November 14, 2008: Ralphs has announced plans to build the first-ever automated facility in the U.S. to handle perishable grocery items. California Teamster jobs are on the line. Until now, grocery warehouses were only automating non-perishable items that could be easily handled by the new machinery. Ralphs plans to open the new facility at its Compton warehouse in 2011. The automated facility will partially replace the existing Perishable Service Center at Compton, where approximately 900...

November 14, 2008: Teamsters at Anheuser Busch have won a new agreement they can be proud of. But a look at some of the fine print gives some hints about what life under new management may be like. Anheuser Busch Teamsters have overwhelmingly approved a new five-year contract that guarantees all 12 breweries will remain open for the life of the deal, plus a wage increase of $3.95 over five years. It could have been...

November 14, 2008: In September, Waste Management forced a disastrous concessionary contract on 240 Milwaukee Teamsters, which stole their pension plan. WMI management defeated their five-week strike and forced them out of the Central States Pension Plan. Now the concern is that WMI will make the same demand when their 13 other contracts covering Central States Teamsters come up, and that other companies will follow suit. The Milwaukee Teamsters who don’t already qualify for a...

November 14, 2008: The Western Conference of Teamsters Pension Fund has cut the pension accrual rate, effective Jan. 1, 2009, to 1.2 percent of employer contributions. For 2008 the accrual rate was two percent for Teamsters with less than 20 years in the fund, and 2.65 percent for 20-plus years. So this is approximately a 50 percent cut in what each Teamster will add to their pension next year. The Western Fund is well funded...

November 14, 2008: The crisis on Wall Street has millions of Americans—and many Teamsters—worried about their retirement. Multi-employer pension plans, like our Teamster funds, are still the safest bet for a secure retirement—in good times and bad. For years, corporate America has been telling members they would be better off if they had all of their retirement in a personal 401(k) plan—instead of the pension plans that hundreds of thousands of Teamster families rely on....

November 28, 2008: In 1989, top Teamster leaders agreed to create the Independent Review Board, a body that investigates and polices corruption in our union. In 1988, the federal government filed a racketeering lawsuit and tried to put our entire International Union under government trusteeship. Teamsters for a Democratic Union launched a campaign to stop the trusteeship and instead give Teamster members the power to reform our own union by winning the right to vote...

“Carhaul Teamsters learned a great lesson when we voted down the first offer. We beat back the concessions that both the companies and our union bargainers claimed they had to have. We knew times were tough but we stood strong in preserving our contract. That took organization to get it done and that’s where TDU comes in. “We held conference calls where carhaulers from across the country were able to share information and reinforce opposition...

November 13, 2008: The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s latest attempt to finalize the hours-of-service regulations is under review at the White House Office of Management and Budget. The final rule was submitted for approval in late October. FMCSA officials have repeatedly said the rule would be released by the end of the year. Click here to read more at Land Line.

November 14, 2008: In August, Teamster carhaulers stood up, said No to concessions and won an improved contract as a result. But there’s more work to be done. Carhaulers who are upset with the direction of our industry aren’t giving up. We’re getting organized. Teamster carhaulers who are upset with the direction of our industry met at the TDU Convention in October to make plans to do something about it. Ken Kontrath speaks to the...

November 10, 2008: DHL, the world's number one international logistics and express service provider, today announced a repositioning of its U.S. Express business. Beginning January 30, 2009, DHL's U.S. Express business will focus entirely on its international offerings and will discontinue its domestic-only air and ground services. However, the company will retain a strong international presence and capability in the U.S. going forward. The announcement was made this morning at a press conference held in...