IBT Needs Plan for Countering Employer Attacks on Benefits
December 5, 2005: Employers across North America are attacking the pension and medical benefits of working Americans. Union and non-union workers are being hit with larger co-pays, cuts in benefits, or worse.
Our union needs a clear plan of action for protecting and improving benefits for all Teamsters. The employers have a plan. Our union leadership doesn’t. That’s why we are being pushed backward now.
Local Unions — and many benefit plans are local, or even company plans — are left to struggle on their own to combat cuts and maintain benefits.
We need to practice solidarity in action: a national plan of action for various industries and contracts with resources and leadership from the International Union behind it.
National Task Force
To start with, the IBT needs to start playing a leadership role in education and bargaining skills around benefit issues. A national benefit protection committee should be formed, with local officers, stewards and members. Its mission should be to help guide the research, organizing and education effort that is needed to counter the employer attack on benefits.
At the same time the IBT needs to create a task force that is staffed with benefit fund professionals and media experts. The task force would work closely with the national committee to mount campaigns.
We also need to aggressively work for a national health care plan in this country, so that non-union employers like Wal-Mart have to start paying their fair share.
The IBT under Hoffa has absolutely no ongoing mechanism for developing and implementing a united plan among Teamster benefit funds. There is an annual Teamster educational event for trustees, which is fine, but far from adequate.
When the employers or the fund managers come forward with a proposal for cutting benefits, our union trustees’ first response must never be, “OK, how much?” But too often, that is what we see happening.
Audit of all Major Teamster Funds
Hoffa claimed nearly two years ago that the IBT would do an independent actuarial study of the Central States Fund. That was a good start, but nothing was ever heard of it again.
The members are kept in the dark and treated as the enemy, instead of a positive force to fight back. The IBT also should put in place a mechanism for independent studies of pension and welfare funds, with union-selected experts, so that any potential problems are uncovered well in advance of negative consequences.
The Western Conference Fund cut the multiplier 2.5 years ago, even though the Fund was financially strong. Now it is approaching 100 percent funding and still there is no action to restore our members’ benefits.
The New England Fund cut benefits earlier this year and then backed off on part of the cuts, under pressure from members and local officers.
In both cases the International Union leadership has been silent, going along with the employer-demanded cuts. Without any independent expert studies, our members are left in the dark, isolated and angry.
Contract Campaign Organizing
A business-as-usual approach to the 2008 UPS and freight contracts won’t cut it. Massive contract campaigns will have to be put in place early, well before the 2008 bargaining.
UPS has a plan: they want out of union pension funds, and they are aggressively marketing this to our Teamster members. This must be countered with a Teamster plan to preserve and rebuild all of our pension funds. Freight and carhaul Teamsters will also need contract campaigns that take into account the challenges of winning good contracts while defending and improving benefits.
It seems clear the Hoffa administration is not going to move in this kind of pro-active way. They react to employers’ moves, mainly by going along. And they hope if they go along nicely with UPS management, then maybe management will be nice in return, and won’t move to bust apart our pension funds.
It’s going to take a new, forward-looking Teamster leadership to defend our good benefits and improve those that fall short. That’s what the Tom Leedham Strong Contracts, Good Pensions Slate is about.
Sandy Pope
Local 805 President
New York
Click here: Apples and Oranges, or Just Rotten Apples?: Study Counters Central States' Claims
Click here: Central States Fund Trustees Keep Pension and Health Care Cuts In Place
Click here: Battle Against Cut-Back Provision Will Move Into 2006
Our union needs a clear plan of action for protecting and improving benefits for all Teamsters. The employers have a plan. Our union leadership doesn’t. That’s why we are being pushed backward now.
Local Unions — and many benefit plans are local, or even company plans — are left to struggle on their own to combat cuts and maintain benefits.
We need to practice solidarity in action: a national plan of action for various industries and contracts with resources and leadership from the International Union behind it.
National Task Force
To start with, the IBT needs to start playing a leadership role in education and bargaining skills around benefit issues. A national benefit protection committee should be formed, with local officers, stewards and members. Its mission should be to help guide the research, organizing and education effort that is needed to counter the employer attack on benefits.
At the same time the IBT needs to create a task force that is staffed with benefit fund professionals and media experts. The task force would work closely with the national committee to mount campaigns.
We also need to aggressively work for a national health care plan in this country, so that non-union employers like Wal-Mart have to start paying their fair share.
The IBT under Hoffa has absolutely no ongoing mechanism for developing and implementing a united plan among Teamster benefit funds. There is an annual Teamster educational event for trustees, which is fine, but far from adequate.
When the employers or the fund managers come forward with a proposal for cutting benefits, our union trustees’ first response must never be, “OK, how much?” But too often, that is what we see happening.
Audit of all Major Teamster Funds
Hoffa claimed nearly two years ago that the IBT would do an independent actuarial study of the Central States Fund. That was a good start, but nothing was ever heard of it again.
The members are kept in the dark and treated as the enemy, instead of a positive force to fight back. The IBT also should put in place a mechanism for independent studies of pension and welfare funds, with union-selected experts, so that any potential problems are uncovered well in advance of negative consequences.
The Western Conference Fund cut the multiplier 2.5 years ago, even though the Fund was financially strong. Now it is approaching 100 percent funding and still there is no action to restore our members’ benefits.
The New England Fund cut benefits earlier this year and then backed off on part of the cuts, under pressure from members and local officers.
In both cases the International Union leadership has been silent, going along with the employer-demanded cuts. Without any independent expert studies, our members are left in the dark, isolated and angry.
Contract Campaign Organizing
A business-as-usual approach to the 2008 UPS and freight contracts won’t cut it. Massive contract campaigns will have to be put in place early, well before the 2008 bargaining.
UPS has a plan: they want out of union pension funds, and they are aggressively marketing this to our Teamster members. This must be countered with a Teamster plan to preserve and rebuild all of our pension funds. Freight and carhaul Teamsters will also need contract campaigns that take into account the challenges of winning good contracts while defending and improving benefits.
It seems clear the Hoffa administration is not going to move in this kind of pro-active way. They react to employers’ moves, mainly by going along. And they hope if they go along nicely with UPS management, then maybe management will be nice in return, and won’t move to bust apart our pension funds.
It’s going to take a new, forward-looking Teamster leadership to defend our good benefits and improve those that fall short. That’s what the Tom Leedham Strong Contracts, Good Pensions Slate is about.
Sandy Pope
Local 805 President
New York
Click here: Apples and Oranges, or Just Rotten Apples?: Study Counters Central States' Claims
Click here: Central States Fund Trustees Keep Pension and Health Care Cuts In Place
Click here: Battle Against Cut-Back Provision Will Move Into 2006
Central States Fund Trustees Keep Pension and Health Care Cuts In Place
December 5, 2005: Hoffa’s PR Man dismisses the impact of the trustees’ actions: “Leebove said the changes at Central States and other pension funds should not be looked at as benefit cuts, since no accrued benefits were lost. Instead, he said, they represented reductions in future accruals that were designed to ensure the trusts are financially solvent for years to come."
–Bureau of National Affairs
November 9, 2005
The Union Trustees of the Central States Pension Fund have announced an agreement with employers and the IRS that will lock the 2003 pension cuts in place for years to come. Even worse, this deal will usher in more healthcare reductions—and lower wage increases when contracts are renegotiated.
Cuts Are Frozen in Place
At a Nov. 8 meeting of union officials, International Vice President and Trustee Chairman Fred Gegare told stunned officials that union trustees have agreed:
In addition, the Fund will require that all future contracts will have to include an increase in pension contributions of 7 percent in each year of the contract. Negotiating these huge hikes in pension contributions will divert money from wage increases and medical benefits—but Teamster members will see no pension improvements in return because our trustees have agreed not to increase the pension multiplier or restore 25- and 30-and-out benefits.
Over a month has passed since the meeting and members still have not received any information. This is our fund and our benefits that are at stake. But once again, the union trustees are keeping members in the dark.
No Accountability Is the Problem
The Hoffa administration keeps dragging out the same tired excuses. The stock market declined in 2000-2001, retirees live longer now, and there are more retirees than active members.
Is any of this big news? These are well-known facts. The reason we have Trustees is to manage these challenges—not to use them to justify cuts in our benefits.
TDU commissioned a comparison with other Teamster Funds, which showed that funds with the same demographics, and the same ratio of active Teamsters to retirees have weathered the “perfect storm” much better.
Instead of excuses, we need a positive plan to build up our pension fund and restore and protect our good pension benefits that all Teamsters can be proud of.
It’s time to fire the Trustees who are better at excuses than managing our pension fund.
Those characters need to be replaced. If our trustees won’t step down, then we need to put them into retirement by electing new leadership in the 2006 International Union election.
Click here: Apples and Oranges, or Just Rotten Apples?: Study Counters Central States' Claims
Click here: IBT Needs Plan for Countering Employer Attacks on Benefits
Click here: Battle Against Cut-Back Provision Will Move Into 2006
–Bureau of National Affairs
November 9, 2005
The Union Trustees of the Central States Pension Fund have announced an agreement with employers and the IRS that will lock the 2003 pension cuts in place for years to come. Even worse, this deal will usher in more healthcare reductions—and lower wage increases when contracts are renegotiated.
Cuts Are Frozen in Place
At a Nov. 8 meeting of union officials, International Vice President and Trustee Chairman Fred Gegare told stunned officials that union trustees have agreed:
- to maintain a long term freeze in the cuts to the Central States pension accrual rate
- to not restore 25- and 30-and-out, which have been eliminated for younger Teamsters, and
- to divert health and welfare money for 2007 to the pension fund, which will mean more cuts in medical benefits for Teamsters and retirees.
In addition, the Fund will require that all future contracts will have to include an increase in pension contributions of 7 percent in each year of the contract. Negotiating these huge hikes in pension contributions will divert money from wage increases and medical benefits—but Teamster members will see no pension improvements in return because our trustees have agreed not to increase the pension multiplier or restore 25- and 30-and-out benefits.
Over a month has passed since the meeting and members still have not received any information. This is our fund and our benefits that are at stake. But once again, the union trustees are keeping members in the dark.
No Accountability Is the Problem
The Hoffa administration keeps dragging out the same tired excuses. The stock market declined in 2000-2001, retirees live longer now, and there are more retirees than active members.
Is any of this big news? These are well-known facts. The reason we have Trustees is to manage these challenges—not to use them to justify cuts in our benefits.
TDU commissioned a comparison with other Teamster Funds, which showed that funds with the same demographics, and the same ratio of active Teamsters to retirees have weathered the “perfect storm” much better.
Instead of excuses, we need a positive plan to build up our pension fund and restore and protect our good pension benefits that all Teamsters can be proud of.
It’s time to fire the Trustees who are better at excuses than managing our pension fund.
Those characters need to be replaced. If our trustees won’t step down, then we need to put them into retirement by electing new leadership in the 2006 International Union election.
Click here: Apples and Oranges, or Just Rotten Apples?: Study Counters Central States' Claims
Click here: IBT Needs Plan for Countering Employer Attacks on Benefits
Click here: Battle Against Cut-Back Provision Will Move Into 2006
Battle Against Cut-Back Provision Will Move Into 2006
December 5, 2005: In November, the Senate passed a version of pension reform that did not include provisions for cutting accrued benefits. That was a positive step forward in a battle that has largely been waged by two groups, the Pension Rights Center and th grassroots Central States Pension Improvement Committee (CSPIC).
In December, James Hoffa came out in opposition to the “Red Zone” cut-back amendment, at least in writing, after supporting it for most of 2005.On Dec. 15 the House of Representatives took up their own version of pension reform for a vote. The CSPIC steering committee faxed letters to Congressional Representatives, opposing the bill if it included the Red Zone amendment. The Pension Rights Center also lobbied against the House version. It is not known what, if anything, the IBT did.
The House passed the bill and it contains cutback provisions. The Senate version does not contain the Red Zone amendment. CSPIC leaders and some Teamster local officers visited Senators and staff earlier this year to help make that happen. The battle will now move into conference committee, with the Senate and House working out differences between the two bills.
This will not start until after the Congressional recess, in late January or early February.
“CSPIC will help get word out to Teamsters once we know who is on the conference committee,” Local 391 retiree Frank Bryant said. “We will need to push hard one more time to prevent this dangerous provision from being included in so-called reform legislation.”
We urge Teamsters to write your Representatives and Senators: oppose the Red Zone amendment that would allow pensions and already-earned pension credits to be cut. Those protections have been federal law since 1984. Weakening them is no way to protect the pensions of Americans.
Click here: Apples and Oranges, or Just Rotten Apples?: Study Counters Central States' Claims
Click here: IBT Needs Plan for Countering Employer Attacks on Benefits
Click here: Central States Fund Trustees Keep Pension and Health Care Cuts In Place
In December, James Hoffa came out in opposition to the “Red Zone” cut-back amendment, at least in writing, after supporting it for most of 2005.On Dec. 15 the House of Representatives took up their own version of pension reform for a vote. The CSPIC steering committee faxed letters to Congressional Representatives, opposing the bill if it included the Red Zone amendment. The Pension Rights Center also lobbied against the House version. It is not known what, if anything, the IBT did.
The House passed the bill and it contains cutback provisions. The Senate version does not contain the Red Zone amendment. CSPIC leaders and some Teamster local officers visited Senators and staff earlier this year to help make that happen. The battle will now move into conference committee, with the Senate and House working out differences between the two bills.
This will not start until after the Congressional recess, in late January or early February.
“CSPIC will help get word out to Teamsters once we know who is on the conference committee,” Local 391 retiree Frank Bryant said. “We will need to push hard one more time to prevent this dangerous provision from being included in so-called reform legislation.”
We urge Teamsters to write your Representatives and Senators: oppose the Red Zone amendment that would allow pensions and already-earned pension credits to be cut. Those protections have been federal law since 1984. Weakening them is no way to protect the pensions of Americans.
Click here: Apples and Oranges, or Just Rotten Apples?: Study Counters Central States' Claims
Click here: IBT Needs Plan for Countering Employer Attacks on Benefits
Click here: Central States Fund Trustees Keep Pension and Health Care Cuts In Place
Tyson TDU Members Win at Supreme Court
December 5, 2005: TDU members who filed a class action lawsuit against Tyson Foods have won a landmark victory at the Supreme Court that will put millions in the hands of more than 800 meatpacking workers and help tens of thousands of poultry workers win litigation for unpaid wages.
In the first decision of the court under the leadership of Chief Justice John Roberts, the Court cleared the way for 815 Tyson employees to receive $7.3 million in a class action suit originally filed by TDU members in Pasco, Wash. in 1998.
In a unanimous decision, the court ruled that workers should be paid for the time it takes them to put on their protective clothing and walk from the locker room to the production line. Previously, Tyson management saved millions of dollars by forcing workers to do this work off the clock.
The case was closely watched by organized labor and big business alike. The victory means that tens of thousands of poultry workers will likely succeed in two nationwide class action cases that are now pending against Tyson.
The Supreme Court victory also paves the way for workers to collect an additional $11.4 million in unpaid wages that they were awarded in 2004 in a second class action lawsuit against Tyson. More litigation is expected.
“It took a long time, but it was worth the wait just to show that workers can win when we get together,” said Maria Martinez, a Teamster and TDU leader who was the main organizer behind both lawsuits.
In the first decision of the court under the leadership of Chief Justice John Roberts, the Court cleared the way for 815 Tyson employees to receive $7.3 million in a class action suit originally filed by TDU members in Pasco, Wash. in 1998.
In a unanimous decision, the court ruled that workers should be paid for the time it takes them to put on their protective clothing and walk from the locker room to the production line. Previously, Tyson management saved millions of dollars by forcing workers to do this work off the clock.
The case was closely watched by organized labor and big business alike. The victory means that tens of thousands of poultry workers will likely succeed in two nationwide class action cases that are now pending against Tyson.
The Supreme Court victory also paves the way for workers to collect an additional $11.4 million in unpaid wages that they were awarded in 2004 in a second class action lawsuit against Tyson. More litigation is expected.
“It took a long time, but it was worth the wait just to show that workers can win when we get together,” said Maria Martinez, a Teamster and TDU leader who was the main organizer behind both lawsuits.
Tom Leedham Campaign for Teamster President Moves Ahead!
December 1, 2005: On the same day that Tom Leedham delivered more than 55,000 petition signatures to become an officially accredited candidate for General President, James Hoffa's so-called 'Unity' Slate split into competing factions.
Hoffa's Freight Director and Southern Region Vice President Tyson Johnson has announced his candidacy for General President. Other IBT Vice Presidents and Hoffa supporters are reportedly abandoning the Hoffa ship.
|
The breakup of the Hoffa Unity Slate is an embarrassing and damaging blow to Hoffa, whose record of pension cuts and declining Teamster power has cost him support from members and officers alike.
In 2001, the Hoffa Campaign depended on the united support of most Teamster officials to deliver the vote. Now that unity is fracturing.
As the Hoffa camp splits, growing numbers of Teamster members and officers are getting behind the Tom Leedham Strong Contracts, Good Pension Slate.Click here to visit the Tom Leedham Strong Contracts, Good Pensions Slate Website
Click here: Hoffa 'Dis-Unity' Slate Splits
Click here: Members Back Tom Leedham Candidacy
Click here: After the Hoffa Split: Forging Alliances Based on Plans, Not Personalities
Click here: Teamster Candidates Will Debate
Hoffa's Freight Director and Southern Region Vice President Tyson Johnson has announced his candidacy for General President. Other IBT Vice Presidents and Hoffa supporters are reportedly abandoning the Hoffa ship.
|
The breakup of the Hoffa Unity Slate is an embarrassing and damaging blow to Hoffa, whose record of pension cuts and declining Teamster power has cost him support from members and officers alike.
In 2001, the Hoffa Campaign depended on the united support of most Teamster officials to deliver the vote. Now that unity is fracturing.
As the Hoffa camp splits, growing numbers of Teamster members and officers are getting behind the Tom Leedham Strong Contracts, Good Pension Slate.Click here to visit the Tom Leedham Strong Contracts, Good Pensions Slate Website
Click here: Hoffa 'Dis-Unity' Slate Splits
Click here: Members Back Tom Leedham Candidacy
Click here: After the Hoffa Split: Forging Alliances Based on Plans, Not Personalities
Click here: Teamster Candidates Will Debate