What We Need From Bargaining
Aggressive Contract Proposals Needed for UPS Contract October 18, 2006. We all have high hopes for improvements in our UPS contract, but an over-arching goal has to be to strengthen our union and secure our future. With that in mind, concerned UPS members and leaders are looking at what it will take in our contract to undo problems in the current contract, and protect our future on the job and in retirement. Secure our Pension...
Drivers for FedEx Unit Are Employees, NLRB Regional Director Determines
BNA Daily Labor ReportRick Valliere October 2, 2006. Drivers for FedEx Home Delivery are statutory employees of the company and not independent contractors, a National Labor Relations Board regional director ruled Sept. 20, ordering a union representation election sought by the Teamsters union at two Massachusetts locations (FedEx Home Delivery & Teamsters Local 24, NLRB Cases 1-RC-22034, 22035, 9/20/06). The decision is the latest in a string of victories before various tribunals around the country...
UPS Management Campaigns for Hoffa
Major IBT Employers Back Hoffa October 18, 2006. Give UPS management credit. When they decided to back Hoffa, they didn’t go halfway.Not only did UPS management give Hoffa unlimited access to campaign inside their largest facility, the UPS Worldport hub in Louisville: UPS management literally chauffeured Hoffa around the grounds. Management drove Hoffa and his entourage from building to building in a company van so he could campaign throughout the facility on Oct. 13, just...
On a Quest to Make History
The Woman Who is President of a New York Teamsters Local is in an Uphill Race for Secretary-Treasurer of the National Union By Stephen FranklinChicago Tribune staff reporter October 12, 2006. Say a mean-looking, burly guy starts giving Sandy Pope a tough time at a Teamsters union meeting. Her inclination is to walk up to him and ask what's his problem. "I'm pretty in your face," she said about the style she has relied on...
Ballot Count Starts November 14
October 18, 2006: The International Union vote count will start on Nov.14 in Alexandria, Va. and will take approximately four days for the Election Supervisor to complete. The process will be open to a number of observers from the Leedham and Hoffa slates. The count will be done one region at a time, and on a local-by-local basis. TDU will make the ongoing vote count available and post it online. If you would like to...
Hoffa Campaign Busted for Laundering Dues Again
October 18, 2006: For the second time, the Election Supervisor has caught the Hoffa campaign taking union dues to fund their campaign. On Oct. 3, the Election Supervisor ruled that Steve Mack, the brother of Hoffa running mate Chuck Mack, laundered $14,000 in members’ dues money into the Hoffa-Mack Campaign. Hoffa’s Special Assistant Rome Aloise (Chuck and Steve Mack’s brother-in-law) was found guilty in August of laundering $15,720 of members’ money into the Hoffa campaign....
Records Show Hoffa Campaign Bagged $3 Million from Officials
Campaign Spending Report October 18, 2006: Forms filed by the Hoffa campaign with the Election Supervisor show that the Hoffa Campaign and candidates have spent some $3 million, with approximately 90 percent of that coming from Teamster officials, many of them on Hoffa’s payroll. Forms filed by the Leedham campaign indicate that about $300,000 was raised and spent, most of it from working Teamsters. Forms filed by TDU, an independent movement of Teamsters backing Leedham,...
Member Action Wins Greater Accountability From Central PA Fund
October 18, 2006: For years the Central Pennsylvania Teamsters Fund was plagued with questionable administration and benefits inferior to many other Teamster Funds. Fed up with this state of affairs, members formed the Central PA Reform Committee. In 2002, three members filed a lawsuit against the fund. Initially they did the legal work on their own, but then attracted experienced pension attorney Ann Curry Thompson, who enlisted Alan Sandals, another experienced pension litigator, to serve...
Teamster Election: The Power Is In Our Hands
October 18, 2006: The ballots are out and our union’s future is in our hands. For Teamsters who want a new direction and a stronger union, our job is simple: to work all the way up to the vote count on Nov. 14 to turn out the vote for the Tom Leedham Slate. Leedham has won strong contracts and good benefits for 20 years by unleashing the power of Teamster members. Leedham’s plan for winning...
The Pension Protection Act: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly
October 18, 2006: The misnamed “Pension Protection Act” of 2006 will go into effect in 2008. Here we provide a summary of some of its impact on Teamsters. Thanks to attorney Ann Curry Thompson and the Pension Rights Center for their help interpreting this law for Teamsters. For a copy of “Frequently Asked Questions” about the PPA by Ann Curry Thompson, contact TDU. What Are Some Positive Aspects of the New Law?There are more negatives...