Ex-Teamsters boss gets 6 1/2 years in federal prison
May 29, 2007: By Cindy George from the Houston Chronicle--A federal judge today ordered that Chuck Crawley spend six and a half years in federal prison for his schemes to control Houston's largest Teamsters union and enrich himself. The former Local 988 president was sentenced this morning by U.S. District Judge Melinda Harmon. Crawley, 57, was convicted in December of arranging a $20,000 kickback from a vendor and rigging the local's 2002 election. A jury...
To Some, Ex-union Boss' Sentence is Just Deserts
May 29, 2007: By Cindy George for the Houston Chronicle--For all the damaging acts blamed on Chuck Crawley, the worst was taking a man's livelihood, says Francis Pradier, who is paying off $50,000 in debt he ran up living on credit cards for a year after losing his job. For Harry Bowers III and David McCormick, it's the more than $12,000 in legal bills they amassed defending themselves in court after telling the FBI about...
Rail Workers Blame Woes on Earlier Cuts
May 29, 2007: by Brent Jang from Transportaion Reporter: When Shayne Brighton started his job 28 years ago at Canadian Pacific Railway Ltd., he didn't have to worry about toiling nights and weekends - shifts he has often worked in the past three years. Mr. Brighton, 49, makes $24.24 an hour as a welder-fabricator at CPR. He went on strike with his 3,200 Teamsters union co-workers on May 16. "CP Rail isn't offering us much...
Freight Bulletin: Say NO to Pension Grabs by UPS, ABF
UPS has put an offer on the bargaining table to take 42,000 UPS Teamsters out of the Central States Fund. The CEO of ABF just announced he wants to pull out of all Teamster benefit plans. The Hoffa administration is also considering a deal to keep all UPS Freight Teamsters out of our traditional Teamster pension plans as part of a contract that would be substandard to the NMFA. Together, these proposals would put Freight...
Rail Teamsters Say “Vote No!”
May 25, 2007:Rail Teamsters have launched a campaign to vote down the proposed national BLET agreement. Ed Michael, BLET Div. 724"It’s a bad deal. The new contract says we’ll pay more for our healthcare, and it says we owe the carriers thousands of dollars each,” said Ed Michael, a member of BLET Div. 724 on the Union Pacific. “We can do better. That’s why I’m voting No.” Under the new agreement, engineers will pay 15...
Should Teamsters Be Charged for Talking With Banned Officials?
May 23, 2007: International Vice President Frank Gillen was charged by the Independent Review Board (IRB) last month for giving false testimony to cover up his association with Thomas Ryan. Ryan was banned from the Teamsters for embezzling union funds. Billy Hogan, the former president of Chicago Joint Council 25 and formerly Hoffa’s running mate, has been ordered to appear before judge Loretta Preska on charges of criminal contempt for repeatedly violation his ban on...
UPS Talks: What Is Our Union’s Pension Proposal?
May 23, 2007: The last Teamster UPSDate was dedicated to talking about management’s pension proposal leaving many Teamsters to wonder what is the Union pension proposal? Teamsters at UPS deserve an answer. For more info, see MakeUPSDeliver.org
Will UPS Freight Deal Undercut Our Union?
May 23, 2007: The Hoffa administration may make drastic concessions to UPS Freight management in exchange for a contract in Indianapolis and the right to organize the company nationally. In a recent report, International Rep and Hoffa Assistant Brad Slawson stated that the UPS Freight contract will not meet National Master Freight Agreement standards and will not be in the Central States pension or health and welfare funds. A deal could be cut as soon...
Is This Yellow? Or Roadway?
May 22, 2007: YRC is acquiring trailers with flip-signs that say Roadway on one side, and Yellow on the other. This will provide a pool of switchable trailers, especially for rail use. A number of Teamsters have expressed concern that it is a sign that merger of Yellow and Roadway may be on the horizon. But no major integration of operations is expected soon. New YRC trailers: Just flip the placard and switch the company....
Traffic World: Canadian Pacific Workers Strike
May 21, 2007:Traffic World, Journal of Commerce: Unionized track maintenance workers with Canadian Pacific Railway went on strike Wednesday after contract talks failed to produce an agreement. Canada's second-largest railroad deployed managers to replace the 3,200 striking workers, represented by the Teamsters. The railroad said Wednesday that train service was operating normally despite union pickets, Bloomberg reported. Canadian Pacific, headquartered in Calgary, offered wage increases of 3 percent this year, 4 percent in 2008 and...