June 30, 2009: Teamsters voted down Allied’s proposed mid-term concessions to the Eastern Canada carhaul agreement by 99% in voting over the past few days. Now they are waiting for Allied’s next move.
Members showed tremendous unity. Windsor Local 880 voted 39-0. Local 938 voted 58-0 in Windsor, 93-0 in London, 39-0 in Oshawa and 69-0 in Mississauga. Quebec Teamsters voted 110-3 against the deal.
Allied Goes After More Concessions
Allied CEO Mark Gendregske went to the Cottage Grove, Minnesota, terminal to ask Local 120 Teamsters to take additional wage concessions: a 5% wage cut on Mazda traffic and 12.5% on Chrysler traffic. This is in addition to the 17.5% cut that Allied Teamsters have already taken. Gendregske stated that without further concessions, Allied could lose traffic to nonunion carriers; apparently the Mazda traffic is being lost already. Minnesota Teamsters didn’t go for the further concessions, which would have put them some 30% below union scale.
Local 120 is the home local of International Vice President Brad Slawson and General Secretary Treasurer Tom Keegel, so we can be sure that Gendregske wasn’t going behind the International Union’s back with this attempt to bargain local wage rates below our national contract. Hold on to your shorts, because Hoffa and Zuckerman may try to give them away, too.
Change Contract for Border Concessions?
A proposal is afoot to alter the border agreement, which protects jobs and unifies US and Canadian carhaul Teamsters. A copy of a draft proposal [1] (apparently prepared by chief employer attorney James Osmer) is available here [2].
The border agreement provides that drivers do not make deliveries in the other country, thus ensuring fairness and unity. This proposal would scrap that in favor of a one-for-one deal.
Teamsters north and south have cited the same potential problems with it. First, who will police this one-for-one rule, when apparently many key Teamster officials are in favor of junking the whole agreement, and opening up the border a la NAFTA. Second, what does one-for-one mean; for example, if a Canadian drives over the border to Detroit, and a US driver delivers all the way to Ottawa, is that parity?
Any change to the US national contract requires a secret ballot vote. TDU has won in court the right of members to monitor such a vote. The border agreement is in Article 28 of the US national contract.
Happy Independence Day
The US government set the Independence Day holiday as Friday, July 3, so American workers can enjoy a three-day family holiday. Fred Zuckerman and the carhaul employers didn’t get the news.
They issued a joint union-company bulletin stating that the holiday would be observed on Saturday, July 4. So, Teamsters will not have Friday off, and will work on Friday for straight-time, instead of premium time.
Wanna bet that Zuckerman and Hoffa take Friday off? Try calling their offices on Friday to find out: (202) 624-6800.
What do you think? Click here [3] to send your comments to the TDU Carhaul Committee.