Garbage truck drivers strike against Waste Management
April 21, 2010: Local garbage haulers for Waste Management say they are going on strike because the company is refusing to discuss contract terms with the union. Pickets went up at 10:30 a.m. Wednesday at Waste Management facilities, said Union spokesman Michael Gonzales. Click here to read more at Seattle PI.
Garbage haulers negotiate contract
April 20, 2010: Yes, garbage workers are lucky to have jobs in these tough economic times. But The Times seems a little tone-deaf with such statements as “incomes are even burnished by mandatory overtime” [“Quit talking trash; sign a fair contract,” Opinion, April 15]. You try working “mandatory overtime” at a physically demanding job and see if you would rather have that time to be with your families or just to live your life instead...
ABF Teamsters to Vote on 15% Cut
April 20, 2010: As expected, the International Union is recommending that ABF Teamsters ratify a 15 percent wage cut. No changes in Teamster benefits are part of the proposal. The International Union has requested that locals hold meetings to recommend the deal on the weekend of April 24-25, and is holding a conference call for ABF Teamsters on April 27. Ballots will go soon after that. All ABF Teamsters—working and laid off—are entitled to vote,...
Workshops from TDU
March 7, 2011: Do you have a problem at work or in our union? A TDU workshop can help. For over 30 years, TDU workshops and trainings have brought members together to learn their rights and find out how they can solve workplace problems. Workshops Available from TDU: UPS Production Harassment Production harassment is a fact of life at UPS. How members can protect themselves—on the truck, in the office, in the grievance procedure, and...
Questions, Anger at YRCW over President’s Departure
April 14, 2010: The sudden departure of YRCW’s President and Chief Operating Officer Timothy Wicks has led to a flurry of speculation in the media, wild rumors fueled by competitors, and some anger among YRC Teamsters. Wicks, who was with YRCW just 18 months, and who was elevated to COO (the number two position in the corporation) just last October, departed to return to his former employer, United Healthcare. Speculation about why he left runs...
YRC Worldwide president resigns
April 13, 2010: Timothy Wicks, president and chief operating officer of YRC Worldwide Inc., has resigned to take a job with his prior employer, United Healthcare. The Overland Park, Kan.-based trucking and logistics company (Nasdaq: YRCW) said the resignation was effective Monday. Click here to read more at St. Louis Business Journal.
BNA Daily Labor Report: Radical Changes Not Expected At NLRB
April 13, 2010: The newly reconstituted National Labor Relations Board under the Obama administration is eager to start resolving cases but is not likely to usher in any “radical” policy changes, NLRB Chairman Wilma B. Liebman said April 12. Speaking at the annual Hunter College national conference on collective bargaining in higher education, Liebman noted that the four-member board had only met for the first time the week before. With the recess appointments by President...
BNA Daily Labor Report: Fired Female Trucker Raises Jury Issue
April 13, 2010: A female trucker fired for failing a physical ability test on returning from a work-related injury raised a jury issue of sex discrimination under Title VII of the 1964 Civil Rights Act because the plaintiff had successfully performed the job in the past, her injury had healed, and the employer did not require injured male employees to take the test, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit ruled April 9...
Standoff in garbage contract 'important nationally'
April 12, 2010: Depending on your viewpoint, Waste Management President Larry O'Donnell's star turn in the CBS reality show "Undercover Boss" confirms everything you need to know about America's largest trash company. O'Donnell spent a week doing entry-level jobs for his company, including riding on the back of a garbage truck, sorting recycling and cleaning portable toilets. At one job, he gets fired for not working quickly enough; at another, he marvels at the speed...
UPS Boot Camp for New Drivers
April 9, 2010: The Wall Street Journal reports on a UPS training facility, "Integrad," where drivers get hooked into a contraption that simulates walking on ice and learn to "bond with their keys." Reprinted from The Wall Street Journal: UPS Thinks Out of the Box on Driver Training LANDOVER, Md.—Vexed that some 30% of driver candidates flunk its traditional training, United Parcel Service Inc. is moving beyond the classroom to ready its rookies for the...