Women on Front Lines of Early Teamster Reform
Before TDU won the right for direct elections of delegates, women and minorities hardly ever made it to the floor of the Teamster Convention. The Right to Vote helped that situation. As we look forward to building a movement that includes the voices of all Teamsters, TDU would like to take advantage of Women’s History Month to acknowledge some exceptional women who have fought for their sisters and brothers against the corruption of previous Teamster...
Corruption and the Fall of Jimmy Hoffa: An Inside Story from the Man Who Claims He Killed Hoffa
Review: "I Heard You Paint Houses": Frank 'the Irishman' Sheeran and the Inside Story of the Mafia, the Teamsters, and the Final Ride of Jimmy Hoffa. "I heard you paint houses." Those are the first words Jimmy Hoffa ever spoke to Frank Sheeran, who would become a top Teamster official in the 1960s and '70s as well as a hired killer for Hoffa and the mob. The words refer to the splatter of blood when...
Pension Cuts Take A Human Toll
March 16, 2006: When the Central States Pension Fund trustees, led by chairman Fred Gegare, made drastic cuts two years ago, Teamsters knew their futures were not as secure as they once assumed. Those close to retirement paid the most attention, and took the lead in the Teamster fightback. These Teamsters thought they were set after nearly 30 years of hard work and couldn’t imagine top Teamster officials joining with the companies in such an...
Celebrating History in Minneapolis
On July 24th, Minnesota unionists and other social justice activists held a day-long celebration of the 70th Anniversary of the 1934 Minneapolis Teamsters Strike. In the summer of 1934, truck drivers demanding that employers recognize and bargain with their union shut down all freight and delivery traffic in and out of Minneapolis for weeks. “Flying squads” of picketers patrolled the streets, stopping all non-union deliveries. Business, supported by the local police, cracked down violently. Two...
Allied Threatens to Bust Contract in Court
February 8, 2006: Allied management sent thousands of carhaul Teamsters a letter dated January 31 stating that, unless they are given more concessions from Teamsters, then they may “seek appropriate relief from the bankruptcy court…to set aside an existing collective bargaining agreement and authorize reductions in pay and benefits.” It looks like they are testing the waters to see if they can get concessions from the International Union. We cannot have our national master contract...
Will Hoffa Enforce the Freight Contract?
February 8, 2006. Local 249 has submitted a request for strike authorization from the IBT in response to DHL’s unwillingness to comply with a September 2005 grievance decision. Five months have passed since the National Review Committee for the NMFA (Tyson Johnson for the IBT and Jim Roberts for TMI) ordered DHL to pay $90,000 worth of back pay to Teamsters in Pittsburgh for subcontracting violations. In January 2006 the Eastern Conference panel heard a...
Shake-Up Coming Down the Tracks in Rail
February 9, 2006. A high-level official of the Teamster Rail Conference’s Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen (BLET) announced his resignation amid speculation that he will challenge President Don Hahs for leadership of the BLET. Tom Brennan, the staff counsel for the national division announced he will return to operating a train rather than continue working under the leadership of BLET President Don Hahs. “I do not believe it is possible for me to continue...
Battle over Hours of Service Continues
February 28, 2006. On February 27, Public Citizen filed suit in the U.S. Court of Appeals to review the Hours of Service regulations put into effect by the D.O.T. The suit aims to reverse certain parts of the new regulations including the extension of driving time to 11 hours and the 34-hour restart provision. In July 2004 the same Court struck down the same regulations because the DOT refused to take into account the health...
Freight, Carhaul Teamsters to Get Raise
March 8, 2006. Freight and carhaul Teamsters will make less this year than last due to wages lost to inflation—despite COLA increases which will take affect next month. Freight Teamsters will get an extra 10c raise on April 1 because inflation has jumped to 4.1% over the past year, triggering a payout from the cost of living clause in the National Master Freight Agreement. Under the NMFA, a COLA kicks in when inflation exceeds 3.5...
Milwaukee Teamsters Elect Reform Delegates
February 28, 2006: On February 25th, the 5,000 members of Local 200 elected all seven delegates and two alternates from the Buban/Connell Strong Contracts, Good Pensions Slate, handing a defeat to the slate heavily backed by the Hoffa Campaign and International VP Fred Gegare. “In a record turn out for a delegate election, the members have sent a strong message,” said Local 200 Secretary Treasuer Tim Buban. They want reform at the national union in...