February 27, 2007: A group of UPS workers, with encouragement from management, is attempting to oust the Teamsters Union on a national scale. This outfit, the American Parcel Workers Association, is a wrong turn down a blind alley for Teamsters who want positive change. The APWA leaders spread UPS corporate propaganda on our pensions. Check www.MakeUPSDeliver.org for the facts on this matter. The APWA advocates an anti-union “right to work state” posture, insisting that UPS...

February 26, 2007: In this report, Stephens Inc., an investment banking firm, looks at the effect the Bush administration's new policy on Mexico-domiciled trucks will have on truckload carriers in the US. Read the report.

February 27, 2007: The Central States Pension Fund has invested $54 million in Wal-Mart, a notorious union-buster. According to financial documents released by Central States, the fund owns $34.8 million in Wal-Mart stock and another $10.9 million in Wal-Mart bonds. Since Central States invested in Wal-Mart, the fund has lost over $1.8 million on the stocks and $1 million on the bonds. Central States also owns $8.8 million in Wal-Mart de Mexico. This stock has...

Teamster employers have many ways to wring greater production out of workers. United Parcel Service and grocery warehousing both have high levels of productivity demands. Many of these suggestions for dealing with production harassment will apply to any workplace. 1. Beef up contract enforcement overall. Production harassment can flourish when management is given free rein. Members may feel they have to give in to pressure because the union is weak. An ongoing campaign of contract...

Using your union’s legal right to acquire information from the employer can help you defend your rights and win grievances and arbitrations. This right is established by the National Labor Relations Act. Unfortunately, many members don’t know about this right, and many union representatives don’t use it unless members specifically ask them to. This article outlines some of the basics of the right to information and how to use it. You will need more detailed...

A study by TDU of truck safety whistleblower cases shows that a member awareness campaign by the Teamsters Union could drastically boost the number of complaints filed, and won, by drivers. This could mean many lives and many Teamsters jobs saved. Section 31105 of the Surface Transportation Assistance Act (STAA) protects drivers (and some other motor carrier employees, such as mechanics) from retaliation over reporting truck safety problems. OSHA is charged with the power to...

Are the finances of the International Union in order? Is there a balanced budget? Is more money going into organizing or into multiple salaries? TDU, with the aid of financial experts, has reviewed a number of documents including the “Officers’ Report” produced for theIBT Convention, LM-2 financial reports on file with the Department of Labor, and audited financial statements of the International Union. This research has shown that James Hoffa is playing politics with the...

January 26, 2007: In 2002 UPS made record after tax profits of $2.4 billion, the most of any transport corporation in the world. That was when the “Best Contract Ever” was signed between Hoffa and management. But by 2005 those after-tax profits jumped 62 percent to $3.9 billion, and in 2006, UPS’s after-tax profit exceeded $4 billion for the first time ever. An increase of over 70 percent during this contract in profits. During that...

January 26, 2007: These contract improvements would restore and strengthen our pensions: Higher Contributions. UPS is making record profits (more than $4 billion in after-tax profits last year alone). More of that money needs to go to financing a secure retirement for the Teamsters who make this company run. Include UPS Part-Timers in All Teamster Pension Funds. Part-timers are not included in Teamster pension plans in the Central States and in much of the East....

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 and retiree health benefits at stake, it's ciritical that working Teamsters get the facts. Fact: UPS’s Plan Would Mean a Smaller Pension UPS management wants us to believe that the company would deliver better retirement benefits. In fact, management’s own figures show that UPS...