November 14, 2008: In September, Waste Management forced a disastrous concessionary contract on 240 Milwaukee Teamsters, which stole their pension plan. WMI management defeated their five-week strike and forced them out of the Central States Pension Plan.

Now the concern is that WMI will make the same demand when their 13 other contracts covering Central States Teamsters come up, and that other companies will follow suit.

The Milwaukee Teamsters who don’t already qualify for a full pension now will get nothing but their vested benefits, which in most cases will be very low. In place of a decent pension, the company is offering a 401(k) with a weak matching offer.

The International Union talked about using Teamster Power nationally against the corporation, but failed to act.

The time is now—before any more Teamsters’ pensions are in jeopardy—for the International Union to have a plan to protect the pensions of all WMI Teamsters.