Commercial movers and art handlers in New York City have defeated an attempt to merge their local union. Members voted by 60 percent against the proposed merger—despite a barrage of mailings by both Local 814 and Local 810 officials trying to sell it. The merger had the endorsement of New York Joint Council 16. But it did not have support of the Local 814 membership. The no vote shows once again the value of the...

January 30, 2006: What Happens When Elections Are Not Supervised! Members Prove Chicago Local Rigged Election January 30, 2006. “We knew the election was stolen from us. But I don’t think we expected to get the black and white proof, and see how they did it,” explained Richard Berg, leader of the New Leadership Slate in Chicago Local 743. Berg referred to documents obtained by his attorney, Tom Geoghegan, from the U.S. Department of Labor...

January 30, 2006: Hoffa is trying to block all opposition candidates from getting on the ballots. Will your local elect delegates who will nominate the Tom Leedham Slate and give members a choice? Pension Reform Hundreds of thousands of Teamsters have had their benefits cut under Hoffa. Will your delegates support reforms to hold pension trustees accountable to the members? Strong Contracts, Not Dues Waste Will your delegates vote to eliminate multiple salaries for Teamster...

January 30, 2006: On June 26-30 some 1,700 delegates will meet in Las Vegas to chart the future of the Teamsters Union. They have the power to change our union for the better, or to maintain the status quo. The convention, which is held every five years, can rewrite our Teamster Constitution to make our union more democratic and accountable. Or, they can rewrite it to make it controlled from the top. They can nominate...

January 30, 2006: Tom Leedham and other candidates are hitting the road to hear from Teamster members and share ideas for rebuilding our union’s power. Do you want to talk with candidates about plans for winning strong contracts? Strengthening contract enforcement? Fighting cuts in Teamster pensions and benefits? Organizing the nonunion competition? Then look for a Tom Leedham Campaign event in your area. A partial listing of tour dates with the featured candidates appears below....

December 6, 2005: Teamster and employer trustees of the Central States Funds agreed to changes in benefits to keep the overburdened multi-employer pension fund from collapsing, a Teamsters faction reported. The dissident group Teamsters for a Democratic Union, in a Dec. 1 Web posting, blasted the agreement as a disservice to union members and called for firing the Teamster trustees. "In exchange for an IRS extension of the period allowing for amortizing the fund's unfunded...

December 5, 2005: Tom Leedham will soon be the only officially accredited opposition candidate for Teamster General President—thanks to a member-to-member effort by Teamster members who collected more than 55,000 signatures in just four weeks. “The response was incredible,” said John Youngermann, a Local 688 UPS Teamster who collected signatures in the St. Louis area. “Members were lining up to have the chance to vote against Hoffa and for International leaders who will fight for...

December 5, 2005: James Hoffa’s so-called “Unity” Slate split into competing factions as Tyson Johnson announced his candidacy for Teamster General President. Johnson is the Director of the Freight Division and an IBT Vice President from the Southern Region. Other Hoffa-slate Vice Presidents are reportedly joining the breakaway effort. Johnson announced his candidacy in a letter to Hoffa on December 12. He and Central Region Vice President Phil Young have been working to recruit other...

December 5, 2005: Teamsters will be able to judge the candidates for Teamster General President in a debate to be held in late August 2006, thanks to a proposal by Teamsters for a Democratic Union that is going to be made a part of the IBT Election Rules. The debate will be overseen by the independent Election Supervisor, and will be recorded and distributed (presumably on DVDs) to Teamster members. We are hopeful that it...

December 5, 2005: For nearly a year, the Hoffa administration has been lobbying for legislation that would allow Teamster benefit plans to cut members’ previously guaranteed pension benefits—and even to cut the pensions of Teamsters who have already retired. Teamsters for a Democratic Union has fought this legislative attack on our pension security. Now at the 11th hour, James Hoffa has reversed himself and adopted TDU’s position—coming out against the so-called Red Zone Amendment. Since...