November 12, 2012: When Veteran's Day fell on Sunday this year, freight Teamsters in New England thought it would mean Monday is the observed holiday, just as for the federal government and other institutions which recognize the day.

Then came a strange memo from the New England Supplemental Negotiating Committee signed by the employers' chairman and union chairman John A. Murphy, Boston Local 25 business agent.  November 11 (Sunday) was the holiday for non-vets, and November 12 (Monday) was the holiday for veterans!

Any Teamster out there ever heard of anything like this?

The justification was to give veterans a bonus, since most Teamsters would be working Monday and they would get time-and-a-half for the day. Of course, that could have been done for all Teamsters.

What veterans need more than this is preference for hiring in freight and trucking jobs. There is a jobs crisis for returning vets. ABF and YRC could set a good example by taking qualified vets and letting them train up to get their CDLs. That would be a lot better than setting a strange precedent allowing employers to sow division in the workforce by splitting workers' holidays up.