December 14, 2011: After decades of uncertainty over millions of dollars of potential pension withdrawal liability, Teamsters union-covered trucking companies in multi-employer pension plans finally have some tangible financial rays of hope.

November 7, 2011: The mid-2011 financial report on the Central States Pension Fund is now available from Teamsters for a Democratic Union. The report, prepared by the Fund’s Independent Special Counsel, shows that Central States has to make 11 percent return on investments to keep from going backward.

September 20, 2011: Gary Skarka had a rewarding middle-management career at AT&T, along with some of the best retirement benefits in the country.

June 2, 2011: YRC Worldwide Inc., Overland Park, Kan., on Wednesday resumed making contributions to its union pension plans after a 23-month hiatus, but the contributions are 75% less than they had been.

May 20, 2011: Thousands of YRC Teamsters have questions about the future of their benefits.

May 5, 2011: The new UPS-IBT Pension Plan, which covers UPS full-timers in 25 states, was only 60.7% funded as of 2010, according to its Annual Funding Notice and its Annual Report.

March 25, 2011: Central States is totally eliminating early retirement for YRC Teamsters and dropping them into the rock bottom plan.

March 11, 2011: The Central States Pension Fund’s Financial and Analytical Report for 2010 reveals that the fund is in just about the same shape as a year ago, with assets of $19.9 billion.

January 24, 2011: Wall Street greed and the corporate attack on unions has triggered a crisis in our pensions.

January 24, 2011: The Central States Pension Fund will totally eliminate retirement before age 57, effective July 1.

February 1, 2011: Can a new plan with a blank slate help organize new members into our pensions?

January 20, 2011: The Central States Pension Fund will totally eliminate retirement before age 57, effective July 1.

December 28, 2010: Washington is panicking over the national debt.

January 3, 2011: In early December, a bill was introduced in Congress that will escalate the attack on public employee pensions.

December 20, 2010: Freight Teamsters have gotten little but bad news from their employers and from the Hoffa administration.

December 20, 2010: YRC Teamsters were asked to vote for massive concessions for nearly five years, and were offered one benefit: resumption of pension credits, at a smaller contribution rate.

January 18, 2011: We Would Never Do That, Swore Hoffa and Hall.

November 10, 2010: Expanding retirement plan coverage most likely will take a back seat to reducing budget deficits when control of the House shifts to the Republican Party in January 2011, Hill watchers told BNA in interviews leading up to and after the election.

October 7, 2010: Central States, Southeast & Southwest Areas Pension Fund, Rosemont, Ill., hired Mellon Capital Management to run $926 million in an MSCI EAFE index find, according to a filing in U.S. District Court in Chicago.

September 28, 2010: The Central States Pension Fund had $18 billion in assets as of June 30, 2010, according to their quarterly Financial and Analytical Report, which Teamsters for a Democratic Union obtained in late August.

October 15, 2010: Hoffa is up for re-election next year. And he’s got to know he’s got a tough battle ahead.

September 17, 2010: The Central States Pension Fund had $18 billion in assets as of June 30, 2010, according to their quarterly Financial and Analytical Report.

We need your help! As part of Retirement USA’s “Wake Up, Washington!" Month, the Pension Rights Center is looking for stories from individuals who have concerns about their retirement security. Tell us your story!

September 3, 2010: Teamster leader Sandy Pope talks about the challenges facing working Teamsters and the labor movement in GritTV’s Labor Day feature.

August 20, 2010: The New England is our union’s third largest fund.

Where it stands and what it will take to protect our pensions and rebuild union power.

August 13, 2010: Are you worried about the future of your pension, and want answers? You’re not alone.

July 1, 2010: Teamster members are paying a high price for the pension concessions negotiated by the Hoffa administration.

July 1, 2010: Hoffa let UPS pull out of the Central States and gave UPS Freight a free pass on paying Teamster benefits.

Now Teamster members are paying the price.

UPDATED July 1, 2010

The New UPS Pension Plan
$2,500 25-at-57
$3,000 30-and-out

The accrual rises to just $158.50 by the end of the contract.

July 1, 2010: The biggest factor at the present time in the pension divide is the threat to the pensions earned by Teamsters at YRC—our union’s largest employer of freight Teamsters, and the la

July 1, 2010: A bill that could provide help to troubled pension plans is now stalled in the U.S. Senate, but it could still move forward this year, with a push from below.

July 1, 2010: The New York State Teamsters Pension Plan will end 25-and-out and 30-and-out benefits at the end of the year, due to the fact that the plan is underfunded and in the “red zone.”

June 15, 2010: The New York State Teamsters Pension Plan will end 25-and-out and 30-and-out benefits at the end of the year, due to the fact that the plan is underfunded and in the “red zone.”

June 8, 2010: Millions of newly laid-off workers and very low-income people may lose health coverage because key federal safety net assistance was not extended in the recent jobs bill, according to a report released today by the consumer health organization Families USA.

June 2, 2010: Goldman Sachs has resigned from its fiduciary position of managing several billion dollars of investments for the Central States Pension Fund.

June 1, 2010: The Teamsters union’s Central States pension fund faces insolvency within 10 to 15 years unless Congress acts to stabilize the fund, its executive director said this week.

June 1, 2010: Retirees in multiemployer pension plans whose former companies failed shouldn't be penalized by pension reform, a pension expert said at a Senate hearing yesterday.

June 1, 2010: The union and YRC are in talks to let the company re-enter Teamster pension funds at greatly reduced rates.

May 5, 2010: As required under the Pension Protection Act (PPA), Central States has mailed an Annual Notice regarding the plan’s funding status.

April 9, 2010: Baltimore Teamsters have suffered some of the worst pension cuts in the country.

April 2, 2010: Pension legislation that could help Teamsters, or hurt us, has been proposed in both the House and Senate.

April 2, 2010: Pension legislation that could help Teamsters, or hurt us, has been proposed in both the House and Senate.

April 2, 2010: Amid all the debate on health care, many Teamsters are asking a nitty-gritty question—how will this affect my Teamster health coverage?

March 8, 2010: Teamsters can take a small step to protect our pensions.

The International Union has started an online petition to build up support for legislation to strengthen multi-employer pension plans.

February 26, 2010: YRC Teamsters—except in Chicago Local 710—have approved concessions that terminate participation in our pension plans until the end of this year, but resume on January 1.

February 26, 2010: The Teamsters and YRCW are working together to support proposed pension legislation that would help both the company and union pension plans.

February 17, 2010: As part of its drastic cost cuts in 2009, YRC Worldwide reached an agreement that allowed it to suspend monthly payments into its union pension plans.

February 15, 2010: United Parcel Service of America Inc.

January 19, 2010: A proposal in Congress would allow the creation of a commission that could sidestep the legislative process and make cuts to Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, and other programs.

December 22, 2009: UPS Teamsters in the former Central States have more questions than answers about the new UPS pension plan.

October 21, 2009: Nobody wants to admit it, but the next casualty of the Wall Street meltdown will probably be your golden years.

September 18, 2009. The Central Pennsylvania Teamster Health and Welfare Fund just announced benefit cuts that apply to YRC, Holland and New Penn Teamsters, due to the lower employer payments in the YRCW concession agreement.

September 15, 2009: The trustees of the New York State Teamsters Conference Pension and Retirement Fund filed a lawsuit Sept. 10 against Ivy Asset Management Corp.

September 11, 2009: Baltimore pension trustees have made drastic cuts to early retirement benefits for freight and carhaul Teamsters.

August 24, 2009: A review of the second quarter Financial and Analytical Report of the Central States Pension Fund shows that its assets are up, but that the Fund has lost 105,000 participants since Hoffa took office.

August 3, 2009: Employer demands for pay cuts and for employees to pay part of health premiums are pretty common these days, but we don’t expect them from the top officers of our union.

July 30, 2009: Employer demands for pay cuts and for employees to pay part of health premiums are pretty common these days, but we don’t expect them from the top officers of our union.

July 29, 2009: The proposed temporary withdrawal by YRC from all Teamster pension funds could have a serious impact on some Teamsters in the West.

July 24, 2009: ANAHEIM, Calif.—Most employers' defined benefit pension plans are in trouble and need government help, C. Thomas Keegel, general secretary-treasurer of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters said July 22.

July 21, 2009: Thousands of Teamsters are laid off or working less than full time. Now some 50,000 working and laid-off Teamsters at YRC are voting on an economic relief deal that would take them out of the Teamster pension plans for the next 18 months.

July 6, 2009: YRC Worldwide Inc. is set to resume face-to-face negotiations with its union on Wednesday as the two seek a way to help YRC maintain sufficient cash to continue operating.

July 6, 2009: More than two-thirds (68 percent) of calendar year multiemployer plans with funding problems severe enough to warrant their being in critical status—

July 6, 2009: The IBT and YRC will continue talks on Wednesday, July 8, when they consider a proposal to temporarily terminate YRC participation in Teamster pension plans for about 14 months.

June 22, 2009: The International Union is in talks with YRC with a proposal to defer employer pension contributions for 14 months. The aim is to help restore the company’s profitability.

June 22, 2009: YRC Worldwide Inc. may get more leeway from its major union, which would provide more operating cash.

June 19, 2009: Hundreds of freight Teamsters have contacted TDU during the YRC concession crisis.

June 18, 2009. The International Union is proposing that the national contract with YRC be amended to defer pension contributions for some 14 months, which would allow nearly $500 million in savings to the carrier.

June 18, 2009: CEO Zollars said of the U.S. economy that "it looks like things have stabilized," but added that a return to growth was not likely this year.

June 12, 2009: The International Union has called national meetings for June 17-18 to discuss further concessions to YRC.

June 8, 2009: YRC has been terminated from participation in the Teamster pension fund in the West, effective June 10. At the same time, the Hoffa administration is planning to re-open the national contract.

May 22, 2009: YRCW plans to put up real estate instead of pension contributions.

There’s no deal yet.

May 22, 2009: Most members covered by Teamster pension plans recently received an Annual Funding Notice in the mail, and some of those letters have been pretty scary.

May 22, 2009: “This [real estate in lieu of pension payments] approach would have no effect on pension benefits for employees.”
— Bill Zollars, April 14, 2009

May 22, 2009: Harrisburg Local 776 has called for the International Union to enforce the national freight contract regarding pensions for YRC Teamsters.

May 18, 2009: The Central Pennsylvania Teamsters Pension Fund has frozen new pension accruals for YRCW participants from June 1 until the end of 2009.

May 15, 2009: YRC announced they will apply for federal bailout money, possibly as soon as today, citing their pension costs as a factor.

May 6, 2009: In 2008, the Baltimore Local 355 Pension Fund dropped over $100 million—but a new law will let the fund stay in the Green Zone for one more year.

April 30, 2009: The Central States Pension Fund has convened a “Pension Fund Review Committee” to analyze information and to advise funds regarding YRC’s proposal to put up real estate as collateral while deferring payment of pension moneys to the funds until 2010.

April 22, 2009: YRC’s plan to defer making contractually-required payments on behalf of their employees to Teamster pension funds is moving forward.

April 20, 2009. YRC today announced that its major banks, including J. P. Morgan, agreed to allow the company to use real estate as collateral and defer making payments to Teamster pension funds.

April 15, 2009: YRCW has issued a corrected memo backing off their claim that our union has agreed to a plan that would use real estate as collateral to Teamster pension funds to defer making pension contributions.

April 10, 2009: As the one Teamster carrier that has done some hiring, UPS Freight has attracted some experienced Teamster drivers.

April 10, 2009: YRCW has contacted some Teamster pension funds asking to defer for several months the company’s payment of pension contributions for Teamsters.

May 1, 2009: If you are a UPS Teamster in the West or the East, then the problems in the Central States Pension Fund won’t affect you, right? Wrong.

April 10, 2009: The Local 804 Health Fund has lost another $1.9 million in assets, according to documents obtained by 804 Members United.

April 10, 2009: On April 9, a federal judge ordered UPS to reverse increases in retirees' healthcare payments in Chicago.

March 31, 2009: The 2008 Financial and Analytical Report on the Central States Pension Fund is finally out, and it’s not pretty.

The Central States Health and Welfare Fund has increased the cost for Teamsters who retire under age 60, and decreased it for those who retire after age 60.

February 13, 2009: Last month UPS dramatically raised the cost of retiree healthcare. Now UPS will have to explain their actions before a judge.

January 30, 2009: Chicago Local 705 UPS retirees are mad as hell, and they’re doing something about it.

January 6, 2009: In December, Congress passed a new law to help multi-employer pension plans ride out the financial crisis.

December 11, 2008: The Central States Pension Fund has lost $9.8 billion in assets during 2008, according to a report from CSPF Director Thomas Nyhan.

TDU has obtained the text of a memo from Thomas Nyhan about the effects of the fall in the financial markets and the status of the Central States pension fund.

December 4, 2008: John Moore is fighting to keep his company afloat.

November 19, 2008: The Central States Pension Fund suffered a loss of $2.6 billion in assets during the third quarter of 2008, according to fund documents obtained by TDU.

November 14, 2008: The Western Conference of Teamsters Pension Fund has cut the pension accrual rate, effective Jan. 1, 2009, to 1.2 percent of employer contributions.

November 3, 2008: The market turmoil of recent weeks has been brutal to 401(k)s.

October 3, 2008: Fred Zuckerman and the Carhaul Division are up to their tricks again, as they try to threaten Teamster members to vote Yes on the second offer.

October 1, 2008: Ending a strike that began Aug. 26, members of International Brotherhood of Teamsters Local 200 at Waste Management Inc. in the Milwaukee area Sept.

September 29, 2008: Striking Teamsters voted Sunday to accept a new labor agreement and return to work as soon as Wednesday.

September 26, 2008: As Congress makes plans to bail out the financial crisis on Wall Street, our union is asking for help for our pension funds.

September 22, 2008: For the second time in three days, members of striking Teamsters Local 200 rejected a contract offer from Waste Management.

September 19, 2008: Striking Milwaukee Teamsters today unanimously rejected Waste Management’s proposal to replace their pension plan with a 401(k).

September 19, 2008: As we go to press in mid-September, over 200 Teamsters in Milwaukee are in their fourth week of a strike at Waste Management.

September 19, 2008: When Consolidated Freightways closed its doors in 2002, the company owed over $400 million in withdrawal liability to Teamster pension funds.

September 19, 2008: The new UPS Pension Fund covering 44,000 Teamsters in the Central States not only offers the lowest benefits; it also has no reciprocal agreements with Teamster pension plans ar

September 19, 2008: The Central States Pension Fund lost $3.1 billion during the first six months of this year, which is half as much as the $6.1 billion that the fund received in December from UPS

September 12, 2008: The leaders of Teamsters Local 200 said Thursday that they have made no decision yet on whether to take Waste Management Inc.’s “last, best and final offer” to union membe

September 5, 2008: Teamster pensions are under attack. But members are coming together to protect their retirement.

September 2, 2008: Over 200 Teamster strikers in Milwaukee are solid in their commitment to protect their pensions and standard of living, as Waste Management tries to attack both.

August 29, 2008: Last October, Local 355 President Denis Taylor told Baltimore UPSers he was “taking care” of their pension problems.

August 29, 2008: Some 240 Teamsters went on strike on August 26 against Waste Management in the Milwaukee area.

August 26, 2008: Some corporate executives are paying for their lavish benefits with money from their employees' pension funds.

August 21, 2008: The Central States Pension Fund lost $3.1 billion in assets during the first six months of this year—half the $6.1 billion UPS paid to leave the fund in December.

August 19, 2008: The new UPS Pension Fund covering 44,000 Teamsters in the Central States not only offers the lowest benefits.

August 6, 2008: Ever since the Baltimore Local 355 fund cut the pension accrual rate to zero, members have been asking why the cuts happened, and what the local is doing to restore the cuts.

August 11, 2008: In the ‘90s, TDU built a nationwide movement to get pension improvements.

July 16, 2008: Ever since the Baltimore Local 355 fund cut the pension accrual rate was cut to zero, members have been asking for answers.

June 20, 2008: A pension attorney representing Local 804 members has warned trustees at the Local 804 Pension Fund that they are in violation of federal law for refusing to comply with members’ r

June 14, 2008: Local 355 Teamsters came from UPS, U.S. Foods, Sysco, Giant, and DHL on Sunday, June 8 to discuss the pension freeze in the Local 355 fund.

May 16, 2008: The Central States Pension Fund plans to extend the 2002 pension cuts until approximately 2028, according to plan documents obtained by Teamsters for a Democratic Union (TDU).

May 1, 2008: Two months after their fund froze working members’ pension accrual, the movement to protect Teamster pensions is growing in Baltimore Local 355.

April 17, 2008: Teamsters for a Democratic Union is a movement of Teamsters who want to make our union stronger and more accountable to working and retired Teamsters.

April 9, 2008: After two months of demanding more information about the pension cuts in Local 355, members are finally getting some answers.

March 27, 2008: How many times have officials in the Hoffa administration sold a contract by promising—in writing—that Teamster pensions will be “maintained and possibly improved,” only to

April 18, 2008: “‘Red Zone’—Why it is better than the ‘Yellow Zone’”: That’s the surprising headline that appeared in a newsletter issued by the Central States Fund in March.

March 27, 2008: Teamsters in New York Local 804 will vote this month on bylaws changes that will put more pension and contract information in the hands of the membership.

March 14, 2008: Trustees in the Maryland Local 355 Pension Fund have cut the fund’s annual accrual rate down to zero.

January 30, 2008: UPS reported a quarterly loss on Wednesday due to its $6.1 billion one-time payment to the Central States Pension fund.

January 22, 2008: As of January 1, Teamsters in pension plans have new, expanded rights to obtain information from their pension fund.

January 10, 2008: Many Teamster pension funds have shifted their benefit structure to one based on an annual accrual, or multiplier.

December 26, 2007: The trucking industry association is bragging about new concessions in the tentative deal at Yellow/Roadway.

December 5, 2007: The removal of 44,000 UPS full-time Teamsters from Central States opens the door to lower pensions for all Teamsters down the road—not just in the Central States.

December 5, 2007: This is the second part of our series on the impact of the Pension Protection Act (PPA), which takes effect on January 1, 2008.

December 5, 2007: The Western Conference of Teamsters Pension Fund, which covers most Teamsters in the Western Region, is ending cuts in pension accruals that were imposed in July 2003.

October 25, 2007: The Pension Rights Center is honoring Frank Bryant for his efforts to fight anti-worker pension legislation and stop UPS's Central States pension grab.

October 17, 2007: The Freight Division is taking two very different strategies from others in the Hoffa administration.

October 17, 2007: The proposed tentative agreement would pull 44,000 full-timers out of the Central States Pension Plan and put them into a new UPS Plan.

October 17, 2007: Management and some union officials are selling the UPS Pension Plan in the Central States areas on the basis that it offers unreduced 25- and 30-and-out benefits of $2,000 and $3

October 17, 2007: Rumors are flying about the Pension Protection Act, the pension legislation that starts to take effect on Jan. 1.

UPS and some Teamster officials are spreading rumors about new pension legislation and our contract. Get the bulletin at MakeUPSDeliver.org.

October 5, 2007: From the BNA Daily Labor Report: Officers and members of a local Teamsters union must arbitrate with United Parcel Service of America Inc.

October 1, 2007: United Parcel Service Inc.'s five-year tentative contract agreement with the Teamsters will allow it to pay $6.1 billion to gain greater control of some pensions and will provi

September 29, 2007: United Parcel Service Inc. and the Teamsters union are closing in on a labor agreement that would restructure and possibly lower the company's pension obligations.

August 31, 2007: Chief negotiators James Hoffa and Ken Hall announced today they will let UPS break out of the Central States Pension Fund in an early deal to be inked by October.

Hoffa Announces He Will Cut Central States Deal

August 23, 2007: “It is the Teamsters’ pension—and particularly the multi-employer plan—that gives the union much of its draw and power, industry observers say.” —Traffic World Magaz

August 23, 2007: If UPS or ABF or any other corporation says they will do better than a $3,000 pension at 30 years, keep in mind that with the increased funding, that’s not hard to do.

August 23, 2007: Sometimes, your vote is your voice. But on the issue of splitting UPS from the Central States Pension Fund, you won’t get a vote, unless you work at UPS.

August 20, 2007: Industry experts say that pension assets are up, but our union’s power will be down if UPS is allowed to break out of Central States.

August 13, 2007: The assets of the Central States Pension Fund have jumped $700 million in the first six months of this year, reaching $21.4 billion, and could reach $22 billion by the end of 2007.

August 3, 2007: by Thomas L.

July 18, 2007: Some defenders of management’s pension proposal claim that a $4 billion withdrawal liability payment from UPS would fix Central States and safeguard members’ benefits.

June 28, 2007: At a press conference today, Senator Tom Harkin (D-Iowa) introduced the Restoring Pension Promises to Workers Act of 2007, which contains a number of provisions “to help ensure Ame

June 26, 2007: Logistics Management says there is good news for shippers in our union's current round of bargaining with UPS, and in the upcoming NMFA negotiations.

June 18, 2007: By John Gallagher, for Traffic World - Pension benefits are in play as never before in the current round of negotiations between UPS and the International Brotherhood of Teamsters,

June 8, 2007: UPS management has been trying to win control over our pensions for years.

June 8, 2007: As negotiators for UPS and our union square off over the pension issue, members in the Eastern Region’s two largest UPS locals want to know whether early bargaining will deliver a r

“That fund is not 100 percent funded. When that fund gets to 100 percent based on their rules, they’ll do the right thing.”

UPS has put an offer on the bargaining table to take 42,000 UPS Teamsters out of the Central States Fund. The CEO of ABF just announced he wants to pull out of all Teamster benefit plans.

May 16, 2007: Jim Hoffa and Ken Hall promised that early negotiations would send a message to every Teamster employer not to mess with our pension funds.

May 11, 2007: “We believe there is an opportunity in this negotiating cycle to withdraw from some or all of these [Teamster pension plans] and provide benefits directly

May 11, 2007: by John Gallagher in Traffic World Online --Arkansas Best Corp.

May 9, 2007: Teamsters in the Central States were told that the 2002 “Best Contract Ever” would protect our benefits for the life of the contract.

April 2, 2007: UPS’s $4 billion profits and new pension fund rules mean the company will pay record contributions toward our benefits in the 2008 contract.

April 2, 2007: Assets at the Western Conference of Teamsters (WCT) Pension Trust now top $29 billion and the trust is 100 percent fully funded.

April 2, 2007: Healthcare costs are skyrocketing, putting union members on the defensive at the bargaining table.

April 2, 2007: The 2008 UPS and Freight contracts are our chance to win the contributions we need to protect and increase our benefits.

April 2, 2007: President James Hoffa has been briefed by the different Teamster benefit funds on what we need to win in the UPS and freight contracts to increase our benefits.

February 27, 2007: While most Teamster pension plans have some type of “re-employment rule” that prohibits retirees from drawing a pension while performing certain work, the biggest problems wi

February 27, 2007: The Central States Pension Fund has invested $54 million in Wal-Mart, a notorious union-buster.

January 26, 2007: These contract improvements would restore and strengthen our pensions:

January 26, 2007: First UPS demanded benefit cuts in out major Teamster pension plans.Now, management is trying to convince us that they have the solution to our pension problems.With our pension a

December 5, 2006: When is an increase actually a cut? Teamsters in the Western Conference Fund are finding out the hard way.

December 5, 2006: While Hoffa can boast of a 65 percent winning margin overall in the IBT election, he would be well advised to look at the big groups of Teamsters who voted for a change of directi

October 18, 2006: For years the Central Pennsylvania Teamsters Fund was plagued with questionable administration and benefits inferior to many other Teamster Funds.

October 18, 2006: The misnamed “Pension Protection Act” of 2006 will go into effect in 2008. Here we provide a summary of some of its impact on Teamsters.

October 18, 2006: It’s up to Teamster members to lead the fight for pension justice.

UPS won critical new leverage in their campaign to take over our pension funds when the House and Senate passed the misnamed Pension Protection Act.

July 17, 2006: The big health care cuts that the Hoffa administration just slapped on Michigan freight Teamsters will spread to freight, UPS and carhaul Teamsters throughout the Central and Souther

July 17, 2006: In May, a delegation of Teamster local officers and members, some of them pictured above, converged on Washington to meet with Congressional reps about dangers for Teamsters in pendi

July 17, 2006: Effective August 1, all Michigan cartage Teamsters covered by the NMFA will have major cuts in medical coverage, as a result of moneys diverted from their fund to the Central S

June 6, 2005: Teamsters covered under the Western Conference of Teamsters Pension Trust received a statement in May detailing how much benefit they earned in 2004.

March 16, 2006: The key senators to contact about the dangerous Red Zone Amendment are the ranking members of the Senate Health Education Labor and Pensions Committee, Edward Kennedy (D-MA) and Mike E

Teamster members are taking action now to protect our pensions from dangerous proposed legislation that makes it easier for multi-employer plans to cut retirement benefits.

The Western Conference Pension Fund has announced a big cut in pension accruals, effective July 1.

The pension justice movement has won an important victory for UPS Teamsters in the Central States Pension Fund.

September 15, 2005: The federal Court of Appeals in Chicago ruled on Sept. 8 against Teamster retirees who were fighting to broaden their right to work to supplement their Central States pension.

March 16, 2006: When the Central States Pension Fund trustees, led by chairman Fred Gegare, made drastic cuts two years ago, Teamsters knew their futures were not as secure as they once assumed.

December 6, 2005: Teamster and employer trustees of the Central States Funds agreed to changes in benefits to keep the overburdened multi-employer pension fund from collapsing, a Teamsters faction rep

December 5, 2005: For nearly a year, the Hoffa administration has been lobbying for legislation that would allow Teamster benefit plans to cut members’ previously guaranteed pension benef

December 5, 2005: Employers across North America are attacking the pension and medical benefits of working Americans.

December 5, 2005: Hoffa’s PR Man dismisses the impact of the trustees’ actions: “Leebove said the changes at Central States and other pension funds should not be looked at as benefit cuts, since

December 5, 2005: In November, the Senate passed a version of pension reform that did not include provisions for cutting accrued benefits.

December 1, 2005: The Union Trustees of the Central States Pension Fund have announced an agreement with employers and the IRS that will lock the 2003 pension cuts in place for years to come.

November 1, 2005:When employer and union trustees colluded to cut their pensions, Teamster members in New York Local 805 fought back.

October 18, 2005: Pension reform legislation was approved by the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee in early September and appeared to be on a fast track.

September 15, 2005: Fighting pension cuts can make a difference.

September 15, 2005: The fight for pension justice has focused on the U.S.

August 28, 2005: The current debate in Congress over pension “reform” tends to leave out the most important issues: protection of pension benefits for families, and protection of our pension syste

August 28, 2005: The recently announced pension cuts in New England went over like a Yankees victory in Fenway Park.

August 28, 2005: TDU member Frank Bryant wrote to tell us, “As you advised in your article ‘Taking Action to Protect Your Pension’ in the July/August issue of Convoy Dispatch, a group of my Rank

July 27, 2005: The Union Trustees on the New England Teamsters Pension Fund have agreed to new pension restrictions—including eliminating 25-and-out and 30-and-out pensions before age 57.

July 27, 2005: Teamsters in New England reacted angrily when the New England Pension Fund announced new benefit restrictions—including eliminating 25-and-out and 30-and-out pensions before age 57.

July 27, 2005: On June 29, a congressional committee passed a pension bill that would endanger Teamster pensions by making it easier for multi-employer plans to cut retirement benefits.

June 6, 2005:It's no secret that United Parcel Service wants to pull all their employees out of Teamster pension funds.

May 4, 2005: Members of Local 407 received the letter below from their local. It’s a short summary of information provided to the local by the Central States Pension Fund.

April 29, 2005: The recently announced pension cuts in New England went over like a Yankees victory in Fenway Park.

February 17, 2005: Boston Local 25 President Ritchie Reardon told Joint Council 10 that the IBT Parcel Division approved a mid-contract giveback to UPS that violates language in the New England sup

January 28, 2005: On December 9 Judge James B Moran directed the trustees of the Teamster Central States Pension Fund to turn more documents over to participants in th

November 15, 2004: In the 1960's and 1970's, the Teamsters' huge Central States pension fund was a wellspring of union corruption.

November 4, 2004: Teamster members have been pushing for trustees to protect pension benefits, and to win higher employer contributions to make up for the stock market downfall following September

February 28, 2003: “I’m planning to retire in three years.

February 27,2003: In the Western Conference Pension Plan, each year you work, and your employer makes contributions to the plan, your pension benefit grows.

November 5, 2002: The Central States Pension Fund, in a bulletin to all local unions dated November 2002, has finally made a comment on the sudden remo

July 15, 2002: The pressure is on!

July 15, 2002: Many Teamsters rely on their pension benefits to provide for a secure retire

April 30, 2002: The latest wrinkle in the fight to salvage decent pensions from the troubled Central Pennsylvania Pension Fund is a proposed merger with t