August 16, 2010: Teamster carhaulers have been hit as hard as anyone by the Great Recession, which has drastically cut auto production. With the economy just starting to recover, carhaulers are asking “Where’s the union leadership?”

In June, Allied Teamsters returned to full union scale for the first time in three years, a most welcome development. But the International union has signaled that Allied can come back for concessions, and most carhaulers expect that to happen soon.

Meanwhile, employers continue to nibble away at the union contract on a terminal-by-terminal basis.

Jack Cooper recently told Houston members to accept a 15 percent pay cut, and Local 988’s “leadership” seems ready to vote the proposal.

The same deal may be coming at some other Jack Cooper terminals.

Jack Cooper, now owned by Innovative Equity Partners, states on their own website that they are now operating in the black and expect to make a profit this year.

Carhaulers don’t expect miracles, but they expect the union to have a plan to organize, to protect and expand our contract and job security. Most of all they expect the union leadership to tell the truth and quit hiding from the members.

July 1, 2010: Allied Automotive Group is paying the contract wage rate for the first time in three years, but will now come to carhaul Teamsters asking for a fresh concession package.

The International Union insisted that Allied pay the full scale, as a condition to bargain over new monetary relief.

However, Allied CEO Mark Gendregske, in a letter to Allied Teamsters, said he will seek an agreement to suspend making pension contributions on employees’ behalf, and gradually pay back the pension funds later. As of late June, local officers and the Central States Pension Fund have been unable to tell us what’s happening with this.

The present pension contribution rate in the Central States areas is $7.60 per hour, and will go up on Aug. 1.

The International union says they will now negotiate regarding Allied’s concession proposals, and will review Allied’s finances before agreeing to concessions. Article 6 of the Allied concession agreement already granted the union full access to Allied’s financial records for the past three years, so why doesn’t the union already have this information?

Any concession agreement will have to be voted on by all working and laid-off Allied Teamsters.

Updated June 16, 2010: Allied Automotive Group has agreed to pay the full contract wage, retroactive to May 29 when their three-year concession deal expired, and will now come to carhaul Teamsters asking for a fresh concession package.

Teamsters’ paychecks this week (June 18) will be incorrect; Allied has agreed to issue retroactive checks to make up the difference.

For the first time in three years, Teamsters should receive the contract wage rate, while Allied moves to bargain a concession proposal with the International union.

The International Union says they will now negotiate regarding Allied’s concession proposals, and will review Allied’s finances before agreeing to concessions. Article 6 of the Allied concession agreement already granted the union full access to Allied’s financial records for the past three years, so why doesn’t the union already have this information?

Any concession agreement will have to be voted on by all working and laid-off Allied Teamsters.

The Daily Labor Report on the Allied negotiations is available here.

June 15, 2010: Allied Automotive Group has agreed to pay the full contract wage, retroactive to May 29 when their three-year concession deal expired, and will now come to carhaul Teamsters asking for a fresh concession package.

For the first time in three years, Teamsters should receive the contract wage rate, while Allied moves to bargain a concession proposal with the International Union.

The International Union says they will now ask to review Allied’s finances, before agreeing to concessions. Article 6 of the Allied concession agreement already granted the union full access to Allied’s financial records for the past three years, so why doesn’t the union already have this information?

Any concession agreement will have to be voted on by all working and laid-off Allied Teamsters.

January 19, 2010: Yesterday Dr. Mike Belzer, professor at Wayne State University and expert on trucking economics and safety, released a report on Chrysler’s use of cut-rate nonunion carhaul carriers.

It’s a comprehensive look at the impact of the spread of nonunion carriers in the auto industry. It was released in conjunction with the International Union. You can access the report here.

December 7, 2009: The Teamsters campaign to pressure GM and Chrysler to stop eliminating good Teamster jobs continues. GM and Fiat Chrysler have been targeted because they are aggressively trying to replace Teamster carhaul jobs with low-paid nonunion labor.

Both corporations received billions in taxpayer bailouts. That money was to help preserve the industry and good jobs.

The IBT has called on Teamster carhaulers and others to help handbill targeted dealers. Find out more at www.carbuyersbeware.com

December 7, 2009: The IBT Carhaul Division seems to be operating a concession-stand where anything goes. It’s open season for mileage cuts, percentage pay deals, hourly cuts, border agreement waivers, you name it.

Most Cassens drivers are working for 11 percent under scale. Several locals have agreed to wage-cuts for certain traffic. The Canada-USA border agreement has been scrapped in Michigan and Buffalo.

The worst thing is that it is all being done without a union plan or any accountability. It’s being done terminal-by-terminal and local by local.

Sometimes it’s even local against local. Detroit Local 299 has given Jack Cooper a 15 percent wage cut to open a shop in Detroit. Teamster mechanics at other Jack Cooper shops, who will lose work, have been offered the right to transfer; that is, to relocate and take a wage cut.

Some of the “votes” are not even by secret ballot, and often with nothing on paper to vote on, simply a “take my word for it.”

A number of locals have approved a 25 percent of revenue deal for hauling used cars. In most cases, nothing was on paper and the “votes” were done by calling or visiting people one at a time.

A deal on hauling used cars may be a good idea, to try to take some business from nonunion operators. But it should be done nationally, on paper, with a plan to organize, and approved by a legitimate Teamster vote.

The time for a real union plan is long overdue.

November 20, 2009: Some 700 Teamsters employed at Allied in Ontario and Quebec voted today to leave our union and join the Canadian Auto Workers (CAW). The unfortunate choice came after Canadian carhaulers became alienated from the Teamster officialdom.

Drivers and mechanics voted by 383-183 for the CAW, and Allied’s office workers voted by 21-4. The Teamster officialdom made only minimal efforts to retain the carhaulers, who wanted assurance that their pension would remain under rank and file control, and an end to concessionary bargaining.

Nearly 300 carhaul yard workers employed by Gen Auto left the Teamsters for the CAW two months ago. It’s a sad day when Teamsters in one of our core industries decide to head for another union.

Toronto Local 938 was the largest unit of carhaulers in the IBT, but now most of them have gone to the CAW. Some 1000 Brinks drivers also left the Teamsters in Ontario last month for the CAW.

Going forward, we need to build solidarity with our brother and sister carhaulers in the CAW. But most importantly, we need to rebuild Teamster power in carhaul in the USA.

We can support the current IBT pressure campaign on GM and Fiat-Chrysler to try to force them to stop destroying good jobs in our industry.

And we can work to turn around the policies of the IBT Carhaul Division, toward a direction that respects our members, reaches out to organize, and has a strategy to defend our jobs and our contract.

October 9, 2009: Months after the government bailed out General Motors and Chrysler, some lawmakers are questioning tough contract demands by the two auto companies that union officials argue could lead to the replacement of hundreds of union carhaulers with nonunion drivers.

Michigan lawmakers have raised the issue with GM CEO Fritz Henderson and Chrysler CEO Sergio Marchionne in letters during the past week, concerned that the automakers could reduce business with auto transport companies whose drivers are represented by the International Brotherhood of Teamsters.

Click here to read more at ABC News.

September 1, 2009: It’s a sad day when Teamsters in a core industry desert our union for another., That is what happened today when nearly 300 Teamster carhaulers employed by Gen Auto in Ontario voted to join the Canadian Auto Workers (CAW).

The 145-47 vote came from carhaulers at three locations, most of them at the Oshawa General Motors plants.

Even worse, 700 Teamsters employed at Allied in Ontario are now petitioning for a similar vote to switch to the CAW.

Local 938 Teamsters, members of our largest carhaul local, are angry with concessions and the recent deals to give up the long-standing border agreement and allow carriers to require US and Canadian Teamsters to deliver across the border. Gen Auto Teamsters were mad about an attempt to force carhaulers into a different pension plan.

Other bargaining units are also petitioning for the CAW; the Teamsters and CAW are battling over members at several locations.

Solidarity Is the Answer

Jumping ship is not the way to right the ship. There’s good reason for North American carhaulers to be in one union. The Teamsters Union needs to make the case to Allied drivers. It’s not too late but needs to happen fast.

Canadian drivers need to hear that the Teamsters Union will stop giving away the border agreement. They need to hear that in the event of a work stoppage, solidarity will span the border, with Teamster on both sides standing together. They need to hear that if members want to say No to concessions, that our union will back them up. And they need to hear that carhaulers can control their own pension plan.

That’s a message that will inspire Teamsters in both countries.

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