St Louis: IRB Charges St. Louis Bad Apple
July 24, 2014: The Independent Review Board (IRB) has brought serious charges against Timothy Ryan, a former construction industry union rep for employer payoffs, diverting jobs to his friends, and conducting a bogus contract vote. Fortunately, Ryan is no longer a union rep, as his activities were exposed within the union. The IRB charges and report are available here. Ryan served as the construction industry BA starting in 2009, until he was fired in...
Historic 1934 Minneapolis Teamster Strike Commemorated
July 24, 2014: A series of events – a march, rally, concert, and picnic – were held July 19-20 to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the historic 1934 Minneapolis Teamster strike. Hundreds of people turned out to honor this historic labor victory. Picnic goers heard speakers who talked about current labor struggles and organizing drives. The program was chaired by TDU activist and Local 120 retiree Bob McNattin as well as SEIU member Linda Leighton –...
Review Board Charges Pat Flynn with Embezzlement
July 3, 2014: Chicago Local 710 secretary treasurer Pat Flynn has been charged by the Independent Review Board (IRB) with embezzling $58,000 in visa gift cards, violating his fiduciary duty, and exposing the local to legal liability in a cover-up. Flynn was paid $482,543 by Local 710 members’ dues in 2013, plus an additional $44,900 in deferred income, making him the highest paid of all Teamster’ fat cats. The 105-page investigative report and recommended charges...
YRC Freight Proposed Change of Operations
UPDATED June 26, 2014: YRC Freight has submitted a proposed change of operations to the IBT which would re-open distribution centers in Memphis and Houston, and reclassify Seattle as a distribution center. The change will be heard on July 23, and the company wants implementation on August 17. One effect of this change would be to allow the use of purchased transportation in and out of these three terminals. 119 dock, switcher, road, mechanic, and...
Central States Fund: $18.7 Billion
June 20, 2014: The overdue year-end 2013 report on the Central States Pension Fund shows that it grew by $1 billion to $18.7 billion on the rising stock market. However the report stresses the fund trustees’ goal of changing federal law to allow them to cut the pensions of current retirees, and active Teamsters with earned vested pensions. The Teamster officials who are trustees are at odds with the official position of the International Union,...
ABF Road Driver Bret Subsits: 'Supporting Hoffa was The Biggest Mistake of My Life'
June 13, 2014: Bret Subsits is an ABF road driver in Local 710, a truck driver for over 30 years, formerly in Chicago locals 703 and 705. Bret was a Hoffa supporter in 1996 and 1998. He says that was “the biggest mistake of my life.” He’s been active in fighting back against concessions, and wants to rebuild Teamster power in trucking. What's the situation in trucking like right now? “I see...
80th Anniversary Celebrates Historic '34 Teamster Strike
June 13, 2014: Eighty years ago, in a defining moment for the American labor movement, the Teamsters Union defeated employers in a titanic truck strike in Minneapolis. It made Minneapolis a union town, spurred over-the-road organizing across the Midwest and paved the way for the Teamsters to become a powerhouse international union. The strike will be celebrated in Minneapolis in July with two events: A street festival on Saturday, July 19 from 4 to...
Top 10 Tips for Protecting Yourself from Harassment
June 20, 2014: Harassment isn’t an accident at UPS. It’s a strategy, called management-by-stress. Under management-by-stress, the company uses harassment to try to intimidate us into working faster. Sometimes, they’re trying to provoke you into losing your temper. In extreme cases, they’ll try to harass workers into quitting. TDU asked experienced package car stewards for suggestions on how Teamsters can protect themselves from harassment at UPS. Here were their Top 10 tips. ...
New UPS Contracts Available from TDU: Get the Contracts Hoffa and Hall Don’t Want to Send You
June 13, 2014: The Hoffa-Hall administration has not made the new agreement available to members as a contract book or even online. So TDU is making the new UPS contract available to help Teamsters know their rights and enforce the contract. TDU created the 2013-2018 contracts by combining the new negotiated changes with the old language. These contract downloads are unofficial documents for use by UPS Teamsters, stewards, and local union reps. ...
Sign the Petition to Protect Our Pensions!
June 16, 2014: Teamsters, along with many other groups, are fighting back against a proposal Congress is considering to allow troubled pension funds – like the Central States Fund – to slash existing benefits. You can help by signing a petition to the U.S. House of Representatives Education and the Workforce Committee. Help preserve the federal anti-cutback law to protect our pensions. Click here to sign the petition. Call TDU: 313-842-2600 to get petitions to...