ABF Puts Concession Demands on the Table
UPDATED December 21, 2012: ABF this week handed the International Union their wish list of take-aways. They’re all there: more subcontracting, part-timers, expand the use of surveillance, and more. It’s a wish list which is dead-on-arrival, because there is no way members will accept any of it. Even the International union has said so. The Trucker has a report on management’s proposal available here. A City Wire report and an IBT bulletin are available here. ...
U.S. Department of Labor Sues Local 848 over Election
December 14, 2012: The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) has filed suit against the officers of Los Angeles Local 848 to overturn the election held one year ago, and hold a new election conducted by the DOL. The DOL suit slams the leadership for holding a hearing on bogus charges attacking the challengers, the Walt Johnson Slate. The charges were illegal since they found Johnson's slate guilty for the content of its literature and website,...
Reform Team Re-Elected in Local 804
December 14, 2012: Members have re-elected reformers to lead New York Local 804, one of the largest UPS locals in the Teamsters Union. Tim Sylvester and the 804 Members United Slate swept a hotly contested three-way race. Local 804 represents 6,000 UPS Teamsters in metropolitan New York. The 804 Members United team won office three years ago after they led a rank-and-file movement to vote down contract concessions and save 25 & Out pensions. ...
Video: Santa is a UPS Man
December 11, 2012: Listen to the soon-to-be hit holiday single recorded by a Teamster "on a regularly scheduled break." At least one driver is still in a good mood at peak. Hang in there UPS Teamsters. Peak can't last forever.
Union Members Protest Passage of Right to Work
December 11, 2012: More than 12,000 union members and supporters flooded the State Capitol in Michigan to protest the passage of Right-to-Work (for Less) legislation. Police closed the Capitol to visitors when it reached capacity of 2,200 people. More than 10,000 Teamsters, Autoworkers, teachers, building trades workers, other union members and public supporters swarmed the outside. The House passed a Right to Work bill covering public sector workers by 58 to 51. The state's Senate...
Teamsters Say No to Right-to-Work (for Less)
Join Teamsters who are fighting back against Right-to-Work (for Less) legislation in Michigan. On Tuesday, Dec. 11 at 9 am, Teamsters, other union members and community supporters will rally in the State Capitol against the Right-to-Work legislation that is being rammed through the Michigan legislature. If you live in Michigan, email your State Representative and State Senator today and urge them to VOTE “NO” on Right-to-Work (for Less) when it comes up for a final...
Right-to-Work-for-Less Hits Michigan
December 7, 2012: Michigan workers and unions have been hit with "right to work" legislation which would outlaw union contract clauses with employers that require all workers to pay dues or a fair share fee. The bill passed the Michigan House yesterday in a sneak attack; it was rushed through the lame-duck session with no hearings held on the important bill. Many of the bill’s supporters will not be in office next month when the newly-elected...
ABF—Two Year Contract? The Union's Contract Proposal
November 30, 2012: On November 29 officers from all freight locals met in Kansas City to hear the International Union's plans for bargaining with ABF, including a union proposal for a two-year contract. The meeting, which lasted only a little over an hour, was conducted by Gordon Sweeton and Tyson Johnson of the IBT Freight Division, who distributed the union's initial bargaining proposals. We encourage members to review these proposals. The union's economic proposals: A...
UPS Freight Clerks Hit with Two-Tier Wage Deal
November 29, 2012: The International Union has given UPS Freight a new Letter Of Agreement (LOA) which allows the company to have two different wage scales for clerks at various terminals. This is supposedly a national master agreement. The surprise deal gives clerks at a number of terminals a 2.5% lower wage scale than the master provides for; they also lose five months of 3.5% retroactive pay. A full-time clerk making union scale will lose...
IBT Gives ABF Concessions in the West
November 28, 2012: On the eve of bargaining with ABF, the International Union has given the company a 65¢ per hour concession in the 13 western states. Members were not consulted, and most are still unaware of the giveback. The concession was quietly implemented on August 1, by prior arrangement between ABF and the Hoffa administration. On that date, ABF was required by the contract to increase pension and health and welfare payments by $1...