Arkansas Best to Elect 3 Directors, Vote on Pay Plan
March 16, 2010: Shareholders of Arkansas Best Corp. of Fort Smith will elect three directors at the company's annual meeting April 22 and vote on a proposal to raise maximum executive pay from $1 million to $3 million annually. Directors up for re-election to one-year terms are John W. Alden, retired vice chairman of United Parcel Service of America Inc. of Atlanta; Frank Edelstein, a consultant with Kelso & Co. Inc. of New York, a...
Teamsters yell 'cut' on plum movie-set jobs
March 15, 2010: It's a chance to rub elbows with Hollywood stars. And make good money while doing it. For years, a select group of Teamsters Local 107 members have apparently been on a short list for high-paying jobs on movie shoots in the Philadelphia area. Click here to read more at Philly.
ABF Concession Vote Coming?
March 15, 2010: The International Union issued a bulletin dated March 12 informing ABF Teamsters that the union is considering entering concession bargaining to give the company relief. The IBT reports that ABF had an operating loss of $100 million in 2009. IBT Freight Director Tyson Johnson has informed local officers that the company has asked to suspend pension payments, a two-week cap on vacations, and a pay cut. Johnson says the union will not...
YRCW Claims Relief from Calling Back Laid Off Teamsters
March 15, 2010: A memo from the YRCW VP for Labor Relations claims that the corporation has obtained a new union concession regarding the contract clause requiring the recall of laid-off Teamsters when excess overtime is worked. Bob Jones, in a memo distributed to stewards at some Ohio terminals, directs YRC and Holland management to essentially rewrite Article 5, Section 6 of the NMFA. The contract requires that when total overtime worked for a week...
BNA Daily Labor: Three-Year East Coast Costco Contract For 3,500 Workers OK'd by Teamsters
March 12, 2010: Members of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters in three locals in New Jersey, New York, Maryland, and Virginia March 11 ratified a new three-year contract with Costco Wholesale Corp. that increases wages by $1.50 an hour over term and provides twice-yearly bonuses totaling between $5,000 and $8,000, based on years of service, the union announced. Union members in February ratified a similar agreement with Costco at some 40 locations throughout California for...
Teamster VP at Center of Nepotism Scandal
March 11, 2010: 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 Hoffa has moved to protect Hamilton and his political power base in Philadelphia. A lengthy investigation by the IRB found that movie jobs in Philadelphia Local 107 were doled out to friends and...
Few Wins at UPS Freight Panel
UPDATED March 10, 2010. The results are back from the March UPS Freight national grievance panel, but they aren’t pretty. Out of 27 grievances heard, the union won only five cases. The union referred back five more grievances for the local to resolve with the company. The panel postponed or put on hold 36 more grievances. After three days in Ft. Lauderdale, the union has little to show for its time except for a few...
UPS Freight Subcontracting Update
March 9, 2010: UPS Freight Teamsters nationally have been demanding union action on widespread subcontracting violations. And they seem to have gotten the ear of our Teamster leadership. The International Union announced at the end of the national grievance panel that it will take a “lead case” from Dallas Local 745 to arbitration. A recent TDU special report documented subcontracting violations across the country that are putting Teamster members out of work while subcontractors take...
YRC Says No Cell Phones
March 9, 2010: YRC has issued a company policy saying no cell phones, including hands-free types, may ever be used while operating a YRC vehicle. Most drivers we've talked to have not heard about it yet. We don't know if management intends to enforce this new policy or not, or what the union leadership will do about it. The policy statement indicates that they intend to force drivers to sign it. Since when do Teamsters...
Reddaway Teamsters Again Reject Concessions
March 9, 2010: In a vote tallied on March 8, Teamsters employed by Reddaway Truck Lines, a regional subsidiary of YRCW, rejected a contract offer including concessions. The Northwest Teamsters, members of Locals 162, 174, 206, 324, and 962 in Oregon and Washington, have had a contract with Reddaway for decades. The economics of the rejected deal were negotiated by IBT Freight Division representatives without involvement of Local Union representatives and stewards from the affected...