July 21, 2009: In June, Allied CEO Mark Gengregske went to the Cottage Grove, Minnesota, terminal to sell the drivers on more concessions: five percent on the Mazda work and 12.5 percent on the Chrysler traffic. The Teamsters said No.

Download the leaflet.In July, Houston Local 988 BA Larry Weddel promoted a concession deal to let Cooper-Active bid on VW, Audi, Porsche and Mazda work, to be hauled with a wage of 25 percent of revenue. The drivers approved it.

Allied drivers in Jacksonville, Fla. have voted down concessions twice. Allied management has met with Local 299 officials in Detroit, asking for big new concessions on Chrysler traffic. Miami and Tampa have voted for some concessions.

Do you see the International Union anywhere in this picture, except hiding behind the curtain? Anyone seen carhaul director Fred Zuckerman? Does our union have a plan for the carhaul industry?

It’s all terminal by terminal, from Los Angeles to Winston Salem, N.C.. Whatever can be sold locally, that’s the new wage.

This completely violates the national contract, a contract put together by James R. Hoffa some 50 years ago. It weakens Teamster power and undermines Teamster solidarity.

We belong to an international union.

Click here to download the new leaflet that asks: "Where's Fred?"

Canada Says No

The largest carhaul local is Local 938, based in Toronto Canada. Allied Teamsters covered by the Eastern Canada carhaul agreement voted by 99 percent against further concessions in late June. Brian Chapman, Allied steward at London, Ontario, said, “It was a great show of unity. We need to keep that up to hold onto what we’ve won in the past.”

Stewards in Canada think Allied might come back again for concessions, especially if they get more concessions in the U.S. The contract expires in October.

Canadian Teamsters are also concerned about a proposal afoot to change the U.S.-Canada border agreement, and allow Teamsters to load in the U.S. and make deliveries in Canada and vice versa. A draft agreement, prepared by employer representative James Osmer, is posted on www.tdu.org.