Hoffa Ally Caught in a Nepotism Scandal
April 2, 2010: Hoffa moves to protect an International Vice President caught in a nepotism scandal. Friends and relatives of Local 107 officials work on Philadelphia movie sets, while experienced Teamsters sit home out of work. The Independent Review Board (IRB) has released a devastating 125-page report detailing a “nepotism and favoritism” scandal in the home local of International Vice President Bill Hamilton. The IRB recommended that Philadelphia Local 107 be put in trusteeship. Instead...
Teamster Election Coming Up!
The election for IBT General President and General Executive Board starts this year. A federal Election Supervisor has been named. Election rules will be final by May 1, 2010. Election Timeline Click here to read the IBT Election Timeline The Election Supervisor has been named for the 2011 election for International Union officers. And proposed Election Rules, which will go into effect on May 1, are now available for comment before they are finalized. Richard...
IBT Election Timeline
May 2010: Rules issued for the 2010-2011 Delegate and IBT Officer Election. Members sign petitions.June 1, 2010: Election Supervisor will announce number of petition signatures required for Accreditation of International Officer Candidates. June 30, 2010: Deadline for submission of proposed Local Union Plan for locals seeking to hold a Fall election of delegates (this will affect a small minority of Local Unions). July 1 – December 15, 2010: Petitions to Accredit International Officer candidates may...
No Action on Subcontracting at UPS Freight
April 2, 2010: IBT Vice President Ken Hall says that the UPS Freight National Panel is doing an “outstanding job.” So why did our union only win five grievances at the March panel? Teamsters at UPS Freight didn’t have much to cheer about when they reviewed the results of their national grievance panel. Out of 27 grievances heard, the union won only five cases—and none dealing with subcontracting. The UPS Freight National Panel met March...
How to Document Subcontracting Grievances
April 2, 2010: Article 44 contains the following language that drivers can use to protect jobs from subcontracting: “However, if sufficient freight is generated in the future to provide loads returning to the home domicile, the run shall be performed by members of the bargaining unit.” If the company is violating Article 44 in your area, your first step is to gather the evidence. Here’s what to document: Trailer numbers and loads that are being...
How Will Health Care Law Impact Teamsters?
April 2, 2010: Amid all the debate on health care, many Teamsters are asking a nitty-gritty question—how will this affect my Teamster health coverage? The answer is not much. Two things that go into effect this year which will benefit some Teamsters are: All plans must provide for coverage of dependent children up till age 26. No plan can impose a lifetime cap on benefits. The first one benefits Teamsters who are supporting young-adult children...
Teamster Political Efforts: Where the Money Goes
April 2, 2010: The Teamsters Union, like all major unions, raises voluntary political donations from members (the DRIVE program), and uses the resources to inform voters and influence legislative and regulatory measures affecting Teamster members. Unions can never match corporate money, but do spend a fair amount. The best bang for our buck is when our union mobilizes members to join in campaigns to protect our pensions and pass laws to protect workers’ rights. Do...
Letters from our Members
Cut the Race Car and the Perks The Teamsters are considering a pay cut at ABF. What needs to happen before we get screwed over is this: ABF needs to get rid of the race car and let the CEO and the other super over-paid suits skip their bonuses and commission for a year. Then start getting rid of useless stuff like the company magazine I get every month or even cut it back to...
Garbage strike averted -- for now
April 1, 2010: A garbage strike has been averted - at least for now. Jackie Lang, the spokeswoman for Waste Management, said early Thursday morning that the company and garbage collectors had agreed at about 1 a.m. to continue negotiating and, in the meantime, to avoid a work stoppage. Click here to read more at The Seattle Times.
UPS invests $1 billion in technology to cut costs
March 30, 2010: United Parcel Service (UPS) will make about US$1 billion in technology investments this year to improve the efficiency of its operations, with the goal of cutting billions more from its costs over the long term, company executives said Tuesday. One of its main goals is to improve the speed and efficiency of its delivery operations. To achieve that, UPS is equipping its vans with sensors that allow it to collect data about...