October 16, 2009: On October 15 the International Union announced its new campaign to save Teamster carhaul jobs, with initial plans to handbill at Chrysler and GM dealers each weekend.
The corporate campaign aims to pressure Fiat-Chrysler and GM to stop their moves to drive out union carriers in favor of low-paying nonunion operations. Those two companies, especially Chrysler, are presently the most aggressive against the union. They are also the two car makers who received bail-out funds from taxpayers, a move supported by the Teamsters Union and other unions.
The first stage of the campaign, called “the wave” by the IBT, involves six weekends of hand-billing dealerships and special events. The second stage of the campaign, called “the tsunami” by the IBT, will then step it up further.
James Hoffa ended a conference call for Teamsters by saying it will be up to carhaul members to make the plan work by volunteering. The call, led by Carhaul Director Fred Zuckerman and IBT staffers, explained the situation in the industry and the IBT plan.
Zuckerman says that union carriers still have the majority of all rigs operating in the country, but that Chrysler, GM and other shippers are using the depression and excess capacity as an opportunity to try to turn the industry nonunion.
For the past few years, carhaul Teamsters and TDU have been calling for a comprehensive plan of action to save carhaul jobs, including a focus on the manufacturers.
On the call Zuckerman stated that previously the IBT sought to deal with the situation through concessions, including the 17.5 percent wage cut at Allied, the recent 11 percent cut at several Cassens terminals, wage freezes, and the recent concession of the USA-Canada border agreement.
All Teamsters who want to find out more or volunteer to help with the campaign should contact their local union as soon as possible. The IBT announced that a new website will be up and running: www.carbuyersbeware.com
Click here for a Detroit News account of the Teamster campaign.
Comments
carhauler1 replied on Permalink
Hoffa plan stinks even worse than his administration does
Why would dealers care how there cars get delivered or who brings them!!! They want to sell them to survive this economic slowdown. Now we the carhaulers have seen URS and Accuratte and others grow and grow since 1996.{ring a bell anyone} These companies have grown on the technologies of union carriers. The owners of non-union companies come from union management. The carhaulers that make up 75% of the work force are ex-union drivers that either were forced out or layed off so they have turned to these companies. The union needs to address this so to really save jobs and create new ones they need to organize these non-union drivers .Also Cassens and Allied and Cooper and Active need to help also by being transparent and putting out the real rates that are being rewarded to these non-union companies. They all are using two companies to run the business they get.{double breasting anyone}Fleet-car Fleetcar lease,URS-URS logistic Motor city Motor citylogistic etc,etc,.They get one rate and then cut it 30 % or better than pay the owner operater,independent contractor or driveranother rate. and then charge 20% or more.We all have to work together to change this around yelling and calling names is not going to help our situation.!Showing and proving to these non-union drivers and owner ops that they are being ripped off and lied to is the only way to change this and maybe put these ripp off companies and others out of business or at least get them on our side Please some one put the drivers first not the cronies and fat checks that some get for what I do not know.!! Thanks
Add new comment