October 15, 2009: In votes counted today, some 1,000 YRC dock workers again rejected the concession proposal, and by a larger margin than in August. The rejection among dock workers was by a vote of 486-242. The janitors rejected it by 9-2, and the office workers passed their contract by a vote of 59-46. A number of concerned Local 710 Teamsters, from the office and dock, showed up to observe the count. “We had a...

UPDATE October 16, 2009: Ed Rodzwicz has taken a leave of absence from his union post after being arrested for accepting a $20,000 bribe. BLET First Vice President Paul T. Sorrow will be the acting BLET President. Rodzwicz made $204,757 in salaries from the BLET and the IBT in 2008. October 14, 2009: Edward Rodzwicz, President of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen division of the IBT, was arrested on October 12 on charges...

October 9, 2009: Months after the government bailed out General Motors and Chrysler, some lawmakers are questioning tough contract demands by the two auto companies that union officials argue could lead to the replacement of hundreds of union carhaulers with nonunion drivers. Michigan lawmakers have raised the issue with GM CEO Fritz Henderson and Chrysler CEO Sergio Marchionne in letters during the past week, concerned that the automakers could reduce business with auto transport companies...

October 7, 2009: Some 1,140 Chicago Local 710 YRC Teamsters are voting again on concessions that they rejected, but we haven’t found any Teamster yet who regards the voting method as legitimate. In early August, Local 710 YRC Teamsters rejected the concessions, by a vote of 471-321 in the dock contract, 57-48 in the office contract, and 10-4 by the mechanics. The re-vote will be counted on Oct. 15. But will it be a real...

October 8, 2009: A U.S.-based shipping company is shutting down its operations in Edmonton Oct. 31 after its unionized employees refused to take cuts in their wages and benefits, says the company's Canadian president. "It's a tough economy and people have to realize this," said YRC Reimer Canadian president Clayton Gording. Click here to read more at the Edmonton Sun.

October 1, 2009: The next UPS National Grievance Panel will be held October 12-15 in San Diego. TDU is making the complete list of the cases to be heard at the panel available to concerned Teamster members. Excessive overtime (9.5 violations), the elimination of full-time combo jobs and subcontracting top the list of most common grievances. Click here to download the docket of cases to be heard by the UPS National Grievance Committee. 9.5 Violations...

September 29, 2009: YRC Worldwide Inc. is continuing to make moves to combat a weak economy, including reducing its nonunion work force and amending a credit agreement. The Overland Park-based trucking firm said Friday that it was making “workforce adjustments across the company in response to economic conditions affecting business volumes.” However, YRC did not disclose how many employees would be affected since the actions were ongoing. Click here to read more at Kansas City....

September 25, 2009: President Obama made a peculiar choice in June when he nominated Anne Ferro, a major trucking industry lobbyist in Maryland, to lead the agency that oversees truck safety. On its face, Ms. Ferro’s selection violates the spirit of Mr. Obama’s decision to limit the ability of lobbyists to enter government as high officials and influence policy from within. Click here to read more at The New York Times.

November 3, 2009: Are you ready to get involved to turn our union around? Get the tools you need at the TDU Convention. The workshops at the TDU Convention are taught by some of the best union leaders and experts around. Join us this Nov. 6-8 at the Cleveland Airport Sheraton for workshops on: Writing and Investigating Grievances Bargaining to Protect Jobs Legal Rights on the Job and in the Union Advanced Grievance Handling Preparing...

September 18, 2009: There’s been a little shake-up at Teamster headquarters. Whether it will mean anything positive for members remains to be seen. Leo Deaner, Hoffa’s Executive Assistant, and Todd Thompson, another Hoffa assistant, have been ousted and demoted to be field representatives. Thompson was also Hoffa’s Campaign Manager. Both Deaner and Thompson are known for arrogance in their relationship with members and Teamster officers. The move comes about after a group of International Vice...