September 15, 2011: At the official debate for candidates for Teamster president, two of the three present were stumped when asked what to do about the recent contract rejection by 5,000 United Airlines Teamster mechanics. Ken Hall and Fred Gegare punted, because it was clear they didn’t know anything about it. Sandy Pope addressed the issue of bargaining with a profitable corporation that previously got deep concessions when it was in bankruptcy. That sums up...

September 15, 2011: Sandy Pope’s first Teamster job was a warehouse selector. Now she’s running for General President on a program of standing up to grocery employers. Grocery Teamsters are under attack: production harassment, two-tier contracts, and growing nonunion competition. Sandy Pope says grocery Teamsters can fight back and win. She’s winning over grocery Teamsters with her proven record and platform for change. “Sandy’s fought for grocery Teamsters at every level of our union—from Local...

September 15, 2011: As an International Union Rep, Sandy Pope won the first union contract at C&S—the largest third-party food distribution company in the world. When C&S took over Pathmark’s distribution work in New Jersey in the 1990s, Sandy Pope was dispatched by the International Union to take on this threat. C&S wanted to go nonunion—like they had done at other warehouses. The International Union and local leaders launched a corporate campaign to save good...

September 15, 2011: Waste Management’s strategy is simple: divide and conquer. Waste Management During the last round of bargaining, the company beat strikes and forced concessions on members in New York (2006), Los Angeles (2007), and Wisconsin (2008). In Wisconsin and Central Illinois, the company successfully pulled out of the Teamster pension, leaving the workers without a real pension. In each of these fights, the International Union talked about extending picket lines—but it was all...

September 15, 2011: Local 396 Teamsters at Waste Management in Santa Ana and Irvine, Calif. are in bargaining now for their next contract—and it’s off to a bad start. The notorious anti-union company is demanding that members pay more for their medical benefits and a pension contribution freeze. Members are complaining that Local 396 is keeping them in the dark. It’s a familiar story for waste Teamsters in Southern California: members going up against the...

September 15, 2011: The Hoffa administration has looked the other way while UPS has accelerated its SurePost program—a new service that allows UPS to deliver some residential shipments through the post office instead of package car Teamsters. The SurePost programs targets online shippers with residential shipments that weigh less than 10 pounds. UPS Teamsters pick up and sort their packages. But final delivery is done by the Post Office. The program is a boon for...

September 15, 2011: Letter to Package Division Director Ken Hall from Local 243 Package Car Driver Martin Labut. Report on how SurePost is affecting Teamsters in your area here. Surepost and UPS Basic to the Post Office is eliminating full-time jobs. We have drivers laid off for the first time I can remember in the summer max vacation period. Every day, routes are cut and combined. We lose about three routes a day out of...

September 15, 2011: Nearly 240,000 Teamsters work at UPS. Our votes can elect the next General President—but only if we’re organized. The majority of Teamsters at UPS are voting for Sandy Pope. Half of UPS Teamsters voted for Sandy when she ran for the #2 spot in the last International Union election. Since then, her support has grown and Hoffa’s has plummeted. It will take 150,000 votes to win this election. There are more Teamsters...

September 15, 2011: “We need a President that will stand up to UPS. Hoffa is letting the company walk all over the contract. The grievance panels are a joke. Sandy Pope is our only choice for real change.” Willie Ford, Local 71 Florence, South Carolina       Surrender on SurePost? “UPS is sending our work via SurePost to the Post Office while Teamster drivers are being sent home. We need a General President who...

Teamsters have united in a grassroots army to elect Sandy Pope as our next Teamster General President. The Sandy Pope campaign is bigger than TDU. But TDU members have helped lead the way every step of the campaign. Educating members, raising funds, building the campaign army, and turning out the votes we need to win. For 35 years, TDU has brought together working Teamsters to have a voice and make a difference in our union...