Convoy 233 March 2006

Women on Front Lines of Early Teamster Reform

admin — Fri, 17 Mar 2006 16:09:01 -0600

Before TDU won the right for direct elections of delegates, women and minorities hardly ever made it to the floor of the Teamster Convention. The Right to Vote helped that situation.

Warehouse Workers Rally for Jobs in NYC

admin — Mon, 03 Apr 2006 17:01:34 -0500

March 2006: New York City Teamsters rallied on the steps of City Hall on March 5 to protest comments by the head of the city’s Economic Development Corporation (EDC) calling Teamster warehouse wo

Boston Movers Fight to Preserve Their Work

admin — Tue, 21 Mar 2006 16:03:09 -0600

Commercial movers in Boston Local 82 are used to battling the nonunion competition. But now there’s a new group trying to take their work: union Carpenters. The Carpenters have been threatening customers with slowdowns if they don’t get the moving work which has always been in the Teamsters’ jurisdiction. And the tactic’s been working. Now Local 82 members are fed up and fighting back. When movers from Walsh Moving Company showed up at a recent job at 100 Federal St. in Boston, they found Carpenters already unloading the trailers. They alerted their fellow Teamsters at another moving company, Casey and Hayes, and members came down and confronted the carpenters, snapping their pictures.

Gold Rush!

admin — Tue, 21 Mar 2006 15:44:13 -0600

Gold! Rumors of gold! It was said to be everywhere! According to Horace Greeley of the New York Tribune, “Fortune lies upon the surface of the earth as plentiful as the mud in our streets.”

So began the historic California Gold Rush of the late 1840s and 1850s. Most came away with nothing more than fool’s gold.

History repeats itself.

This time the promise of gold has hit UPS facilities in the form of a rogue group called APWA (The Association of Parcel Workers of America). This group intends to be a “UPS Only” union that promises equal or better pensions and better health coverage than what we currently have.

The Most Crucial Decision You Will Make as a Teamster

admin — Tue, 21 Mar 2006 15:34:45 -0600

March 16, 2006: This is a pivotal time for all of us. Perhaps the most crucial decision we will make as Teamsters is the choice we make in the upcoming election for General President of the IBT.

Leedham Hits Road, Gains Ground

admin — Tue, 21 Mar 2006 15:29:51 -0600

March 16, 2006: The winds of change are blowing in the Windy City, says Mark Day, a UPS driver in Chicago Local 705. “The members of my local are getting behind Tom Leedham.

Teamsters Serving Their Country Told They Can’t Serve Their Union

admin — Tue, 21 Mar 2006 15:18:33 -0600

Last October, when Local 25 Teamster Dave Vallone returned from 18 months of active duty with the Army Reserves, he looked forward to returning to work as a shop steward—and to running for delega

BLET President Hahs to Face Challenger in 2006 Election

admin — Tue, 21 Mar 2006 15:16:42 -0600

A high-level official of the Teamster Rail Conference’s Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen (BLET) announced that he will challenge President Don Hahs for leadership of the BLET. Tom Brennan served as the staff counsel for the national division for eight years, before suddenly resigning his position in early February.

“In my opinion, [Hahs’] views and decisions are adversely impacting the survival of our craft and organization,” Brennan wrote in his resignation letter. Since then, he has exercised his seniority on the Norfolk Southern. In his declaration of candidacy, he claims that the “business as usual” attitude of Hahs and past presidents has made the BLET weaker with respect to the carriers and to rival union UTU, even as the rail industry is reaping “record profits.”

Rail Workers Pressure Leaders To Fight Against One-Person Crews

admin — Tue, 21 Mar 2006 15:12:11 -0600

Imagine trains carrying toxic chemicals or nuclear waste through your town and across the wilderness. Now imagine that the train is operated by a lone employee working long hours. The first part is already reality. The part about a lone employee is the goal of the railroad employer group, the National Carriers’ Conference Committee (NCCC). All-Out Attack on Rail WorkersThe carriers first put out their plan to go to single-employee operations about 15 months ago, when they issued their bargaining demands to the Teamsters Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers & Trainmen (BLET) and the United Transportation Union (UTU).

No Reopener at DHL

admin — Tue, 21 Mar 2006 15:10:14 -0600

From coast to coast, DHL Teamsters feel the same way: Hoffa did the company’s bidding and didn’t even bother to consult the affected Teamsters.

Teamster History Quiz Answer Sheet

admin — Tue, 21 Mar 2006 14:59:04 -0600

1. How soon after the formation of the IBT did reformers challenge an incumbent president? Two years. A slate of reformers narrowly lost against Cornelius Shea in 1905.

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Dues Hike: Where Did the Money Go?

admin — Tue, 21 Mar 2006 14:48:22 -0600

March 16, 2006: It has been nearly four years since a special IBT Convention was held to raise dues from two hours pay to 2.5 hours pay.

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PR Won’t Organize UPS Freight

admin — Tue, 21 Mar 2006 14:41:41 -0600

Ever since UPS announced it would buy Overnite Transportation, the Hoffa administration has been promising to unveil a “comprehensive plan to both organize Overnite and win a good contract.” Teamster members and officers are still waiting. Nine months have passed. During that time, Hoffa has issued six press releases trumpeting plans, meetings, and the union’s “renewed commitment to organizing Overnite.” Last June, the IBT called Teamster leaders from every UPS local to Chicago for a national meeting where Overnite was to be at the top of the agenda. No organizing plans were announced at the meeting, and no plans have been put in motion since—just four more press releases.

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The Road Ahead Runs Through UPS Freight

admin — Tue, 21 Mar 2006 14:32:01 -0600

March 16, 2006: Have you seen the photo of Overnite’s new tractor trailers? The ones that say UPS Freight on them?

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Time to Organize UPS Freight

admin — Tue, 21 Mar 2006 14:25:22 -0600

Six months after buying Overnite Transportation, UPS unveiled its plan on Feb. 28 to change Overnite’s name to UPS Freight. The company’s equipment will sport a new logo that combines Overnite’s with the UPS brown. “Overnite Goes Brown” screamed the headlines in the trucking press. But this change is about a lot more than looks and a logo. The launching of UPS Freight is part of a long-term plan by UPS management to wed a nonunion freight company with its existing Teamster parcel delivery operations. The goal is to bring customers a “single-source provider for any transportation need,” says Overnite CEO Leo Suggs.

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Take the Teamster History Quiz

admin — Sat, 18 Mar 2006 14:54:33 -0600

1. How soon after the formation of the IBT did reformers challenge an incumbent president?
___Two years ___Twenty-eight years ___Fifty-four years ___Eighty-eight years

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Pension Cuts Take A Human Toll

admin — Wed, 15 Mar 2006 15:32:33 -0600

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.

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Freight, Carhaul Teamsters to Get Raise

admin — Thu, 09 Mar 2006 14:23:57 -0600

March 8, 2006. Freight and carhaul Teamsters will make less this year than last due to wages lost to inflation—despite COLA increases which will take affect next month.

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Wants Backpay for All

TDU — Wed, 01 Mar 2006 17:41:15 -0600

I filed a grievance demanding that the company pay “all affected workers” who had been denied holiday pay.

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