John Kline, the Minnesota congressman that snuck through the Multiemployer Pension Reform Act (MEPRA) as part of the omnibus spending bill in 2014, is at it again. MEPRA allowed Central States and other Funds in “critical status” to propose drastic cuts to earned benefits. 

The Central States Pension Fund ended the second quarter on June 30, 2016, with $15.6 billion in assets, down $500 million since the start of the year, according to the Financial and Analytical Report obtained and reviewed by Teamsters for a Democratic Union (TDU).

UPS Teamsters in the Southwest thought they saved their health benefits by voting no. But they got stuck with an inferior health plan—and pension cuts too.

The fight to preserve Teamsters’ hard-earned pensions won a big victory when Treasury rejected the Central States proposed cuts. But the real fight to save pensions lies ahead.

The New York State Teamster Pension Fund has just threatened 30,000 Teamsters and retirees with huge pension cuts, according to the newly-appointed “Retiree Representative,” Tom Baum. 

Until ERISA (the Employee Retirement Income Security Act) was passed in 1974 and signed by President Ford, workers’ pensions were unprotected. How was ERISA won, and what can we learn for today from this history?

Teamster pension activists from the Twin Cities met recently with Congressman Keith Ellison (D-MN). They reported having a very fruitful discussion. 

Teamsters who work at ABC Supply have been on strike six weeks at four locations in the Boston area – to defend their right to maintain a pension plan. ABC Supply is a national corporation supplying roofing, siding and other building materials – and is owned by a union-busting billionaire. 

Following the May 6 decision of the Treasury Department to reject the Central States Fund’s application for pension cuts, the Fund Trustees immediately considered a new plan for more drastic cuts and also a proposal to sue the Treasury Department.   

Who could have predicted a year ago, as Congress-sanctioned pension cuts gathered momentum, that thousands of retired truckers self-organizing in diners and union halls across Middle America would manage to apply the brakes?