Members Beat Coke in Puerto Rico
June 1, 2010: Teamster solidarity and legal action by TDU take on Coca-Cola and corrupt Teamster officials—and win. When Local 901 members at Coca- Cola in Puerto Rico went on strike, the company retaliated and so did their own union officers. More than three dozen Teamsters were fired. Three reform leaders, who did not even work at Coke, were expelled from the union on trumped up charges of organizing an illegal strike. Now Teamster solidarity...
Former Teamster Power-Broker’s Plea Deal: Billy Hogan Pays $10,000 Fine
June 3, 2010: Billy Hogan Jr, the former Teamster vice president and head of the Chicago Joint Council, has made a plea bargain to settle contempt charges in federal court. But he vows to continue to press for relief from the Independent Review Board’s ban on his involvement with Teamster members. On May 27 Hogan appeared in federal court in New York for approval of a settlement in which he agreed to abide by the...
Head to Head in the BLET
June 1, 2010: BLET National President Paul Sorrow and rank-and-file engineer Tom Brennan are running for the union’s top job in the BLET’s first ever one-member, one-vote direct election. Everything is in place now for the BLET national election: rules, a nominating convention, and now candidates. Tom Brennan, a rank-and-file engineer, became the first official candidate when he announced his bid for the top spot in the union back in April. Paul Sorrow, the current...
Local 743 Members Say "We Won't Go Back"
June 1, 2010: “We ran for office on a platform of making our union work for the members. But now we’ve been run out of office by staff who thought change was just a campaign slogan. “This fall, members will get to vote for new Local 743 officers. They have the power to stop the power grab. “The New Leadership Team will be running a reform slate of candidates this fall. We’ll be behind them...
Will YRC Teamsters Re-Enter Pension Plans?
June 1, 2010: The union and YRC are in talks to let the company re-enter Teamster pension funds at greatly reduced rates. Teamster Voice has learned that the IBT and YRC are discussing the possibility of the company re-entering Teamster pension plans at a greatly reduced contribution rate. The concession agreement approved a year ago requires management to resume full participation in the pension plans on January 1, 2011. On August 1, 2010, the NMFA...
TDU Convention
To TDU Convention Attendees: To complete convention registration, of for questions regarding the Convention, contact the TDU staff in Chicago. The hotel phone number is 773-693-5800; ask for the O'Hare Boardroom, which is the TDU convention office. -- The TDU Steering Committee and Staff. Are you concerned about where our union is going, and ready to do your part? Now is the time for you to register for the TDU Convention, Nov. 5-7 at the...
Senate Takes Up Crucial Pension Legislation
May 28, 2010: On May 27, the US Senate Committee on Health Education, Labor, and Pensions held hearings on a piece of legislation of vital importance to Teamsters and retirees. The Create Jobs & Save Benefits Act of 2010, sponsored by Senator Bob Casey (D-Pa), if passed intact and with proper safeguards, could help protect Teamster pensions and aid some Teamster pension funds. The bill mirrors legislation introduced last year in the House by Reps....
Fred Gegare to Run for General President
May 28, 2010: On May 25, International Vice President Fred Gegare announced his candidacy for Teamster General President. Incumbent President James Hoffa announced his candidacy earlier, and is circulating petitions to become accredited. Teamsters for a Democratic Union (TDU), the Teamster reform movement which backed Tom Leedham and Ron Carey in previous elections, has not yet announced a candidate or made any endorsement. Gegare, contacted about this campaign, said that “members voices are not being...
Coke Plan Threatens Thousands of Jobs
May 28, 2010: Coca-Cola executives have a plan to eliminate thousands of Teamster delivery jobs. What is our union’s plan to fight back? Coke wants to eliminate Teamster jobs by moving toward nonunion, third-party distribution. The Hoffa administration vowed to draw the line against this “Alternative Distribution” by defeating the company’s pilot program in Southern California—if necessary, through nationally coordinated strike action. But one month after this tough talk, our union caved in without a...
ABF Teamsters Say No in Most Locals
Updated May 26, 2010: ABF Teamsters have rejected the proposed 15% wage cut, by a vote of 3,764 to 2,936. The local-by-local vote count is available here. Most large locals decisively voted No, including Chicago Locals 710 and 705, Atlanta Local 728, Carlisle Pennsylvania Local 776, Little Rock Local 878, Kansas City Local 41, Los Angeles Local 63, and even Dallas Local 745, the home base of Freight Director Tyson Johnson. Dayton Local 957 members...