Date Set for Teamster Election
July 19, 2011: The ballots for Teamster General President and lesser offices will be mailed out on or about October 6, and must be returned by November 14, when the count will begin. All 1.3 million Teamsters across the USA, Canada and Puerto Rico will be entitled to vote. Help spread the word: let’s turn out a vote for change! The TDU Convention will be held September 30 – October 2, a week prior to...
Carhaul: New Contract, Old Issues
July 15, 2011: Carhaulers are voting on a new contract. The future of union carhaul is on the line. In July carhaulers are voting by mail on a proposed new 51-month contract, which would expire on July 31, 2015. It is in large part a continuation of the current contract. The proposed contract deal was reached on May 31. Wage increases are small: 30¢-30¢-35¢-40¢, so real wages will almost certainly fall behind the rate of...
ABF in Court
July 15, 2011: On July 6, ABF won a round in their court battle to win concessions equal to those given to YRC, but they are still not expected to prevail in the lawsuit. The 8th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that the district court judge erred in tossing out ABF’s suit for lack of standing, and must consider the merit. So ABF gets to go back to the district court for a do-over, but...
Sandy Pope On The Issues
July 15, 2011: Sandy Pope officially accepted nomination for General President in a speech to the Teamster Convention on July 1. Teamster Voice brings you excerpts below. I am the president of Local 805 in New York City. We’re a small local—but we fight big. And we defend Teamster jobs. When corporate real estate developers and the mayor announced they were going to close the Red Hook Piers in Brooklyn, I led a three-year campaign...
‘We’re Building the Campaign to Win!’
July 15, 2011: Across our union, members are spreading the word about Sandy Pope and our campaign for new Teamster leadership. Orange County, Calif. “When Sandy Pope came to southern California, we scheduled three days of total campaigning in grocery, freight, UPS, dairy, and mass transit,” said Chuck Robinson, a member of Local 952 at Albertson’s (right). “Members have been hearing a lot about her campaign, and they really appreciated getting to meet Sandy and...
Hoffa Nominates Ghost S-T Candidate
July 15, 2011: Hoffa lost his first running mate when Tom Keegel declined to run for reelection. At the Convention, the Hoffa Campaign nominated two Secretary-Treasurer candidates. What gives? Union slates usually put their strongest candidate at the top. But Hoffa is the least popular candidate on his team. Hoffa got paranoid that Fred Gegare would pull his S-T candidate, which would leave Hall unopposed and his name off the ballot. Hoffa is desperate to...
Reform Delegates Have Their Say
“Everything with Hoffa is a big show. The convention was all smoke and mirrors. “But when you pull the curtain back, all’s not well within the Teamsters. “Teamster members know the reality and want serious change.” Bill Zimmerman Nabisco, Local 206 President, Portland, Ore. Facing Teamster Reality “There were a lot of good speeches and fanfare at the convention. But now we’re back home facing Teamster reality. “That means giving members an action plan...
Brownout On UPS Issues at the Teamster Convention
July 15, 2011: With all of the violations happening at UPS, you would think our union’s biggest contract would have been a hot topic at the recent Teamster Convention. But during the entire five-day Teamster Convention in Las Vegas, only one delegate got to speak on UPS issues from the convention floor: shop steward and TDU member David Thornsberry of Teamsters Local 89 in Louisville. Brother Thornsberry was also the only convention delegate to have...
Airline Teamsters for Sandy Pope
July 28, 2011: In early June, 5,000 United Airline mechanics voted down their proposed tentative agreement. Now they are looking at how to get a bigger voice in our Teamsters Union. Whether they voted Yes or No on the contract, airline Teamsters want our union to be a powerful force for workers in their industry. They want the right to elect their negotiating team. They want real communication between the leadership and the rank and...
Rail Unions Urge “No” on UTU Contract
July 15, 2011: Teamster rail workers are urging fellow unionists in the United Transportation Union (UTU) to reject a substandard contract negotiated by UTU leaders. “The UTU rank and file should say No to this deal,” reads a leaflet other rail unions are distributing. The leaflet points out that the carriers are making record profits, so it is time to make gains, not give concessions. The rail carriers want to use the UTU contract as...