Hoffa Rep Gives Members’ Money to Wal-Mart
April 22, 2006: Hoffa International Rep Rick Middleton, who also heads Los Angeles Local 572, has a little explaining to do. Middleton has invested $20,000 of members’ dues money in the notorious union-buster Wal-Mart. “Wal-Mart is hurting the Teamsters and all of organized labor. When our local officials invest thousands of dollars into Wal-Mart, it sends a mixed message to the membership."Frank HalsteadRalphs, Local 572Los AngelesMany members of Local 572 who work in the grocery...
Hoffa Loses in Home Local
April 22, 2006: The United Teamsters Against Hoffa Slate swept all six positions in the convention delegate race in Pontiac, Mich. Local 614—the home local of General President James Hoffa. Hoffa hand-picked Local 614 and transferred his membership there because he considered it safe territory. But Teamsters have turned against Hoffa in his adopted home local. “It’s time for Jimmy to get out of there. We need a union man running our International, not a...
Rail Teamsters Need Change
April 22, 2006: “Rail engineers and trainmen face vicious attacks from their employers. If we’re going to meet the challenges we face in the rail industry, then we must make change in our union,” said Ed Michael, a Union Pacific rail engineer and Teamster in the BLET. Michael, a member of the TDU International Steering Committee, was recently elected convention delegate along with alternate delegate Brad Thompson. Rail Teamsters are up against the most serious...
Decline in Union Grocery Warehousing a Growing Problem in the Northeast
April 22, 2006: The closing of a Maryland distribution center by C&S Wholesalers will result in the loss of 370 Teamster jobs in the coming months. And in February, Stop and Shop in New Haven, Conn. announced the closing of its distribution center, putting over 500 Teamsters out of work. Where did most of these jobs go? You guessed right: to a non-union facility run by C&S Wholesalers in Massachusetts. These two recent events are...
Memphis Voters Defeat Hoffa Running Mate
April 22, 2006: A slate of working Teamsters swept the delegate race in Memphis Local 667, defeating Hoffa running mate and International Union Trustee Henry Perry. Hoffa aggressively backed his running mate, endorsing him in a glossy campaign mailer that was sent to every Local 667 member. But Hoffa’s support proved to be the kiss of death. Three of the four members of the losing slate are Hoffa appointees. “Teamsters here in Memphis don’t want...
Gate Gourmet Teamsters Say No to Concessions, Authorize Strike
January 28, 2005: Workers at Gate Gourmet, an airline and railroad food service provider, are voting in December to authorize a strike if the company won’t sign a fair contract. The Teamsters and UNITE HERE jointly represent about 8,000 Gate Gourmet workers nationally, with individual locations represented by one union or split (drivers as Teamsters). The IBT represents 3,500 members in cities including Chicago, Los Angeles, Washington D.C., Atlanta, and Memphis. The notice of a...
Teamsters Fight Union Busting at Tyson
January 28, 2005: Local 556 Teamsters at Tyson Foods know what they want in the New Year—to beat corporate union-busting at the world’s largest meatpacking company and win a new contract. Meatpacking is dangerous work—especially at Tyson’s plant in Pasco, Wash., where Teamster members are injured at three times the national average for comparable meatpacking plants. Tyson Teamsters know they can’t beat a multinational corporation on their own. Since electing a reform leadership in 2000,...
Setbacks for Hoffa Tradeshow Director
Local 82 Teamsters in Boston overwhelmingly voted to approve a series of bylaws amendments to give members a stronger voice in the local. More than 140 members turned out to the local union meeting on March 26 and voted by huge margins in favor of the reforms—an incredible turnout given that the local only has 650 members. The overwhelming Yes vote came over the strong opposition of Secretary-Treasurer John Perry. It was the second rank-and-file...
Tentative Agreement in Central Region: Nothing There
After five years of record profits at UPS, Teamsters know they deserve a fair share of the company's success. President Hoffa has repeatedly promised "the best contract in Teamster history. "So why did Hoffa's negotiating committee settle the Central Region contract supplement, the largest in the UPS contract, without any significant gains and even with some give-backs?! The union put fifty (50) proposals on the bargaining table in the Central Region, but came back empty...
Mercury Spill on Ohio Sort Belt Raises Serious Questions
On May 2, when a mercury spill turned up on the main sort belt in the UPS Sharonville Building near Cincinnati, management failed to respond properly. UPS did not secure the area, isolate the spill, inform employees, nor evacuate workers from the spill area. “I always thought the idea was ‘safety first’,” says Local 100 full time steward Sam Bucalo. Management appeared more concerned about keeping stewards from investigating the situation than about resolving the...