A crowd of over 500 Teamsters and retirees in Kansas City yesterday listened intently as Karen Friedman, Policy Director of the Pension Rights Center, told them “we must escalate our efforts to protect our pensions.“

Standing before 300 active and retired Teamsters at a meeting of the Cincinnati Area Teamsters Retiree Club, Bill Lichtenwald – Central States Fund Trustee -- stated he would put a motion forward at the next Central States Trustees meeting to withdraw the Plan Reduction submitted to the Treasury Department and allow for another year before putting forward any new proposal. 

The IBT Freight Division has given the green light to YRC to install front-facing cameras in all tractors to record events such as swerves, speeding, and hard braking. YRC has agreed to not use the recordings for discipline; only to “protect” drivers.

Member and retiree comments to the US Treasury Department on the Central States Pension Fund application to slash pensions are due by midnight tonight.

On December 1, ARCBest proudly announced the $26 million acquisition of Bear Transportation Services, a logistics nonunion operation. This is in line with ARCBest management’s plan of moving from LTL to nonunion logistics companies as a primary focus and revenue source.  

TDU members and other reform Teamsters have taken the issues to Teamster Conventions for nearly 40 years – and won major gains for all Teamster members. This ten-minute video shows reformers speaking “truth to power” from 1981 through 2006 (when the video was produced).  

Does your employer have a sweet deal with a doctor, hospital, or laboratory? Many do. The employer pumps workers in for drug or alcohol tests—some chosen “randomly,” some after an inconsequential accident, and others after a “reasonable suspicion” appraisal by a spiteful supervisor.

Teamsters for a Democratic Union wishes all Teamster brothers and sisters and their families a Happy Thanksgiving. Here's what we're especially thankful for this year.

Retired and active Teamsters: Make your voices heard on pension cuts, when Ken Feinberg, Special Master to the Treasury Department, visits Columbus, Ohio on Tuesday, December 8.