Truck Load Division Ripe for Organizing
May 22, 2012: UPS Freight Teamsters around the country wonder why the UPS Freight Truckload Division isn't part of the union. Now that the clerks have been organized, it seems obvious that the TL section of the UPS Freight workforce would be the next target to bring into our union. After all, the slogan for organizing at UPS has been "one company, one union" and these TL drivers can be seen in UPS Freight tractors...
Done Sitting at the Back of the Bus
June 22, 2012: Thousands of New York City school bus drivers and aides safely transport kids every day. But many Teamsters work under substandard contracts with lower wages and benefits than other workers in their same industry, and even in their same union. Local 854 drivers and school aides are working to change that. Workers at Empire State/Allied Bus Corporation started their campaign for a fair contract by circulating a membership survey to get members...
Bus Drivers Steer Toward Solidarity
May 22, 2012: Vermont bus drivers welcome their new boss with a show of rank and file unity. For years, Teamster bus drivers in Vermont were at odds with their General Manager, including a bitter battle over their last contract which ended in a rank-and-file victory. So members were happy to get the news that a new General Manager was on the way. Then, stewards received letters at their homes from management telling them not...
CEOs Got a Pay Raise, How About You?
May 22, 2012: Runaway CEO pay is out of control and inequality is on the rise. The ratio of CEO-to-worker pay between CEOs of the S&P 500 Index companies and U.S. workers widened to 380 times in 2011. Back in 1980, the average large company CEO only received 42 times the average worker's pay. In 2011, average wages increased just 2.8 percent and average worker pay totaled $34,053. Average union wages, including Teamster wages, are...
How NOT to Build Teamster Power: The Kane Family Locals to Merge
May 22, 2012: New York Local 111 is merging into Local 202. Why would a local of office workers in the telecom industry merge into a local based in the big produce central market? Because Dan Kane Sr. is in the process of turning the family business over to his son, Dan Kane Jr. Kane Sr. heads Local 111, and Kane Jr. heads Local 202. Between them they made nearly $400,000 in total compensation last...
Will Chrysler Get into the Carhaul Business?
May 22, 2012: Teamster carhaulers have heard the rumors that Chrysler will start an in-house operation to haul its cars. The fact is that Chrysler has already started at its Windsor, Ontario van plant, and it may well spread to the U.S. Chrysler has a number of driveaway workers at the Windsor plant, and a small number of Chrysler-owned car carriers, with more rigs coming soon, to move cars over the Ambassador Bridge to Michigan...
Teamsters Win Organizing Drive at the Port of L.A.
May 22, 2012: The Teamsters Union scored a small but important organizing victory in April when drivers for the Toll Group at the Port of Los Angeles voted 46-15 to unionize. One driver predicted it would be the "beginning of a big war." The Toll Group is an $8 billion a year logistics company based in Australia. The Transport Workers Union of Australia, which represents the Toll workers there, supported the Teamster drive. There are...
2012 TDU Convention: Register Today!
The TDU Convention provides Teamsters with the best member education and organizing trainings anywhere. Meet Teamsters from across our union October 26-28 at the Chicago Holiday Inn O'Hare to get the information, advice and skills we need to turn our union around. Click here to register!Take the TDU Recruitment Challenge and we'll wave your registration fee. Click here to learn more. Education. Inspiration. Dedication. "You get more education at the TDU Convention than in a...
Why We're Joining TDU
Teamsters from across our union are joining TDU. We asked some new members why they signed up. Here's what they had to say. Educating Members To Fight Back "At Rhode Island Hospital, we weren't getting the representation we deserve and management had our backs against the wall. "I joined TDU to get the support and education we need to fight back. Now we're filing grievances and being taken more seriously." Matthew Martins, Rhode Island HospitalLocal...
Next UPS Freight National Grievance Panel
May 15, 2012: The UPS Freight National Grievance Panel meets next on June 5-8 in Providence, Rhode Island. Members continue to be frustrated by the pitiful pace of the grievance procedure. In just one example, a grievance from Local 391 in North Carolina was filed in February 2010. That's over two years with no decision. It's clear that the next contract has to include a tighter timeline and penalties if members are to have their...