How Do Working Teamsters Stack Up?
Last year, some of the biggest pay hikes went to the very officials who have overseen the worst concessions and benefit cuts in Teamster history. James HoffaIn his ten years in office, General President James Hoffa has nearly doubled his compensation. Last year he made $383,132. Butch LewisLocal 100 freight Teamster Butch Lewis took a 15 percent pay cut—and his pension was frozen for 18 months. Bill HamiltonLast year Local 107 President Bill Hamilton got...
Dimes on the Dollar For 9.5 Violations
September 11, 2009: UPS Teamsters are increasingly getting just dimes on the dollar for 9.5 violations—when they get anything at all. The problem is epidemic and infecting areas where members historically have been able to win full penalty pay. Teamsters in Oklahoma Local 886 have been used to seeing their grievances paid dollar for dollar. But after a year of waiting, the Southern Region panel has ruled on 9.5 grievances filed between June and October...
UPS Mechanics Hold Strike Vote
September 11, 2009: As we go to press, Teamsters Local 2727 is scheduling a strike vote of 1,400 UPS plane mechanics. The company wants Teamster mechanics and retirees to start contributing to their health insurance premiums. Management also wants to reduce coverage. Industry analysts have told the press that our union has real leverage because a strike could affect UPS at its busiest time of the year. Management is dismissive of the strike vote. UPS...
UPS Still Profitable in Tough Economy
September 11, 2009: UPS announced after-tax profits of $445 million for the second quarter of 2009, up from $401 million in the first quarter. In the worst economy in our lifetimes, UPS has turned $846 million in after-tax profits in the first six months of the year. By comparison, FedEx lost $779 million from Dec. 1, 2008 to May 31, 2009—the most recent six months for which the company’s earnings info is available. UPS’s volume...
Central States: Ten Years of Decline Under Hoffa
September 11, 2009: This graph shows the decline in participants in the Central States Pension Fund during the 10-year reign of James Hoffa as Teamster president. The number of active participants has fallen from 185,000 in 1999 to 77,000 in 2009, a loss of well over 100,000 participants to the fund. The number of participants dropped sharply in December 2007 when Hoffa let UPS pull 44,000 Teamsters out of the fund. During Hoffa’s tenure, an...
YRC Pension Withdrawal Hurts Funds
September 11, 2009: YRC is saving $40 million per month by not paying into any Teamster pension fund on its 35,000 Teamster employees. This concession is aimed at keeping YRC afloat, and its hard-working drivers, dockhands, mechanics and office workers on the job. But that same saving for YRC means a $500 million annual deficit in payments to Teamster pension funds. Some, like the Western Conference Fund, can absorb the loss because of a good...
Central States: Assets at $17.5 Billion; New Reemployment Rule
September 11, 2009: A review of the second quarter Financial and Analytical Report of the Central States Pension Fund shows that assets are up, but its problems continue. Central States has also slightly amended its ‘reemployment’ rule which will help some over-65 retirees. As of June 30, CSPF assets stood at $17.5 billion, almost exactly the same as the $17.4 billion in assets at the start of 2009. The fund made 15.0 percent on its...
Baltimore Fund Cuts Early Retirement
September 11, 2009: Baltimore pension trustees have made drastic cuts to early retirement benefits for freight and carhaul Teamsters. Now many are facing more years on the job than they ever expected. On Aug. 4., the Local 557 Pension Fund announced drastic cuts for Teamsters taking early retirement after Sept. 4. (The Teamsters are members of Local 355, but they kept their own pension fund after their locals merged.) Before the cuts, members with 30...
New Penn Teamsters Approve Concessions
September 9, 2009: New Penn Teamsters voted by a 890-329 margin to approve YRCW’s concessions, after management and the International union threatened that they would lose their jobs if they once again said no. It was not surprising that most Teamsters reluctantly voted yes, after the threats that were handed down to the nearly 2000 Teamsters. The concession deal was still rejected in Boston Local 25 and Philadelphia Local 107. The votes were tallied today,...
Top Officials Get a $1 Million Raise
September 4, 2009: Last year the salaries of the highest-paid Teamster officials went up by $1,041,276. That's according to the annual $150,000 Club Report produced by the Teamster Rank and File Education and Legal Defense Foundation (TRF). Forty-four officials got a raise of over $10,000 last year. Over 110 Teamster officers made over $150,000 in salaries last year, the highest number ever. The TRF report will be issued next week. TRF has published the report...