April 6, 2010: The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration Friday issued a rule that will require carriers with serious patterns of hours-of-service violations to user electronic on-board recorders in all vehicles. FMCSA estimated that 5,700 truck and bus companies would be required to use EOBRs after the first year of implementation for the rule, which goes into effect June 1, 2012. Click here to read more at Transport Topics.

April 5, 2010: The International Brotherhood of Teamsters (IBT) has seen a lot in its 107 years of existence. But in its near two-year effort to rescue troubled trucker YRC Worldwide Inc., it's a safe bet the venerable union went where it has never gone before.!--break--> During 2009, as YRC's financial situation grew more precarious, its 35,000 Teamster employees agreed to two wage reductions and an extraordinary 18-month freeze on YRC's pension contributions. Click here...

April 2, 2010: The latest proposed change of operations submitted by YRC has been approved. The telephone bid will be conducted on April 12, 2010 while the implementation date is slated for April 18, 2010. Click here to see the decision. The Change of Operations includes the elimination of some meet and turns and the reduction of road drivers at end-of-line terminals. The proposal calls for the elimination of “duplicate terminals” in some areas. The...

April 2, 2010: Teamsters who believe in protecting our contracts and benefits are coming together for change. If it seems like contract enforcement has never been weaker, you’re not imagining things. The Hoffa administration has given up on standing up to the employers until the recession is over—at least. Don’t take our word for it. International Union officials say so themselves. Hoffa’s point man at UPS, Ken Hall, recently announced that “2009 was not the...

April 2, 2010: The 2009 financial reports for Teamster locals, joint councils, conferences and the International Union are now available. The International Union form, which is 432 pages long, shows some big cuts made: Representation spending is down by 15 percent. Political activity is down 43 percent Grants to locals and strike benefit expenditures are down, too. But Hoffa took a raise. Last year his total compensation was $362,869. With members hit by wage cuts...

April 9, 2010: Baltimore Teamsters have suffered some of the worst pension cuts in the country. Turning that around won’t be easy. But members are coming together to fight for their rights. In 2008, pension trustees in the largest fund in the local, the Local 355 Fund, blindsided members and cut their pension accrual to zero, freezing their pensions. Those cuts affected members at UPS, Sysco, U.S. Foods, and many smaller employers. Earlier this year,...

April 2, 2010: As of the end of March, the International Union was meeting with ABF regarding a concessions proposal to present to ABF Teamsters. A meeting for freight local officers is set for April 19, perhaps to see a concession proposal before it goes to a vote of the members. Freight Director Tyson Johnson has held some 25 conversations with ABF in the past year about their situation, and contends that concessions are needed...

April 2, 2010: On March 16 YRC filed its annual 10-K report with the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). In that report, management made the startling claim that they can impose further concessions on Locals 705 and 710 without taking any vote. Regarding Local 705 members, management states they continue to discuss with this unit the ratification of the full wage cut. Who are they discussing it with? Hoffa? That would be news to...

April 2, 2010: Sometimes shining a light on injustice wins a quick victory. Just three days after TDU.org exposed a deal between YRC and the IBT to weaken the freight contract clause requiring the call-back of laid-off Teamsters, the deal was canceled. In a management memo dated March 18 and headed “25% O/T methodology – not good news” Holland VP for Labor Relations Steve Blubaugh informed managers that they must return to the “old” (proper)...

April 2, 2010: YRC’s Reddaway regional subsidiary still has not been able to impose concessions on the Oregon and Washington locals, which have a regional contract. The International freight division has taken bargaining away from the locals; it’s not clear what is happening on it. On March 9, members decisively rejected the last offer. The locals have filed a grievance over the refusal of Reddaway to pay its pension obligations, which continue under a contract...