September 17, 2009: YRCW VP Jack Peak has openly threatened to move work out of terminals where Teamsters under white paper agreements voted to reject concessions.
Even worse, Teamster Freight Director Tyson Johnson has ratified the threat by passing it along to all local unions and affected members, asking if they need “further clarification.”
Teamsters expect more from the International Union than “clarification” of corporate threats to play one group of Teamsters against another. They expect representation of all Teamsters. They expect Teamster solidarity.
The letter complains about higher benefit costs, but in fact we cannot find a single local or area where YRCW is paying pension contributions, even where the contracts were rejected. They arrogantly implemented that part of the concessions, even in contracts where it was rejected.
A number of maintenance and office contracts had rejections of the concessions in August, as well as the big Chicago Local 705 and Local 710 contracts.
On September 16, the IBT said that 130 Holland Teamsters in Joliet Illinois Local 179 accepted the concessions on a re-vote by 65-36. Other white paper contract re-votes are coming up. Teamsters involved in these re-votes receive management’s threat letter and the accompanying letter from Tyson Johnson. Click here to read the letters.
What do you think? Click here to send your comments to the TDU Freight Committee.