February 8, 2006. Local 249 has submitted a request for strike authorization from the IBT in response to DHL’s unwillingness to comply with a September 2005 grievance decision. Five months have passed since the National Review Committee for the NMFA (Tyson Johnson for the IBT and Jim Roberts for TMI) ordered DHL to pay $90,000 worth of back pay to Teamsters in Pittsburgh for subcontracting violations.

In January 2006 the Eastern Conference panel heard a second grievance and ruled DHL must pay a penalty of over $2,000 for each day the company fails to pay the original $90,000 ruling. They now owe over $200,000. Why won’t DHL comply with the contract and pay up?

The answer is Brad Slawson. Last October International Rep. Slawson, the right-hand man to General Secretary Treasurer Tom Keegel, went behind the back of the affected Teamsters to try to cut a deal with DHL and let the company to pay a measly $16,000. In a January 17, 2006 notarized statement, DHL vice president for Labor Relations, Patricia Ann Burke claims that Slawson approached her with the deal. This was after the Pittsburgh Teamsters had been duly awarded $90,000 for two years of giving away union work. This is the same Brad Slawson who was put in charge of DHL Teamsters for the International Union by James Hoffa.

Local 249 members continue to press for the acknowledgement of their victorious grievance and the money owed. The Eastern Region Joint Area Committee met on January 18, 2006 and found in favor of the Local 249 grievance calling for penalty pay from October 19, 2005 forward. Local 249 has received strike authorization from Joint Council 40. The request has been sent to the International.

It’s time for Hoffa to do right thing. Send Slawson back to Minnesota, and support the Pittsburgh Teamsters who are asking for nothing but what they are entitled to.

February 9, 2006. A high-level official of the Teamster Rail Conference’s Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen (BLET) announced his resignation amid speculation that he will challenge President Don Hahs for leadership of the BLET. Tom Brennan, the staff counsel for the national division announced he will return to operating a train rather than continue working under the leadership of BLET President Don Hahs. “I do not believe it is possible for me to continue to serve the members’ best interests while working on the Executive Staff supporting [Hahs’] decision,” Brennan wrote in a resignation letter dated February 6. The move follows months of speculation that Brennan will challenge Hahs for the BLET presidency. Brennan vowed to “expose those who are willing to accept carrier demands that will eliminate our craft”—a reference to carrier demands to eliminate the positions of engineer and conductor and instead run trains with a single “transportation employee.” If Hahs were to cave in to such a demand, it would threaten the job security of the 30,000 railroad engineers in the Teamsters, and would widely be seen as a sellout. Brennan fell short of announcing his candidacy but indicated he would “respond later to the many expressions of support and encouragement I have received to pursue elective office. One thing is certain, I will work relentlessly to preserve our craft.” BLET members have launched a joint campaign with members of the conductors’ union to call for a democratic merger of the two organizations. They have formed Railroad Operating Crafts United [ROCU] to push for a united union that would defend both engineers and conductors and be based on membership control. One Member, One Vote in BLET? A number of BLET divisions have endorsed an initiative to adopt direct elections of BLET officers through a system of one member, one vote. The initiative, which is gaining momentum, is close to the threshold of support where the BLET’s bylaws will require Hahs to hold a membership referendum on the issue. These officers are currently elected by delegates to the BLET Convention—just as top Teamster officers were before TDU helped win the right to vote in 1991. Click here: to read Brennans Letter of Resignation

February 28, 2006. On February 27, Public Citizen filed suit in the U.S. Court of Appeals to review the Hours of Service regulations put into effect by the D.O.T. The suit aims to reverse certain parts of the new regulations including the extension of driving time to 11 hours and the 34-hour restart provision. In July 2004 the same Court struck down the same regulations because the DOT refused to take into account the health of truck drivers. The DOT tried to address the issue but came back with the same regulations in August 2005. Public Citizen is supported in the case by the Teamsters Union, Citizens for Reliable and Safe Highways, Parents Against Tired Truckers, and Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety. Click here to see the Petition Filed with the Court

March 8, 2006. Freight and carhaul Teamsters will make less this year than last due to wages lost to inflation—despite COLA increases which will take affect next month.

Freight Teamsters will get an extra 10c raise on April 1 because inflation has jumped to 4.1% over the past year, triggering a payout from the cost of living clause in the National Master Freight Agreement. Under the NMFA, a COLA kicks in when inflation exceeds 3.5 percent—so freight Teamsters will get an extra dime or slightly less than 1/2 percent of the wage rate.

The carhaul contract has superior language, so carhaulers will get 21c per hour, or about 1%, on June 1. Carhaulers suffered a two year wage freeze in the present contract, and lost 6% of real wages to inflation, so the 1% increase is more than welcome.

These COLA increases are in addition to the regular wage increases of 45c (2.0%) for freight, and 40c (1.9%) for carhaul. The COLA for freight mileage pay is .25c per mile, and for carhaul it is 1.05c per loaded mile and .525c per running mile.

Even with COLA payout, freight and carhaul Teamsters will lose real wages over the year to inflation. Freight Teamsters will make 33c less this year than last, measured in “real wages”, the economists’ term that takes into account inflation. Carhaulers will make 27c per hour less.

International officers will get a COLA raise on July 1, calculated on a rather different formula, the details of which will be known in May. If inflation for that period is 4.1%, the COLA raise for James Hoffa will be $5.03 per hour, with similar increases for other IBT officials.

February 28, 2006: On February 25th, the 5,000 members of Local 200 elected all seven delegates and two alternates from the Buban/Connell Strong Contracts, Good Pensions Slate, handing a defeat to the slate heavily backed by the Hoffa Campaign and International VP Fred Gegare.

“In a record turn out for a delegate election, the members have sent a strong message,” said Local 200 Secretary Treasuer Tim Buban. They want reform at the national union in Washington. We intend to fight for all members at this year’s Teamster Convention.” Gegare went all out to win the election in Wisconsin’s largest Teamster local, but his Teamsters 4 Teamsters Slate got beat by a 60-40% margin.

In violation of the election Rules, Gegare mailed out a joint council newspaper to all Local 200 members featuring a big attack on TDU, with lies about the Central States Pension Fund. The members of Local 200 opted to elect delegates in support of Teamster reform and Tom Leedham.

The National Review Committee (Tyson Johnson for the IBT and Jim Roberts for TMI) ruled Teamster members covered under NMFA Supplements will no longer have the option of requesting a 3rd doctor’s evaluation in cases involving DOT medical examinations.

This giveback to the employers was tacked onto the end of a decision involving a Harrisburg Local 776 ABF member. This protection has been in place for decades and helps prevent the employers from imposing decisions made by company doctors. Prior to the latest ruling, the decision of the 3rd Doctor was binding.

It’s unclear now how the difference of opinion between a member’s doctor and that delivered by a company doctor will be resolved. Leaving each such case up to the panels is not a solution, especially when a better procedure has been in place for so long.

Confronted by members, Tyson Johnson now claims that he did not sign the decision (even though his signature appears on it) and there are rumblings that it could be overturned.

What is going on at the IBT and in the freight division? Why are long-time provisions being traded away? If the decision is overturned, what will the IBT end up giving the employers in exchange?

Click here to download the decision] (Acrobat Reader required)

February 1, 2006. There was a time when candidates for Convention delegate paid Hoffa to ride his coattails. Hoffa’s campaign would charge his supporters to pose for campaign photos with the General President. But Hoffa’s pension cuts and other failures have shifted the political winds—and sent Hoffa’s associates ducking for cover.

From Detroit to Nashville, from Seattle to Atlanta, some Hoffa delegate candidates never mention their candidate, and pretend that they will go to the Convention “neutral” or “uncommitted”. Some of those who claim they to be undecided are, in fact, on the Hoffa payroll.

Hoffa’s good friend, International Rep. Earl Walker, heads up Hoffa’s home Local 614 in Michigan. But Earl’s delegate campaign literature never mentions Hoffa, or that he will vote to nominate him at the Convention. His literature even copies Leedham’s platform.

Hoffa’s friends in Seattle Local 174 list their ten most important issues for the IBT convention; nowhere on that list do they mention that they will vote to nominate Hoffa. Their lead candidate pretends he is uncommitted, even though it is apparent that the Hoffa campaign is bankrolling his slate, and he joined the Hoffa walkout when Tom Leedham spoke at the 2001 Convention.

If Hoffa’s supporters really believe in their candidate, why are they hiding their identity in so many delegate races?

January 30, 2006: The campaign for Teamster president is starting to heat up—with the opposing slates employing competing strategies.

Both Hoffa and the Tom Leedham Strong Contracts, Good Pensions Slate have campaign pages in the February Teamster magazine and on their websites. But the similarity ends there.

While Hoffa is struggling to keep defectors in the fold and put a glossy sheen on his failed record, Tom Leedham is drawing in new support and building a grassroots network of Teamster campaigners.

Leedham has built on the vote he got in the last election—picking up support from Teamster members and officers who are disaffected with
Hoffa because of the decline in Teamster power during his seven years in office.

Hoffa may be his own worst enemy. He is haunted by his broken promises of “No Dues Increase,” “25-and-Out,” and “No Corruption”—and by his broken pledge that “Health and pension benefits are guaranteed” under the master contracts he negotiated.

The Hoffa “Unity” that was formerly rock solid among Teamster officials is cracking, if not crumbling. It took an all-out pressure offensive to hold together his Unity Slate when Freight Director Tyson Johnson launched an aborted third slate in December. While Johnson is back in the fold, other key Hoffa supporters have turned against him or dropped away from active campaigning.

Third Slate?

Johnson, who announced his candidacy for Teamster President on Dec. 12, abandoned that campaign just two weeks later. Reportedly Johnson will retire from office. At the eleventh hour, Hoffa vice presidents and consultants convinced Johnson to drop out, all using the argument that Leedham would surely win a three-way race.

Some Teamster officials would rather let the union continue to go downhill under Hoffa than risk a Leedham victory.

But many officials, including several in the Freight Division, refuse to come back to Hoffa. Some allies who helped put Hoffa in office are no longer with him. Even his former Executive Assistant, Carlow Scalf, is working against Hoffa’s reelection. Former Freight Director Phil Young, International Vice President Tom O’Donnell, New Jersey Joint Council President Don DiLeo, among others, have split from Hoffa.

To many officers it looks like Hoffa has not only abandoned Teamsters in freight, but he relies more on his consultants and handlers than the local officers who put in power.

Whether these developments will lead to a third slate, a coalition with Leedham, or something else, remains to be seen. In any event, they show that Hoffa has lost key support, at the same time that Leedham is reaching out to draw leaders who formerly backed Hoffa into the campaign and slate.

With no positive record to run on, Hoffa’s strategy is to go negative. Hoffa’s campaign ads call Leedham a “loser,” because Leedham lost to Hoffa in 1998 and in 2001.

But that approach may fall flat: thousands of Teamsters feel like they have been the big losers under the Hoffa administration.

Since Hoffa took office, our union has lost 100,000 members; hundreds of thousands of Teamsters have had pension and health benefits cut; and many officers feel Hoffa has lost touch with local officers and lost control of our union to inside-the-beltway consultants.

PR Campaign vs Ground War

The Hoffa Campaign will rely on a big fundraising advantage to bankroll a glossy PR campaign. Hoffa pays some 148 multiple salaries to Teamster officials—not including the hundreds more on the Hoffa payroll, most of whom can be made to pony up big bucks to his campaign.

Leedham is relying on grassroots fundraising to finance a “ground war” campaign based on Teamster-to-Teamster outreach.

The campaign has launched a Strong Contracts, Good Pensions tour that is putting candidates in the field to talk with Teamsters about what it will take to rebuild our union’s strength.

Hoffa can only buy another term of office if we let him. The PR attacks of Hoffa’s consultants are no match for Teamster members if we’re organized in the terminals, hubs, factories, warehouses, job sites, and other Teamster workplaces.

The Leedham Campaign is building a Teamster army. It’s time for you to enlist.

January 30, 2006: John Thyer, the secretary-treasurer of St. Louis Local 604 and an experienced union leader, has joined the Tom Leedham Strong Contracts, Good Pensions Slate to help strengthen and rebuild the IBT Carhaul Division and the Teamsters Union as a whole.

“Under Hoffa, we’ve got a shrinking union and shrinking Teamster power,” Thyer said. “Hoffa has lost touch with the members and cut local officers out of the loop.”

Thyer has been outspoken against weak enforcement of the national carhaul contract, a lack of effective organizing, and concessions that the Hoffa administration has given the employers that violate the contract and have locals underbidding each other. Stewards and members from other locals often rely on him for help.

Thyer considered a run for Teamster President, but met with Tom Leedham and decided to team up with Tom and his slate. He’s been a Teamster for 31 years and principal officer of Local 604 for 12 years. “I look forward to taking this campaign to the Teamster members. They know this union is headed in the wrong direction."

January 30, 2006:It’s the first rule of politics. When you can’t run on your record, you lie, spin and go negative.

Hoffa campaign operative Richard Leebove has made millions off of Teamster elections with his lies and distortions.

And he’s at it again in this month’s Teamster magazine. Under Hoffa, the Teamsters Union has lost over 100,000 members.

To cover for his failures, Hoffa’s campaign operatives lie about Hoffa’s organizing failures and distort Tom Leedham’s record.

In the February Teamster magazine campaign “battle pages” Hoffa brags, “We have added nearly 200,000 new members.”

He also charges that Tom Leedham’s Local 206 lost 17 percent of its membership over the last five years because of decertifications. Both claims are outright lies.

The Truth Squad is here to present Teamster members with the facts so you can cut through the spin and make up your own mind.


Membership Loss Under Hoffa

• The Teamsters Union has lost over 100,000 members since Hoffa took office.
• In the mid 1990’s, before Hoffa, the Teamsters Union reversed a 16-year decline in membership in the mid-1990s by launching aggressive organizing campaigns.
• When Hoffa pushed through the biggest dues increase in Teamster history, he nearly doubled the International Union’s income. But Hoffa has failed to use these new resources to organize and grow our union.
• The membership additions under Hoffa have come through mergers not organizing. Three mergers added 140,000 members to our union, inflating Hoffa’s numbers and covering for the lost Teamster members since Hoffa took office in 1999.

Source: U.S. Department of Labor LM-2 Reports filed by the Hoffa administration.


The Facts: Local 206 Membership

• Like most Teamster locals that are not predominately UPS or public sector locals, Local 206 has lost members due to changes in the U.S. economy. More than 90 percent of Local 206’s membership loss is due to companies closing down or moving to another local jurisdiction.

• Much of the Local 206’s membership “loss” came when Food Service of America, moved into a neighboring local union’s geographic jurisdiction. These members are not “lost.” They are proud Teamsters in Local 324.

• The Hoffa administration has failed to help Teamster locals to organize and grow—despite the largest dues increase in Teamster history. Hoffa’s own home Local 614 has suffered a double-digit membership decline.

Tom Leedham is running for General President to reinvigorate Teamster organizing. Leedham will rebate money to Teamster locals to help them organize the nonunion competition.

Unlike Hoffa, Leedham will take responsibility for rebuilding Teamster organizing—not pass the buck to Teamster officers and blame them for our union’s membership losses.


Employer Donations—A Big Lie

In the same Teamster magazine campaign ads, Leebove and Hoffa claim that the Tom Leedham Strong Contracts, Good Pensions campaign is “linked to employer funding.”

This is another outright lie.

Accepting direct or indirect employer contributions is a blatant violation of Federal Law and the IBT Election Rules.

If Hoffa had any evidence to back up his bogus claims, he would immediately file a charge with the Teamster Election Supervisor and the Department of Labor.

But Hoffa restricts his charges to the Teamster magazine. Why? Because his claims are campaign propaganda and nothing more.

Leebove should know all about employer contributions. The Election Administrator expelled him from the 1998 campaign for making an illegal $167,000 contribution to Hoffa. Leebove was suspended from the 2001 campaign for hinting to employers that they should donate to Hoffa’s campaign.
Source: Decisions of the Election Administrator.