Early Deal at Anheuser Busch?
July 23, 2008: A new report this week speculates that Anheuser-Busch management may seek an early contract before the InBev takeover even takes effect. The report in the St. Louis Beacon quoted several industry and labor experts who expect A-B management to push for an early deal. The Teamster contract covers 7,000 Teamsters at A-B, and it expires on March 1, 2009. Talks on the new contract are scheduled for this August in Cincinnati. Some...
Canadian Brewery Workers Formed Alliance to Take on InBev
July 22, 2008: Canadian brewery workers who work for Labatt found themselves under the gun thirteen years ago when the Belgian brewing giant InBev bought the Canadian brewer Labatt. In response, they formed an alliance of unions, the Canadian Brewery Workers Alliance (CBWA). This was necessary to build unity and strength among the seven different unions at the seven Labatt breweries across Canada. These unions are the Teamsters at the Hamilton, Ontario brewery; the Canadian...
Local 705 UPSers Authorize Strike
July 21, 2008: More than three thousand Local 705 members turned out to the union hall on Sunday to participate in a vote to authorize a strike against UPS. Five hundred members were lined up at 9:00 a.m. on Sunday when the doors opened to start the voting. Balloting continued until 5 p.m. Members voted to authorize a strike should one be necessary by an overwhelming margin of 2,993 to 232. Bargaining will resume on...
AP: Republic Rejects Waste Management Bid
July 21, 2008: In a stinging letter Friday, garbage hauler Republic Services rejected an unsolicited $6.19 billion cash offer from larger rival Waste Management, saying the proposal "seriously undervalues" its company. Republic, the nation's third-largest waste collector, instead wants to stick with its own deal announced last month to buy No. 2 Allied Waste Industries Inc. The all-stock agreement was worth about $6.07 billion at the time. "Republic is not for sale," James O'Connor, the...
UPS Expands Spyware Program
July 17, 2008: Are new sensors appearing on your package car? UPS is expanding its use of new technology to monitor vehicles, and drivers, like never before. The company’s new “telematics program” uses computer technology to combine data UPS gathers through GPS, the DIAD board and new sensors that are being mounted on package cars in pilot areas. More than 200 new sensors are being mounted on select package cars to gather information on everything...
Is this the Teamsters Union, or the Corporate Sales Department?
July 17, 2008: Q. How do you know when a proposed contract is rotten? A. When they use corporate sales tricks to try to get you to buy it. Carhaulers are getting sales calls, and there will be more to come. Many are getting “polled” and asked directly how they intend to vote on the contract. The callers are not Teamsters. They work for Contact America, Meyer Teleservice, or another nonunion tele-marketer. By tomorrow you...
Local 355 Fund Refuses to Answer Questions
July 16, 2008: Ever since the Baltimore Local 355 fund cut the pension accrual rate was cut to zero, members have been asking for answers. Now the fund is telling them it won’t answer their questions. Download a bulletin you can post and distribute to other Teamsters.In February, Local 355 President Denis Taylor said the fund would be in the Red Zone, the worst funding level, if he didn’t cut the accrual rate to zero....
InBev Buys Anheuser Busch
July 14, 2008: It’s official. InBev will take over Anheuser-Busch to become the largest brewer in the world—leaving Teamsters to worry about their jobs and their future. The deal came after InBev upped its offer to $70 per share, from $65. InBev CEO Carlos Brito says he wants to trim A-B’s costs in the U.S. by $1.5 billion by 2011. InBev’s management has a brutal reputation, and Forbes says job cuts are “widely expected.” Many...
Press-Register: Alabama Coke Workers Vote to Strike
July 14, 2008: Bottling and delivery workers at Coca-Cola Bottling Co. Consolidated's Mobile-area operation were set to go on strike after Teamsters flatly rejected a contract offer from the Charlotte, N.C., company. Union members gathered this evening at the Teamsters hall on Broad Street and voted down the contract 176 to 15, said Jim Gookins, secretary-treasurer of Teamsters Local 991, which represents about 275 of 300 Coke workers in southwest Alabama and southeast Mississippi. Click...
2006 IBT Election Results for Canada
Canada L 855 28 130 16%L 927 52 107 13%L 979 85 235 20% L 31 364 1,062 23%L 155 75 122 23%L 213 296 974 14%L 464 47 160 14%JC 36 782 2,318 18% L 91 120 177 12%L 230 64 218 14%L 419 80 503 18%L 647 89 209 11%L 847 80 427 18%L 879 15 413 9%L 880 168 383 27%L 938 542 1,215 18%L 1979 50 87 10%JC 52 1,208 3,632...