May 28, 2008: DHL unveiled a far-reaching restructuring of its troubled U.S. express business Wednesday that includes a sharp pullback in its operations and outsourcing its air transport business to competitor UPS. John Allan, chief financial officer of DHL parent Deutsche Post World Net, called the moves "radical and decisive actions" but said it will still leave DHL losing $3 billion between 2008 and 2011. DHL said it will eliminate about 34 percent of its...

May 28, 2008: Deutsche Post AG, Europe's biggest mail carrier, will shrink its U.S. network, fire workers and transfer some deliveries to United Parcel Service Inc. as it seeks to limit losses at its unprofitable DHL division. The turnaround plan will cost Deutsche Post as much as $2 billion and generate cost savings of about $1 billion a year, the Bonn-based company said today in a statement. DHL will cut as many as 1,800 jobs...

May 28, 2008: The International Brotherhood of Teamsters announced May 27 that it has reached a tentative agreement with Denver-based Frontier Airlines for wage and benefit concessions as the company works to emerge from Chapter 11 bankruptcy. Frontier spokesman Steve Snyder told BNA May 27 that the agreement, reached over the Memorial Day weekend, would implement concessions in wages and benefits for mechanics, tool room employees, aircraft appearance workers, material specialists and related personnel. Teamsters...

May 23, 2008: Legislation to create a national database of drug and alcohol tests results from commercial truck drivers will be drafted by the House Transportation Committee, lawmakers said May 21. Committee Chairman James L. Oberstar (D-Minn.) and Ranking Member John L. Mica (R-Fla.) told reporters that they will work together to create a bill that addresses shortcomings in the trucking industry's drug and alcohol testing arena. The lawmakers said the bill is being prompted...

May 23, 2008: The Freight Division has given local unions eight Memoranda of Understanding that the union has signed with the freight carriers. Some of these modifications or additions to the National Master Freight Agreement were revealed prior to the contract vote, but some of them were previously unknown to members. One side-letter deals with a provision of the Pension Protection Act. It provides that in the event that employers are required to pay a...

May 19, 2008: Citing high diesel and insurance costs as well as the the economic downturn, Jevic Transportation of Delanco said today that it was ceasing operations after 27 years. The Burlington County firm said it would deliver all freight that was within its system before the closing announcement. Click here to read more at Philly.com.

May 16, 2008: The Central States Pension Fund plans to extend the 2002 pension cuts until approximately 2028, according to plan documents obtained by Teamsters for a Democratic Union (TDU). The fund does not foresee any more cuts in benefits. But it also does not project moving to a well-funded situation that would allow an increase in pension accruals until 2028. This information – and more – is contained in the “Rehabilitation Plan,” which is...

May 16, 2008: At hearings on May 12-13, the Teamster Freight Division heard Yellow, Roadway and Holland present proposed changes of operations to take advantage of new freight contract language. A few locals spoke out forcefully to include protections for the jobs and seniority of Teamsters, while allowing the companies to use the new “utility employee” language of the contract. Harrisburg Local 776, a freight local with two large breakbulks, came well prepared to question...

May 14, 2008: The trucking industry is lobbying to allow heavier trucks on our highways. But heavier will lead to more deaths and damage to infrastructure, according to a statement today from Public Citizen. Read the statement from Joan Claybrook, president of Public Citizen.

May 14, 2008: How can we overcome apathy, unite members, and help solve problems on the job? That was the subject of a TDU workshop on May 4 in Minnesota. The workshop brought together members from Locals 120, 320 and 638 to learn and share strategies for putting teeth into the grievance procedure. “Solving a problem is about more than just filing a grievance,” said Dave Kremer, a member from Local 320 at the University...