Will Our Union Fight to Save Carhaul Jobs?
The nonunion attack against carhaul Teamsters continues unabated. Teamsters in Selkirk, N.Y., Hazelwood, Mo., and Baltimore are the latest casualties. Over 200 Baltimore Jobs Lost At the end of December Baltimore Local 557 lost over 200 carhaul jobs to carrier New Concept Solutions. Leaseway, now owned by Penske, had operated out of the terminal since 1938. GM refused Leaseway’s request for a rate increase and Penske terminated the contract. Drivers at New Concept Solutions are...
Allied Requests Wage, Benefit Concessions
In a March 26 letter to its employees, Allied Systems revealed that back on Jan. 8 they requested the elimination of the June 1, 2002, contractual wage increase and health and welfare increase. Incredibly, Teamster leaders never bothered to inform the 6,000 Teamsters employed by Allied about the details of this concession request made three months ago. The International has rejected the deal; there is no way it could be accepted. Other carriers would immediately...
Allied Gives Away More Carhaul Jobs
Allied is in the process of giving away the yard jobs at seven GM plants, reportedly about 200 Teamster jobs. Flint, Detroit, Ft.Wayne, Janesville, Wisc; Moraine, Ohio; Bowling Green, KY; and Doraville, Ga are going to lose Teamster yard jobs as the work goes to Vascor from Allied’s TSI subsidiary. Allied is apparently not even bidding on the work. Vascor is a growing logistics player in the auto industry and already operates some off-site yard...
Allied Demands Carhaul Concessions
Allied Automotive Group has once again demanded concessions from Teamster carhaulers in the form of relief from the June 1 2005 wage increase and relief from “restrictive, non-competitive work rules.” IBT Carhaul Director Doc Conder turned Allied down on February 18. Allied’s CEO Hugh Sawyer dropped a hint (or a threat) into his February 1 letter, now distributed widely to Allied Teamsters, by mentioning the possibility of bankruptcy. If Sawyer attempts to use bankruptcy court...
Go Teamsters: ATT Workers to Vote on Union
Auto Truck Transport (ATT) drivers across the country will soon get a chance to vote to become Teamsters. In mid- September the NLRB issued the election decision for 1,300 drivers in a nation-wide unit. ATT is controlled by Dennis Troha, the CEO of Active Transport, which is covered by our national carhaul contract. ATT was created a decade ago as a union-busting device, and Troha has been able to evade the language against double-breasting in...
Union Hires Pollster to Sell Carhaul Concessions
The Hoffa administration hired a polling firm in May to ask many of the 4,000 Teamsters employed by Allied Automotive Group if they would accept mid-term contract concessions. The poll asked Teamsters if they would forego the June 1 wage increase of 40 cents per hour or accept other concessions. U.S. and Canadian Teamster carhaulers have not had a raise in three years. Allied management (or is it mismanagement?) has once again demanded concessions, claiming...
DHL: The Next Move?
Mergers and acquisitions are the name of the game in the new trucking industry as companies scramble to compete against one another in all sectors of the market: LTL freight, parcel delivery and global logistics. DHL may be the next big player to buy a major freight carrier. Analysts agree that if they intend to grow and compete with UPS and FedEx, DHL cannot remain strictly an airfreight operation. Airfreight’s rapid expansion is over and...
Teamster Officials Meet to Discuss UPS Contract Enforcement
In June, officers and BAs attended a meeting in Chicago to discuss the international union’s plans for UPS contract enforcement. Three years into the UPS contract, it is the first such meeting held.Whether the Chicago meeting is the start of something good or just a pre-IBT election chance to politic remains to be seen. But if the IBT says they are setting a new course, we should hold them to it. One point addressed at...
Why No Fizz in the UPS COLA?
Why No Fizz in the UPS COLA?The UPS contract has a cost of living allowance (COLA), which was played up in selling the contract as the “best ever.” Why then do we never get anything out of this clause? An examination of the details of Article 33 shows why. There are three fine-print facts to know about the clause. First, before the COLA kicks in, the inflation rate has to exceed 3 percent on a...
UPS Hits New Low in Attack on Pregnant Employees
When Mary Plagman's doctor put her on a 25-pound weight restriction because of her pregnancy, UPS management informed her that they had no work available for her. As they have done with many other women in her position, UPS forced her off the job and onto leave under the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA).Anticipating the end of her FMLA leave Plagman-Markham planned to go onto disability leave, but now UPS is challenging her ability...