Ron Carey: Visionary Teamster Leader Dies at 72
December 12, 2008: Ron Carey, a former UPS driver and Teamster president who set the standard for union leaders for courage and honesty and transformed the leadership of our union died yesterday at age 72. Carey passed away at New York City Queens Hospital. Carey toppled mob rule in the Teamsters, became the International Union’s first democratically elected General President and used his influence to change the leadership and direction of the AFL-CIO. In 1997,...
Avista Demands Cuts at Star Tribune
December 12, 2008: Avista has launched a new assault on the unions at the Minneapolis Star Tribune, demanding the unions agree to the union-busting conditions by early January. The private equity firm is proposing to slash wages to nonunion levels. Among those targeted are the three Teamster units at the Star Tribune, but every union is facing cruel demands from the company. Avista, which bought Minnesota’s largest newspaper nearly two years ago, has indicated to...
Central States Fund Down $9.8 Billion
December 11, 2008: The Central States Pension Fund has lost $9.8 billion in assets during 2008, according to a report from CSPF Director Thomas Nyhan. As of Nov. 30, 2008, the fund’s assets were $17 billion. That is $4 billion down from the Sept. 30, 2008 figure, which we published in November. Nyhan notes that the fund has lost 32 percent on its investment portfolio during 2008. Most pension funds, along with 401(k)s and other...
Memorandum from Thomas Nyhan on the Status of Central States
TDU has obtained the text of a memo from Thomas Nyhan about the effects of the fall in the financial markets and the status of the Central States pension fund. Below is the text of that memo. Thomas Nyhan 12/5/2008 2:05 PM Over the last several weeks I have received numerous inquiries from Central States' employees as to the status of the Pension Fund and my views concerning the recent stock market meltdown. Here are...
Victorious Workers at Republic End Sit-In
December 11, 2008: Workers at the Republic Windows and Doors factory in Chicago ended their week-long occupation last night, chanting "we did it!" as they left the plant. The deal includes $1.75 million in severance and back pay and two months of health coverage, affecting some 240 members of United Electrical Workers Local 1100. “We fought to make them pay what they owe us, and we won,” remarked Local 1100 leaders regarding the settlement, which...
How Did We Get to This Point?
December 9, 2008: Ballots are out and YRCW Teamsters are voting on concessions under the threat of the company going into bankruptcy. How did we get to this point? The International Union today mailed out some 40,000 ballots to Yellow Roadway Corporation Teamsters on whether or not to accept a 10 percent wage cut for more than four years. The decision is in the hands of Teamster members. Teamsters are angry and bitter at corporate...
Freight Teamsters Will Have Observers at the Vote Count
TDU is providing freight Teamsters with up-to-date news and analysis about concessions at Yellow Roadway. 12/24 UPDATE: Click here to view the Yellow/Roadway Change of Operations. Click here to read a summary of the proposed concessions. Click here to download this summary as a bulletin you can print out and distribute to fellow Teamsters. Click here to sign up for freight updates from TDU. Click here to join TDU and support a new direction in...
UPS Freight Tries to Steal Christmas
December 9, 2008: UPS Freight is aiming to be the Scrooge of 2008, by stealing the Christmas holidays from 12,000 Teamster employees. That’s right, the largest transport corporation in the world is trying to escape holiday pay for December 24 and 25. Will they get away with it? That remains to be seen. So far the International Union is treating it as a routine grievance, which may not be settled ‘till long after Christmas. UPS...
Chicago Workers Continue Factory Occupation
December 9, 2008: Support has grown for workers at Republic Windows and Doors, as their sit-down protest enters its fifth day. Talks between Bank of America, Republic and its employees, 240 of whom are members of United Electrical Workers (UE) Local 1100, have continued to result in a stalemate. The workers have been occupying the plant since Friday, when Republic announced it would be closing operations at once—without paying back-pay, vacation pay or front-pay owed...
Bloomberg: Con-way Cuts 1,450 Jobs
December 9, 2008: Con-way Inc., the second-largest U.S. trucking company, slashed its 2008 earnings forecast to as much as 20 percent less than analysts’ average estimate and cut 1,450 jobs as freight volumes fell. Click here to read more at Bloomberg.