September 19, 2013: The ballots are in the mail for the second time for some 60,000 UPS Teamsters voting on their contract supplements. Copies of the seven supplements and riders being re-voted are available below for your review. Some 50,000 UPS Teamsters are covered by the Central Region Supplement, which essentially had a change of one word since the first big rejection three months ago. In the hated Article 17(i), which allows management to fire...

September 19, 2013: On this weekend in 1976, a small group of courageous Teamsters met in Kent, Ohio, to form Teamsters for a Democratic Union (TDU). They had little going for them except guts, principles, and a vision of a union driven by rank and file power. At the time of TDU's founding, the IBT General Executive Board and many local unions were dominated by organized crime. Contracts could be imposed even if the majority...

We have a legal right to a fair and informed vote on our national contracts. But our rights have not come without Teamsters for a Democratic Union taking on big battles.  Here is a summary of some key legal – and membership – victories involving our rights in national Teamster contracts. We Won the Right to a Fair and Informed Vote Bauman v Presser.  This case set a precedent for a “fair and informed” vote. ...

September 17, 2013: Jack Cooper Transport has won the bid to purchase Allied Systems, and will now be by far the largest carhaul operator in North America. Cooper CEO Mike Riggs says the combined carrier will have $1 billion in revenue in 2014.  Cooper will pay $135 million – with borrowed money – for Allied, and the deal was approved by the creditors committee overseeing Allied's bankruptcy, with the approval of the Teamsters International Union. This...

September 13, 2013: Momentum is growing to Vote No Again on the UPS Supplements in the Central Region, Philadelphia, Western Pa. and Metro Philadelphia, where all full-time and part-time UPSers are being moved into TeamCare. Contract ratification ballots will be mailed out on Sept. 18 in these supplements. Members in New Jersey Local 177 and the Western Region  are still awaiting the details on their proposed healthcare plan and contract voting timeline. In New York...

September 12, 2013: UPS Teamsters who are in the same health plan should get the same coverage. But that won't happen if Hoffa-Hall get their way with the current Central Region UPS proposal.  Under the new TeamCare proposal, full-time UPS Teamsters who are already in TeamCare will get substandard benefits compared to UPS Teamsters who are being moved into TeamCare. The Company is contributing the same amount of money per week to Central States for...

September 12, 2013: The latest financial report (first quarter 2013) for the Central States Pension Fund is now available, and reflects assets of $18.3 billion as of March 31, 2013. This represents a $517 million gain in the first quarter, due to the big run-up in the stock market during that period. Since that time, the stock market leveled off, and bonds have done poorly, so the current balance is certainly lower. The fund relies...

September 6, 2013: Hoffa-Hall have launched a PR offensive to try to pass the rejected supplements in the Central Region and Pennsylvania. Ballots will be mailed Sept. 18 and counted Oct. 9 for a number of rejected supplements, including: the Central Region, Ohio Rider, Michigan Rider, Local 243 Rider, Metro Philly Supplement, Local 623 Supplement, and Western Pennsylvania Supplement. Western locals and New Jersey Local 177 have also reached an agreement with UPS on their...

September 6, 2013: Ken Hall says "confusion over healthcare" caused members to Vote No and reject a record number of UPS contract supplements. What exactly does Hall think members were confused about?  Members voted No to stop healthcare cuts and fight to protect their benefits. Hall made his statement on a conference call on Thursday night with shop stewards, saying, "I understand your supplements were voted down because of 'confusion about healthcare.'" Hall claimed they...

September 6, 2013: Pension increases are on the line as contract talks continue in New York Local 804. Local 804 members won a $400 pension increase in the new contract, with a $300 increase scheduled to take effect on Jan. 1—but pension trustees from UPS agreed to vote for these increases only after the supplement is ratified. Under the Pension Protection Act, Local 804 members needs to ratify a contract by early October or the...