New York No Vote Reverses Pension Givebacks
December 5, 2007: New York Local 804 members voted by 3 to 1 to reject the national contract and the Local 804 supplement. Now, that No Vote has paid off.Members are preparing to vote on a better offer from UPS that restores 30 & Out benefits to $3,600 a month-without key givebacks that were included in the first offer.The Local 804 Executive Board unanimously endorsed the company's first offer which would have eliminated 25 &...
Make UPS Deliver: Lessons from the Campaign
December 5, 2007: UPS Teamsters were not able to defeat givebacks this time. An analysis of voting results shows what it will take for us to succeed in the future. UPS entered contract talks making record profits of more than $4 billion and under pressure from stockholders to settle the contract early. Our chief negotiators James Hoffa and Ken Hall had the leverage to make UPS deliver. Instead, they gave the company the early deal...
Hoffa-Hall Give Back '97 Strike Gains
December 5, 2007: With the new 2008 contract, Hoffa and Hall gave back to UPS the key gains of our historic 1997 strike: strong Teamster pensions, 10,000 full-time jobs, and more. This happened in no small part because Hoffa and Hall gave up on the contract campaign strategy that made those gains possible. In 1997, our International Union launched a year-long campaign that gave information and power to our members. Every UPS Teamster had a...
Freight Talks on Fast Track
December 5, 2007: As freight talks resume on Dec. 5, the information blackout continues and rumors are flying high. Members are left wondering what our goals are. Freight negotiations between the International Union and Yellow Roadway resume in early December, with attention shifting from the supplements to the master contract. The information blackout continues, leaving rumors flying high and members wondering what the bargaining goals are. Negotiations with ABF are on a slow track, waiting...
DHL Demands Expanded Use of Part-Timers
December 5, 2007: Thousands of DHL Teamsters are facing a threat to their future jobs and our union’s strength, as their chief negotiator has stated his view that “part-timers will be in the contract” because “DHL is demanding them.” The good news is that most DHL Teamsters are ready to say No to that concession, and No to concessions in general. Expanding the use of part-timers—to destroy good full-time Teamster jobs and take away members’...
Members Eye New Round of Concessions at IBC
December 5, 2007: Billionaire investor Ron Burkle says he has an “exclusive” deal with the Teamsters for concessions at Interstate Bakeries. But the billionaire investor and our top officials aren’t telling the details of their plans for a takeover of the bankrupt Teamster employer. On Nov. 30, a federal bankruptcy judge denied IBC management’s request for the details of Burkle’s secret deal with the Teamsters. Over 9,500 Teamsters make, deliver, and sell Hostess Twinkies, Wonder...
Potential Pension Threat in the Future
December 5, 2007: The removal of 44,000 UPS full-time Teamsters from Central States opens the door to lower pensions for all Teamsters down the road—not just in the Central States. UPS is set to save billions of dollars with the deal. TDU pension attorney Ann Curry Thompson answers questions during a pension rights workshop.Whatever your pension plan, members need to understand why UPS wanted this deal and what it means for you. Lowest Pension in...
Pennsylvania UPSers Vote No, Win Gains
December 5, 2007: Against the advice of the International, UPS Teamsters in Pennsylvania voted to reject the national contract and the Central Pennsylvania and Western Pennsylvania supplements. Their No Vote got UPS to put better offers on the table—which are being put to a vote now. The improvements in the new offer are limited—and many members feel more could have been won. After the contract, UPS and the International Union put on a full court...
Two UPS Contracts Still Not Bargained
December 5, 2007: The national UPS contract may soon be settled if the rejected supplements gain approval after being improved. But nearly 20,000 UPSers work under local contracts that are independent of the national agreement—and far from settled. UPS Teamsters throughout Indiana, Illinois and Davenport, Iowa are covered by the Local 705 contract (Chicago area) or the Local 710 contract (covering the rest of Illinois, much of Indiana, and Davenport). Neither of these contracts is...
Seattle Waste Members Win Major Pension Boost
December 5, 2007: Local 174 members at Waste Management and Allied Waste are getting a pension boost of $1.18 per hour in 2008 thanks to strong language negotiated in their last agreement. Under the Local 174 wastehaul agreements, members won major annual increases in healthcare contributions for their medical dental and vision benefits—starting with a 12 percent in year one of the contract and going up each year. At the end of each year, if...