Fighting Harassment for Inside Workers
October 17, 2013: Is management handing out excessive discipline for misloads or missorts? Here are some steps you can take to protect yourself and your fellow Teamsters. UPS has the right to expect employees, in this case preloaders and loaders, to work accurately. This is just common sense. But management frequently goes overboard from common sense to nonsense. In this article, we'll review how members can defend themselves in the office and through the grievance...
UPS Contract Bargaining Round-Up
October 17, 2013: With the UPS contract long expired and peak on the way, contracts and contract supplements or riders covering over 75,000 UPSers still remain to be negotiated. The contracts, supplements and riders covering Teamster members in the Western Region, Louisville, Ohio, Indiana, Philadelphia, Western Pennsylvania, and New Jersey Local 177 all need to be voted a second or third time. Two additional contracts covering all UPS Teamsters in Illinois and parts of Indiana...
The War on Pensions Goes Federal
October 16, 2013: Former Teamster Alex Adams is one of the hundreds of thousands of retirees whose benefits could be slashed if Congress passes legislation to restructure the laws governing multi-employer pension plans. Alex Adams, 71, worked in the trucking industry for 36 years before retiring in 2003. Five years later, Adams was diagnosed with cancer in his larynx and tonsils. As a result, he now takes food through a feeding tube and has to...
Annual $150,000 Club Report
Teamster Perks or Teamster Power? Hoffa and Ken Hall have spent much of this year telling Teamsters to take concessions. How do you think they're doing? A lot of Teamsters have had to tighten their belts over the past few years. Hundreds of thousands have just been told by James Hoffa and Ken Hall that concessions in healthcare or pensions or wages are necessary. But one group of Teamsters has not felt any belt-tightening at...
Hoffa and Hall Walk Away From UPS Freight Teamsters
New York Local 707 UPS Freight Teamsters October 17, 2013: UPS Freight Teamsters wonder what happened to their union. They've heard next to nothing since they rejected the proposed contract in June with a 69 percent No vote. Four months of silence. It's clear that Hoffa and Hall have no plan for winning significant contract improvements. So where does that leave Teamsters working at UPS Freight? We can still win a good contract if we...
Hoffa to Freight Teamsters: Quit Bothering Me
October 17, 2013: ABF Teamsters in the Central Region are voting on authorizing a strike, but it's a phony proposition. The International union has not put forth any issues or demands to strike for! Instead, Hoffa and the Freight Division have simply denounced the Central Region members for voting No twice, and tried to divide other freight Teamsters against them. The votes will be counted on October 29. The International union and ABF management plan...
Will Congress Pass a Bill to Allow Pension Cuts?
Not if We Stop It! UPDATED October 23, 2013: A Congressional hearing will be held to address pension issues Tuesday, October 29. We expect a bill to hit Congress very soon which would allow "deeply troubled" pension funds—such as the Central States Fund—to slash the pension benefits of retirees and those soon to retire. We're out to stop this train wreck for Teamsters and other workers who worked long and hard to earn their pensions....
Teamsters Turn Out For Education and Building TDU
October 17, 2013: More than 100 members from industries across New York City and beyond came out for a day of workshops and strategic planning. The Building Teamster Power Conference on September 15 was the second day-long conference organized by the NY-NJ TDU Chapter this year. It brought together UPS members, bus workers, public sector workers, commercial movers, grocery and freight Teamsters. Workshops focused on getting members involved, the UPS contract, legal rights, and grievance...
How to Present a Grievance to Management
The Grievance Meeting:How to Present a Grievance to Management November 7, 2013: The first stages of filing a grievance can be the most important, no matter what kind of grievance procedure your contract contains. This is the point at which information is gathered and arguments are tested. It is the time when membership involvement and pressure can make the most difference. And this is also the point at which mistakes can be avoided. This article...
Teamster Women On the Move
October 17, 2013: The IBT Annual Women's Conference was held in New Orleans on September 19-21. Women Teamsters from all over the U.S. and Canada, and different Teamster industries—from UPSers and truck drivers to warehouse workers and public workers—got the chance to meet one another, share experiences and form friendships. Seminars included "Be the Arbitrator" where members go through different grievance scenarios from beginning to end as seen from the arbitrator’s point of view, shop...