Carhaul Contract: Hauling Cars for 25% Revenue
August 24, 2012: For some time now, various locals have taken votes to give employers a break on hauling auction cars and cars from rental companies: Teamsters are paid 25% of revenue. Some have said yes, others no, and others haven't voted yet. Jack Cooper drivers in Flint Local 332 are set to vote soon. The problem is, 25%-of-revenue rate means there is no set scale and you need to trust the company on what...
NLRB to IBT: No Harassing Organizers Who Join Union
August 24, 2012: The International Union has been required by the NLRB to post notices that the IBT will cease harassing union organizers for joining a union. The notice includes that the IBT will not tell them they will no longer be Teamsters if they join a union, or that they will be laid off or that they cannot wear a union pin. A majority of IBT organizers voted to form a union and are...
Chicago Power Play
August 22, 2012: Chicago Teamster honcho John Coli has used his muscle to install pal Becky Strzechowski at the helm of a 12,500-member local. It's the latest power grab by Coli who has set his sights on succeeding Hoffa. Teamster power broker John Coli has done it again. He's ousted the president of Chicago Local 700 and installed pal Becky Strzechowski to take the helm of the 12,500-member public sector local. Coli also dissolved an...
UPS Freight Teamsters Discuss Contract
August 22, 2012: Negotiations for the next UPS Freight contract are set to commence in late September. When the contract was signed in 2008, we were told it was only a first contract, and the big issues would be dealt with next time. Now is the time! Negotiations are set to begin this fall. Most locals have held meetings to gather member proposals. That's a start, but the key is to build rank and file...
UPS Freight: Second Class Teamsters?
August 30, 2012: In 2008, when we got our first contract, the International Union told us that it was a "foot in the door" and real gains would come next time. Now it's next time. UPS Freight Teamsters can win parity and plug the holes in our contract, if we unify and say NO to any substandard contract. Dan Campbell, a retired experienced Teamster officer who was on the 1997 National Negotiating Committee for UPS,...
Freight Teamsters: Don't Be Fooled
August 22, 2012 Frank Rogers, YRCLocal 41, Kansas City When Hoffa, Johnson and Sweeton proposed the first round of concessions at YRC, some of us did some research. Our wages have not kept up with the cost of living, even before the concessions. And there never was any real "shared sacrifice." Good Teamsters fought in the streets and some sacrificed their lives for the standards that we as Teamsters enjoy today. We at YRC are...
Has ABF Pulled Out of NMFA?
UPDATED August 24, 2012: Some members are hearing from reports in industry journals that ABF has made a bargaining change. The answer is clear: the ABF bargaining split from YRCW happened in 2007, so zero has changed on that front. What has changed is that since the 2008 contract, on three occasions YRCW was given concessions, and the 2010 concessions extended the YRCW contract until 2015. While YRCW Teamsters will be impacted by the ABF...
Your Right to Get a Copy of Your Contract
UPDATED September 4, 2012: So. Cal Teamsters: Two Year Wait—No Contract Books The Southern California master grocery contract, covering 5,000 Teamsters, was ratified in October 2010. But after two years, members still can't get a copy of their contract. How can members enforce their contract if they can't even get a copy? Phil Richards, Unified GrocersLocal 630, Los Angeles "This has to be a record for delaying giving us our contract," said Phil Richards, a...
Could the Central States Pension Fund Go Insolvent?
August 22, 2012: It's an ugly question, but one that has to be faced. And then our union needs to take action to deal with the problem, to prevent it from happening. The Hoffa administration has all but given up on the Central States Pension Plan. This decision could have dire consequences for 280,000 Teamsters and retirees, numerous Teamster officers, and the financial viability of hundreds of Teamster locals. What can be done to prevent...
Coli Takes Over Local 700
UPDATED August 24, 2012: Teamster power broker John Coli has ousted the president of Chicago Local 700 and installed Becky Strzechowski as head of the 12,500 public sector local. The losers in Coli's latest power grab are the Teamsters who work for the City of Chicago, Cook County and other public entities. Coli and Strzechowski are now positioned to trade concessions to politicians in exchange for perks, appointments and political deals. Coli created Local 700...