I recently learned that Jerry Zero, the former secretary-treasurer of Teamsters Local 705, of which I was a member, died on April 4. His death was announced at the regular local membership meeting on April 23 in Chicago.

Jerry was seventy-three three years old and had been in ill health for a long time. He was diagnosed with diabetes in the early 2000s. His wife Linda preceded him in death. Jerry spent most of his time in retirement in Montana.

A few years ago, I got back in touch with Jerry while writing my book The Package King: A Rank and File History of United Parcel Service. Jerry helped me with some of background events of the 1997 United Parcel Service (UPS) strike in Chicago — things that only he and a handful of others would have known about.