October 18, 2006. On Aug. 31, UPS’s 2,775 pilots narrowly ratified an eight-year contract which will give them immediate raises of 18 to 26 percent. The contract was ratified with 56 percent voting yes. UPS pilots belong to the Independent Pilots Association. They were in the Teamsters but left in the 1980s to form the IPA. UPS pilots got a 29 percent raise over the life of their last seven-year contract. For the new contract,...

October 18, 2006. The neutrality agreement with UPS Freight, announced by James Hoffa in dramatic fashion in Las Vegas this June is now officially over. UPS Freight spokesman Ira Rosenfeld emphasized to Traffic World that the Teamsters would be bargaining for “one location only” and that the neutrality deal is now void. A “neutrality and card check” agreement with a company allows our union to organize without company opposition, and when a majority of workers...

UPSers Clear on Improvements Needed October 18, 2006. UPS Teamsters are clear on the improvements we need to win in the next contract on issues like benefits, overtime, fairness for combo workers, part-time wages, and restrictions on subcontracting and supervisors working. What’s less clear is how early bargaining will give us the leverage we need to win these improvements. Since the announcement, UPS has basked in glowing reports in the business press. Early bargaining, after...

Victory Is Part of Trend towards Democracy in Rail October 18, 2006. For the second time in three months, railroad engineers and conductors have scored a victory for the right to vote. On Aug. 21, ballots were counted and the members of the Teamsters Canada Rail Conference (TCRC) voted to change their bylaws to require direct election of the top three national officers. The result was overwhelming, with 88 percent supporting the change. Two months...

October 18, 2006. The Hearst-owned San Francisco Chronicle has set its sights on its union workforce, but members of Teamsters GCC Local 4-N are fighting to preserve the good wages and benefits in their contract. These press and prepress workers have been hampered in their struggle by Teamster International officials who have signed substandard agreements and obstructed 4-N’s efforts to prepare for a strike, if necessary. In late 2003, Rome Aloise, secretary-treasurer of Local 853...

  Ø Amount collected in new money from the July 2002 dues hike in four years: $638 million Ø Amount of that money spent on organizing by the International Union per year: $14 million Ø Percentage increase in the International Union's income because of the dues hike (most of the dues hike went to the International): 75% increase Ø Percentage increase in amount paid by International for multiple salaries to officials: 764% increase in pay...

TDU, Members Beat Dues Waste, Build Power October 18, 2006. TDU began publishing the “$100,000 Club” 27 years ago. Armed with this information, and the Right to Vote, Teamsters have demanded financial reforms and won them. In 1987, Teamster President Jackie presser bagged $609,984 in multiple salaries. In today’s dollars (adjusted for inflation), that would be over $1 million. International Vice President Arnie Weinmeister made $443,612 that year. Others, like Weldon Mathis, took home $305,914....

After Reformers Curbed the Worst Excesses... October 18, 2006. Reform Teamsters, spearheaded by TDU, have succeeded in directing members’ dues money away from fat-cat salaries and into programs that build union power. But millions of dollars in members’ dues are still wasted every year on bloated salaries and a patronage scheme of multiple salaries that the Hoffa administration pays to buy political loyalty. Those are the findings of this year’s analysis of Teamster financial reports...

Why They Fear Teamsters for a Democratic Union Our union officials badger Teamsters for a Democratic Union because they are afraid of the membership finding out what they are doing. Those who fear TDU must have something to hide from the membership, like multiple salaries and pensions and nepotism, not to mention weak contracts, failure to organize core industries, and a shrinking labor movement. When members realize how much they are paying their union officials...

October 18, 2006. “This is my first experience at the TDU convention and it was great for me. For 27 years I’ve been in the dark about a lot of things about the Teamsters. It’s a shame that you pay your money to these people who are supposed to work for you, and you hear messages like, ‘You should be glad you got a job.’ When I think about the things that I know now,...