James “Curb” Curbeam has been a proud member of Teamsters Local 480 in Nashville, TN since 1996. Curbeam began his career at Trailer Conditioners Inc. (UPS), and then, went to work at Yellow Transportation (YRC) in 2002. In 2003, he went on a leave of absence from Yellow Freight to work for the International Brotherhood of Teamsters (IBT) Organizing Department until March of 2022.
Curbeam has also served as a Steward, Trustee, and Recording Secretary for Teamsters Local 480.In 2003, Curbeam became a Project Organizer with the IBT for the Dugan Freight Campaign. In 2005, he accepted a full-time International Organizer position with the IBT and in 2017 was promoted to the IBT’s Southern Region Organizing Coordinator. Curbeam is currently a proud rank and file member at Yellow Freight in Nashville, TN (Teamsters Local 480).
Eric Tate's motto is: Honesty, integrity, education, and hard work leads to success and his bio depicts that he lives by his motto. His career as a Teamster began in 1992 when he was hired by Laidlaw Transit as a bus driver. After a year as a driver, he gained the trust of his co-workers, and they elected him Shop Steward. After two more years of driving his daily bus route and volunteering as Shop Steward, Eric was named Shop Steward of the Year for Teamsters Local 848.
Eric became a Business Representative and Political Coordinator for Teamster Local 848 in the year 2000. As Business Representative, Eric Tate has increased the wages for Union’s bus drivers from the $8 per hour he earned as a bus driver to today's top contract rate of more than $35 per hour and increased the number of bus drivers within Local 848 from 350 drivers to more than 2000 today. The contracts he has negotiated with the bus companies have not only increased income, but now pays 100% of the drivers' medical premiums for them and their families and as much as $5 per hour towards the Teamsters Pension Plan.
As a Political Coordinator, he spearheaded Senate Bill 158 with the help of the Teamster’s state lobbyist, which protects privatized bus driver’s jobs when companies take over the service within any city in the state of California. Today, that bill is known as Labor Code 1070 – 1074. All this was accomplished while Eric was attending night school. He graduated Cum Laude with a Bachelor of Science Degree and is a member of The International Honor Society in Business Management and Administration (Sigma Beta Delta).
In October 2009, Eric Tate became Secretary-Treasurer of Teamsters Local 848. He is the first African American in the Western half of the United States to achieve this goal. The members of Teamsters Local 848 have shown their confidence in Eric by electing him and re-electing him to office five times, three times via white ballot. In 2022, Eric Tate became the first African American to be appointed as a Trustee on the Joint Council 42 Executive Board. Eric has been married for more than 30 years and has two adult children. His daughter, who is a member of Teamsters Local 848 working at Sealogix, and his son, who is a special needs adult who has overcome life-threatening health, mental and physical challenges.
Ronald (Ron Pat) Patton founded the PARTICIP8 INTERNET CAMPAIGN, a program that teaches students how to create professional video projects (which includes, but not limited to; writing, acting, directing, producing, cinematography and editing). Ronald also has a Master's Degree in business and teaches financial literacy and life skills based around the importance of time and money management. Ronald started his working relationship the Teamsters when he produced a number of videos for Teamster members of Local 952. After seeing his work, Eric Tate, Secretary-Treasurer of the World Famous 848, appointed Ronald as the Media Director for Local 848, where he produces videos under the TEAM 848 brand name.
In February of 2023, Richard Teems, President of the Southern California Chapter of the Teamsters National Black Caucus (TNBC), appointed Ronald as Chairman of the Career Day Committee. Taking on this task, Ronald created “United We Stand,” a program that works with educators, dignitaries and employers to educate students on various trade industries, as well as provide them with useful information and resources regarding the various careers that are available to them after high school.
In May of 2023, James (Curb) Curbeam, National Chairman of the TNBC, appointed Ronald as the National Media Director of the organization. In this role, Ronald will expand TNBC’s social media reach and connect with local TNBC chapters to assist them in their online activities. Ronald is committed to building the TNBC as a nationally recognized force and growing the organization’s numbers, locally and nationally.
