.”  Other parts of the insignia were also changed and streamlined over the years.  The horseshoe disappeared, for example, and the number of spokes inside the wheel changed several times.  Even the spaces between the spokes have seen changes — at times being used to identify affiliations between the Teamsters and fellow labor organizations.

For roughly the Teamsters’ first half century, our insignia referenced our affiliation with the American Federation of Labor, and briefly the Committee for Industrial Organization as well.  In 1958, when the Teamsters left the AFL-CIO, the words were removed from the insignia.

This version was used until 1991, when the insignia was adjusted to show our re-affiliation with the AFL-CIO.  Then, the following year, the insignia was changed to show the Union’s new abbreviated name, “International Brotherhood of Teamsters,” and the space within the wheel was modified td include our five Conference regions.  The new affiliation with the AFL-CIO lasted until 2005, when the Teamsters chose to leave the AFL-CIO in order to help create a new alliance of Unions, and the AFL-CIO name was again removed.

Most recently, the Teamsters insignia has been adapted to identify the more than two dozen specialized Divisions within the Union.  Today, the insignia appears in a wide variety of formats, from sew-on patches, to signage, apparel and on the web.  But thanks to our members proudly displaying it year-after-year and in countless locations, the Teamsters insignia is recognizable across the country and around the world, as representing the greatest labor organization in the free world.