October 30, 2005: James Hoffa recently pulled the Teamsters out of the AFL-CIO, saying unions had to boost their bargaining power by organizing the nonunion competition in our core industries. But a special investigation of the most recently available organizing statistics reveals that Teamster organizing in 2004 continued to lag far behind the levels achieved a decade ago. Researchers found that not only is Teamster organizing down in the Hoffa years, but that the IBT...

October 30, 2005: Teamster organizing figures have decreased for the second straight year, according to the latest figures available from the National Labor Relations Board. A new report on Teamster organizing reveals the Hoffa administration is lagging far behind the organizing levels achieved in the 1990s. Hoffa recently pulled the Teamsters out of the AFL-CIO, supposedly to free up resources for organizing. But only one percent of Teamster dues were going to the AFL-CIO. Half...

October 30, 2005: At $345,408 total compensation, John Coli is the top Teamster fat cat in this year’s $100,000 Club. He is also the newest member of the Hoffa Slate. Coli has announced that news to various Teamster officials. Coli is best known for his prominent role in the scandal that led Hoffa’s anti-corruption czar Ed Stier to resign last year, along with the entire staff of Project RISE, Hoffa’s anti-corruption program. Coli was accused...

October 30, 3005: Our study looked at the salaries paid by almost all Teamster locals. The data revealed a wide range of officer compensation: • The median salary for a local union principal officer is $86,000. Half of all local principal officers make less than that. • About one-third of local union principal officers make more than $100,000 in total salaries. • Just 51 local union principal officers, or about 11 percent of those covered...

October 18, 2005: Pension reform legislation was approved by the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee in early September and appeared to be on a fast track. But then business interests intervened and the bill was postponed, apparently until the end of the year. The HELP bill would provide a range of financial relief to defined benefit pension funds, like the funds that cover many Teamsters. A negative provision called the Red Zone...

October 12 , 2005: When Teamster reformers gather at the TDU Convention on Nov. 4-6, one item we will take up is launching a campaign to change the direction and leadership of the Teamsters Union in 2006. Candidates and campaign activists will present plans and discuss issues. First up on the campaign will be the petition drive to officially accredit a reform slate in November and December. This will take the support of Teamster members...

October 30, 2005: When Hoffa launched his candidacy for General President, he pledged to implement a series of financial reforms at the IBT. Instead, bloated IBT salaries and perks are at an all-time high. Our $100,000 Club study reveals that Hoffa’s broken “Cut and Cap” pledge has cost our union more than $15 million since he took office in 1999. That’s $15 million that could have been spent to organize new members and increase our...

Teamster employers have many ways to wring greater production out of workers. United Parcel Service and grocery warehousing both have high levels of productivity demands. Many of these suggestions for dealing with production harassment will apply to any workplace. 1. Beef up contract enforcement overall. Production harassment can flourish when management is given free rein. Members may feel they have to give in to pressure because the union is weak. An ongoing campaign of contract...

October 5, 2005: The negotiations covering approximately 8,000 members in the Southern California grocery industry have concluded.  The five-year agreement contains wage increases of 50 cents, 45 cents, 50 cents, 45 cents and 50 cent; pension contribution increases of 10 cents, 0, 10 cents, 0 and 10 cents: and maintenance of benefits over the life of the agreement.   Even though members overwhelmingly ratified the offer, many were disappointed by the paltry pension increases and...

September 30, 2005: The Teamsters officially left the AFL-CIO on July 25. One day earlier, James Hoffa announced the IBT would boycott the Convention where the AFL-CIO was marking its founding 50 years ago as a united labor federation. On Sept. 27, the Teamsters and seven other unions who are currently part of the Change to Win coalition will formally launch a rival labor federation at a founding convention. The other Change to Win unions...