Official Testifies That IBT Approved Mid-Contract Concession in New England
February 17, 2005: Boston Local 25 President Ritchie Reardon told Joint Council 10 that the IBT Parcel Division approved a mid-contract giveback to UPS that violates language in the New England supplement. Reardon’s statement was part of his testimony in a hearing on internal union charges over the concession. The testimony marks the first time that anyone has put on the record that the IBT approved the contract concession. Reardon said the approval was not...
Legal Action Stops Trusteeship Extension In Atlanta Local 528
February 17, 2007: When Hoffa’s handpicked candidate in Georgia Local 528 lost an election in December, he tried to get around the will of the membership by extending the local’s trusteeship. Fast legal action has stopped this trick and struck a blow for membership rights. Federal law states that unions must have compelling reasons to keep locals in trusteeship past a period of 18 months. Local 528 members first threatened legal action when the IBT...
Friends Don't Let Friends Cross Picket Lines
February 17, 2007: Teamster drivers are often called upon to honor picket lines. The law regarding where and when workers can picket— or legally respect another picket line—can get complicated. When union members are on strike, Teamster drivers need clear communication from our union—and we need it fast. The national UPS, freight and carhaul agreements all include strong language protecting Teamster drivers’ right to respect primary picket lines. The National Labor Relations Act also protects...
New Technology Threatens Rail Jobs, Public Safety
February 17, 2005: Like many others, the railroad industry has undergone dramatic restructuring over the past few decades. For train and engine crews, perhaps the biggest threat of the new century is the recent advent of remote control operation of trains in the rail yard and more recently, employers’ calls for single-person operation of over-the-road trains. Remote control operation was implemented on a broad scale on most of the nation’s major railroads in 2002. The...
Seattle Teamsters Back Railway Workers Fighting One-Person Train Crew Operations
February 17, 2005: In Seattle, rank and file engineers and trainmen are joining together with their Teamster brothers and sisters in the fight against the railroad carriers. The National Carriers Conference Committee, the negotiating body for most of the nation’s railroads, issued their “wish list” for the new national agreement last November. Among the most alarming demands was a plan to combine the duties of engineer and conductor into one “transportation employee” position (see article...
Labor Notes Releases Second Version of Popular Manual on Workplace Organizing
February 17, 2005: In January Labor Notes released A Troublemaker’s Handbook 2, edited by Jane Slaughter, the second edition of the popular manual on how to fight back at your workplace and win. Like the first edition, Troublemaker’s 2 is a strategy guide to organizing lessons, tactics, and strategies from the viewpoint of unionists on the front lines. Labor Notes is a Detroit-based newsletter publisher and education center for reformers in all unions. Many Teamster...
Info Blackout Continues Six Months Into UPS Talks
March 13, 2007: From MakeUPSDeliver.org—Next Monday will mark six months since our National Negotiating Committee kicked off bargaining with UPS—and the blackout on meaningful information is as bad as ever. It’s time for the International Union to tell us what’s happening with our contract.Our union has now been in intensive negotiations with the company for nearly three months. During that time, the IBT has issued just two bulletins. Each one has told us nothing, except...
It's Up to Allied Teamsters Now
March 15, 2007: Ballots on the tentative concessionary deal covering 3,300 Teamsters at Allied Holdings are now re-scheduled to be mailed on March 19, and should be in the hands of Allied Teamsters soon after that. The decision is now in the hands of Allied Teamsters. Allied Teamsters who are opposed to the concession deal will observe the vote count on April 16, thanks to a stipulated consent order won in federal court by Teamsters...
Rebuild Teamster Power in Freight
“We’ve got to get moving now on our next contract. In TDU, we’re the ones who are going to be asking the tough questions and pushing for stronger standards and better benefits.” Jimmy Rickert, Roadway Local 429, Lancaster, Penn. Contact our rank-and-file network in Freight. Click here to join an email list for news on the 2008 NMFA contract campaign. UPS Freight StickersGet it Straight at UPS Freight TDU members in Freight are launching a...