July 9, 2008: Carhaul locals are holding meetings to sell the proposed carhaul deal. But the concessions are getting a chilly reception.
Here are reports from meetings that have been held so far.
To send in a report on your contract meeting, or to tell us what members in your local think of the contract, click here. We’ll keep all comments confidential unless you indicate otherwise.
Local 604, St. Louis
Members Vote Unanimously to Oppose Deal
"We had over 130 carhaul members at our contract meeting. Not a one supported the contract when they spoke. We had a unanimous No vote. There's nothing in this contract for the membership. It's a sad day when all that was fought and bled for just gets bargained away. We need to stand up and fight to maintain our jobs. We're Voting No to send them back to the bargaining table."
Gary Burch, Jack Cooper
Local 604, St. Louis
Local 327, Nashville, Tenn.
“The IBT Says Article 48 is Not Gutted. But Members Think Otherwise.”
“Local 327 held a carhaul meeting on Monday morning to go through the proposed changes. Our steward and our members made it very clear that this agreement is not acceptable. Jimmy Neal did not leave with any uncertainty: he knows the contract is going down in our local.
“The IBT says Article 48 is not gutted. But members think otherwise. Members are up in arms about being forced to haul up to two loads from a foreign terminal and being forced out onto five tours.
“Also there’s no snap-back to bring ‘New Business’ up to the full contractual rate.
“We all know that times are tough and the car industry in particular is in a bad spot. We also know that what we give up, we don’t get handed back. It’s been a long hard fight to get where we are. We’re not about to give it all up because times are tough.
“We made plans to mark and mail our ballots together and turn out the strongest possible No vote here in Local 327.”
Matt Studd, Cassens
Local 327, Nashville
Local 41, Kansas City
“I Can’t Find a Driver That Supports the Contract”
"I can't find a driver here in Kansas City that supports the contract. We're already living with a 15 percent pay cut. There's nothing in this contract that's for the members; it's all about money savings for the companies."
Jimmy Travis, Allied
Local 41, Kansas City
Local 120, Twin Cities
“We Need Clear Language Not Promises.”
"We're concerned about the five tour deal and getting home off the road. At our meeting, we got an explanation about how this will work out for us drivers. But none of that's written in the contract. 24 years in the Teamsters has taught me not to count on interpretations. We need clear language in the contract or the companies will run right over us."
Dave Murphy, Allied
Local 120, St. Paul
To send in a report on your contract meeting, or to tell us what members in your local think of the contract, click here. We’ll keep all comments confidential unless you indicate otherwise.