Local 726: We'll Keep Fighting

Thanks for all the support we got at the recent TDU Convention. We narrowly lost our local election, but that fight is far from over.

We have filed post election protests and look forward to having our case heard because Local 726 members deserve to have an honest election. Our protest outlines numerous serious violations, including counting over 1,300 challenged ballots without verifying their eligibility. We will see this fight through: Local 726 members will get a fair election and will take back our union.

We learned over the past two years that an informed and involved membership is the best hope for our union. Democracy means members having their voices heard and that’s come through loud and clear.

Local 726 members voted down a substandard contract twice and won greater job security for Chicago public sector Teamsters. We’re not going away, and we plan to grow TDU.

Vince Tenuto
Local 726, Chicago
Fighting for the Future Slate

Split Wages Mean Less Money

In the new contract, UPS is splitting wage increases in two parts, one in August and one in February.

Use your calculator—for the first year alone, if you work ZERO overtime, you’ll lose over $360 because the wage increase is split. Think how much you’ll lose with overtime.

If UPS gets away with this, every employer covered by a Teamster contract will jump on the bandwagon. Don’t forget UPS was also the company that started negotiations which included the “unborn,” which is why all these silly “training rates” exist today.

Terry Newton
Retired, Local 631
Sutter Creek, Calif.

Interlining Spreads Like Wildfire

Southern California is being overrun by nonunion scab interliners! I work at Roadway, and on a daily basis the nonunion trucks appear at our dock either picking up freight or dropping off pick-ups (most are liftgate requests).

The wildfires are currently under control but interlining is not. This is done on such a large scale here in SoCal, one shop steward can’t monitor all the activity that goes on, 24 hours a day.

I would walk in a second over this issue—drastic times call for drastic measures. The whole month of October our negotiators have been in Phoenix negotiating the NMFA. If the current interlining continues we won’t have any freight Teamsters to bargain for.

Steve Yarwick
Roadway, Local 542
San Diego, Calif.

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