Canadian Pacific track workers to strike Wednesday
May 14, 2007: MONTREAL (Reuters) - Some 3,200 workers who maintain track at Canadian Pacific Railway Ltd, Canada's second-largest railway, are set to strike early on Wednesday, the company and union said on Saturday. The Teamsters Canada Rail Conference Maintenance of Way Employees Division said it had served a 72-hour strike notice on CP Rail over failed talks on wages and other issues. The union represents about 3,200 employees who inspect, maintain and build the...
Traffic World: ABF Wants Out of Pension Funds
May 11, 2007: by John Gallagher in Traffic World Online --Arkansas Best Corp. President and Chief Executive Officer Robert Davidson said he's willing to take the financial hit necessary to negotiate with labor an end to its multiemployer pension fund contributions. "We can provide the same benefits that we're providing now directly to our employees at significantly less cost than we're now paying," Davidson told Wall Street analysts at a conference sponsored by Bear Stearns...
Will Hoffa Let UPS Split Up the Central States Pension Fund?
May 9, 2007: Management has put a proposal on the table to pull UPS Teamsters out of the Central States Pension Plan – the plan that covers 42,000 full-timers in 25 states. UPS wants to create new pension plan to be run jointly by trustees from UPS and the Teamsters—similar to the Local 804 plan where the company recently forced through a 30 percent pension cut over the opposition of Teamster trustees. Management knows what...
New Contract Must Fix Language Problems Left Over from the 'Best Contract Ever'
May 9, 2007: See what UPS workers say they want out of contract negotiations. No Early Contract Unless Our Issues Are Addressed “UPS made $4 billion last year. They are getting fatter while we get the shaft. The Teamsters need to take a stand and look out for our future. That means us. The union isn’t the executive board. We are the union—the rank and file. Without us, there is no Teamsters. We have the...
Join TDU: Plug into the Network that’s Organizing for a Strong UPS Contract
May 9, 2007: “Teamsters at UPS have been kept in the dark about bargaining. But our right to vote gives us the power to reject an early deal if Hoffa and Hall settle short. “TDU will get the details of any early settlement out to members fast so UPS Teamsters can make an informed decision. Be in the loop. Stand up for our contract. Join TDU today.” Dianne Bolton, Local 174 Seattle, Feeder Driver Co-chair...
Time To Get Ready for the '08 Freight Contract
May 9, 2007: Teamsters in the Freight Division are determined not to be ignored in the upcoming bargaining. It is time for the voices of the members and locals to be heard. A network of freight Teamsters is forming, initiated by members of Teamsters for a Democratic Union, and will become visible in the days to come in the shops, local unions, and on the internet. Initial plans call for a website and a series...
Master Freight: The Time is Now
May 9, 2007: My freight brothers and sisters, a call to action. It’s time to dig out those National Master Freight contract books that expire March 31, 2008…the names of the union negotiating committee members are in there, thirty-three of them plus Hoffa. Many will be back at the table this time around. If one of these guys is in your local, it’s time to get to them in union meetings with our contract demands....
Carhaulers: Prepare for Contract Battle Ahead
May 9, 2007: The Hoffa administration threatened just enough Allied Teamsters to narrowly pass concessions in April. There is a lesson in that vote for all of us. In the locals where carhaulers distributed TDU information and talked to fellow members, the concessions were voted down. We needed more TDU members, more outreach, and a stronger network. We can’t wait till it’s too late: many Allied Teamsters got in touch with us after the vote....
Did Ron Burkle Conspire with Hoffa to Acquire Allied?
May 9, 2007: Two shareholders who own 337,000 shares of Allied Holdings filed a class action suit charging that Yucaipa owner Ron Burkle conspired in 2006 with the leadership of the Teamsters to take control of Allied. The suit, filed under the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act, alleges that in May 2006 Burkle made his move, after his business partner, former President Bill Clinton, helped get Hoffa on board. The Teamster leadership then...
Right to Vote Gives Members the Power to Stop Hoffa From Settling Short (Again) at UPS
May 9, 2007: The IBT has the power to keep Teamsters in the dark about UPS bargaining—and they’re doing it. But the final say on early negotiations lies in the hands of working Teamster. UPS Teamsters have more power than many of us realize. We have the power to Vote No and reject an early contract if Hoffa and Hall settle short. In 2002, they sold us a weak agreement as the Best Contract Ever...