Draw the Line on 22.3 Jobs
June 28, 2012: The International Union should make UPS fill every vacant 22.3 job as a condition of any early contract settlement. Our contract requires UPS to maintain 20,000 full-time 22.3 jobs and to provide the International Union with a list detailing where each and every one of those jobs is. But this language has become a joke. The company has eliminated thousands of 22.3 jobs. They've converted good combo jobs into...
Part-Timers Petition for a Fair Contract
July 6, 2012: Part-timers and other inside workers are organizing to win a contract that delivers for all Teamsters—full-time and part-time. They've launched a petition drive to demand better pay and more full-time jobs. "In Milwaukee, we're collecting signatures at shift change from part-timers and drivers too," said Daniel Ginsberg-Jaeckle, a Local 344 Teamster. "We want management and our bargaining committee to see that full-timers and part-timers are uniting behind each other's bargaining demands." Any contract offer from...
Pensions Under Attack: Rail Workers Deserve Protection
June 28, 2012: Corporations have targeted workers' pensions for elimination. Teamsters, teachers, fire fighters, Verizon workers and more are in this fight together. Now add rail workers to that list, including 65,000 Teamsters. Incredibly, their pensions are under attack even though their plan is well-funded, and it costs zero tax dollars. And they are not covered by social security. It's under attack in Congress, with Paul Ryan (R-Wisc) as the point man. Since it would...
Central States Fund Report: $17.7 Billion
June 28, 2012: The Central States Pension Fund's 2011 Financial and Analytical Reports show that the fund was down to $17.7 billion at the end of 2011. Fund assets dipped from $19.9 billion at the start of 2011, to $17.7 at the end of the year. The fund made zero on investments during the year; in fact there was a loss of .28%, attributed to poor stock market performance. The reports—which were received by Teamsters...
Dealing with Difficult Supervisors
June 28, 2012: Supervisors have different strategies to try to put stewards off, trip you up or get around the contract. There's no one-size-fits-all strategy for dealing with difficult supervisors. But being prepared can help you feel more confident, be more effective and avoid getting caught off guard. Before approaching the supervisor, write down the relevant facts and keep your goal in mind. What is the problem? What is the remedy you want? What is...
2012 TDU Convention
Teamsters from across the country are making their plans to be at the TDU Convention, Oct. 26 - 28 at the Chicago Holiday Inn O'Hare. Save the date and make your plans to be there. Click here to register online today and get the early bird discount. UPSers Need to be There "UPS Teamsters who want a stronger contract in 2013 need to be at the TDU Convention. The Convention brings UPSers together from across...
Standing Up for Union and Civil Rights
June 25, 2012: TDU member Mike Spruill interviewed about how and why he became a TDU member and a Teamster. How did you get involved? It runs in the family. The union movement and civil rights struggle crossed paths a lot in my house. My uncles were union, and my great aunt Mary Lou Mobley in North Carolina was very involved with Martin Luther King Jr. and the civil rights struggle. They never let me...
NLRB Rules for IBT Organizers’ Union
June 22, 2012: Organizers employed by the International union have voted to unionize, and on June 21 the NLRB regional director ruled that the objections to the vote by the Hoffa administration lack merit. On May 29 the vote count was 18-16 in favor of FAIR, the Federation of Agents and International Representatives. The International union then filed exceptions to the vote with the NLRB, claiming that five ballots were not received in the mail....
Union Organizers Indicted for Rally Against Nonunion Construction
June 19, 2012: Two union organizers indicted for organizing a rally against nonunion hotel construction? This is not in a far-off dictatorship, or even in a right to work state. It happened in New York City. New York Local 805 President Sandy Pope reacted with outrage “This is a terrible attack on our rights -- freedom of speech, freedom of assembly and the right to be in a union. All politicians should be held accountable...
UPS National Grievance Panel Decisions
June 19, 2012: The minutes of the June 2012 quarterly UPS National Grievance Panel are now available for members to review. We encourage UPS Teamsters to look them over, and decide if the national grievance procedure is working for our benefit. Over 500 cases were docketed, but the vast majority were withdrawn, postponed, put on hold or settled. A handful of cases were heard, and only one minor matter was actually won: requiring managers to...