Local 917 Carhaulers Swapped to a New Local

November 18, 2008: For more than a year, carhaulers have been treated like pawns in a game where the carriers, Ron Burkle, the bankruptcy court, and Fred Zuckerman call all the shots.

Now a group of Teamster cahaulers has been swapped from one local union to another with no consultation whatsoever.

New York Local 917 officials decided that carhaulers were too expensive to represent so they swapped more than 175 carhaul members to Teamsters Local 210. In exchange, parking lot attendants were traded from Local 210 into Local 917.

Local 210 is a large miscellaneous local with no carhaul members or experience with the industry. All of the affected carhaulers work out of New Jersey, which has two carhaul locals: Local 560 and Local 469.

Some of the swapped Teamsters are now in their third local in six months. PTS Teamsters were moved from Local 560 to Local 917 when Allied picked up their work.

None of the Teamsters were ever consulted about the move—let alone given a vote. Members circulated petitions saying that Local 917 carhaulers should be in a carhaul local. But the International Union ruled that the move to Local 210 would stand.

The Local 210 business agent has made a point of reaching out to carhaul members.

But when Allied drivers in Port Jersey asked him about a shop steward election they were told, “This is not a popularity contest,” and that no steward election would be held.

Under the bylaws, Local 210 has the authority to appoint all shop stewards. But nothing prohibits the local from holding an election.

It’s only logical that Teamster carhaulers understand our issues better than union officials who have never worked a day in the craft or ever handled a carhaul grievance.

It’s time that Teamster carhaulers were heard—and not dictated to.