The Hoffa administration is moving fast to push the ABF contract. The details of the secret deal will be revealed on Thursday. Electronic voting to approve or reject the deal will begin within days after that. ABF Teamsters need to be ready to cast an informed vote.

Today marks the fiftieth anniversary of the death of Martin Luther King, Jr. Event are being held around the country to celebrate the life and legacy of King, as well as to ask how that legacy should inform us as we continue to confront the evils of racism, poverty, and war that King crusaded against.

The International Union has set a meeting for April 12 in Chicago where local officers from all ABF locals will review the proposed tentative national contract.

James Hoffa got a nice raise in 2017 to $313,989. In addition, the union pays his personal portion of FICA taxes, and gives him a $60,000 “housing allowance” for a total of $390,983. Plus a multi-million dollar pension.

Teamsters for a Democratic Union (TDU) has learned that the IBT has retained a balloting firm to use electronic voting for the ABF, UPS, and UPS Freight contracts.

UPS CEO David Abney’s pay has more than tripled during the current contract. Last year UPS paid Abney $14.6 million in total compensation, or just over $7,000 an hour. Remember that, when the company pleads poverty in contract negotiations.

ABF and the IBT Freight Division have reached a tentative national agreement. No details have been released to the members.

The members of Los Angeles Local 396 saved their right to elect their shop stewards in a rebuke to Hoffa Vice President Ron Herrera.

The new 9.5 deal tentatively agreed to in contract negotiationst is so weak that UPSers don’t even get back what Hoffa-Hall gave up ten years ago.

A new threat to retirees and workers’ pensions was introduced in Congress last month: the misnamed “Give Retirement Options to Workers” Act. It does not give options to workers, but it could shift risk and uncertainty to some workers, and undermine stable pensions.