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...

The National Review Committee (Tyson Johnson for the IBT and Jim Roberts for TMI) ruled Teamster members covered under NMFA Supplements will no longer have the option of requesting a 3rd doctor’s evaluation in cases involving DOT medical examinations. This giveback to the employers was tacked onto the end of a decision involving a Harrisburg Local 776 ABF member. This protection has been in place for decades and helps prevent the employers from imposing decisions...

February 1, 2006. There was a time when candidates for Convention delegate paid Hoffa to ride his coattails. Hoffa’s campaign would charge his supporters to pose for campaign photos with the General President. But Hoffa’s pension cuts and other failures have shifted the political winds—and sent Hoffa’s associates ducking for cover. From Detroit to Nashville, from Seattle to Atlanta, some Hoffa delegate candidates never mention their candidate, and pretend that they will go to the...

January 30, 2006: The campaign for Teamster president is starting to heat up—with the opposing slates employing competing strategies. Both Hoffa and the Tom Leedham Strong Contracts, Good Pensions Slate have campaign pages in the February Teamster magazine and on their websites. But the similarity ends there. While Hoffa is struggling to keep defectors in the fold and put a glossy sheen on his failed record, Tom Leedham is drawing in new support and building...

January 30, 2006: John Thyer, the secretary-treasurer of St. Louis Local 604 and an experienced union leader, has joined the Tom Leedham Strong Contracts, Good Pensions Slate to help strengthen and rebuild the IBT Carhaul Division and the Teamsters Union as a whole. “Under Hoffa, we’ve got a shrinking union and shrinking Teamster power,” Thyer said. “Hoffa has lost touch with the members and cut local officers out of the loop.” Thyer has been outspoken...

January 30, 2006:It’s the first rule of politics. When you can’t run on your record, you lie, spin and go negative. Hoffa campaign operative Richard Leebove has made millions off of Teamster elections with his lies and distortions. And he’s at it again in this month’s Teamster magazine. Under Hoffa, the Teamsters Union has lost over 100,000 members. To cover for his failures, Hoffa’s campaign operatives lie about Hoffa’s organizing failures and distort Tom Leedham’s...

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...