Teamsters and Retirees Demand Justice
January 9, 2015: Teamsters and retirees from across the Central States Fund and other pension funds are organizing to protect our pensions. Central States was built with pension contributions earned by our blood and sweat.
We demand accountability and justice from the Trustees and from Hoffa. The buck stops with our General President.
The Buck Stops with Hoffa
Teamster officials have 50 percent of the votes in every pension plan. Hoffa should demand that the Teamster-appointed trustees Vote No on pension cuts until all the facts are known and all alternatives have been exhausted.
No Cuts Before An Independent Audit
No pension cuts should even be considered before there is an independent audit and actuarial review with the facts being made available to all pension fund participants. It’s time for transparency and accountability—not more sneak attacks.
Appoint a Truly Independent Retiree Representative
The new law requires any fund with 10,000+ participants that is considering cuts to appoint a retiree representative “to advocate for the interests of the retirees.” This representative should be a proven independent advocate—not a flunky for the Hoffa administration or Central States trustees.
Lift Unfair Reemployment Rules
Central States should put an end to the unfair reemployment rules before any cuts are considered. Central States has no right to cut a Teamster retiree’s pension and then tell them they cannot work to supplement it.
Equality of Sacrifice
Any fund executive or Teamster official that backs the pension cuts should take the same cuts themselves—starting with Central States Director Thomas Nyhan, who was paid $662,060 in 2013. James Hoffa has a special “Family Protection” pension that will pay him well over $1 million in a lump sum—from Teamster dues. What pension cut will he take?
Mike Walden for Central States Retiree Representative
Federal law now requires any fund with 10,000+ participants that plans to cut pensions to appoint a retiree representative “to advocate for the interests of the retirees.”
Mike Walden is the Teamster for the job.
Mike, the Chair of the Northeast Ohio Committee to Protect Pensions, helped lead the fight against the pension cut sneak attack by Congress. He is a proven independent advocate.
“Based on the track record we’ve seen from Nyhan and the trustees, can we really trust their claims on how much needs to be cut? We need an independent audit and actuarial assessment of Central States to verify numbers on what it will take to insure the best pension benefits going forward.”
Mike Walden, Local 24, Akron, Ohio
Roadway Retiree
Chair, Northeast Ohio Committee to Protect Pensions
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The Hoffa-Hall Concessions Stand
January 9, 2015: They’ve delivered contract givebacks, healthcare cuts, and a pension disaster in the Central States.
Join the rank-and-file movement to close the Hoffa-Hall concessions stand.
From UPS to YRC to retirees, Teamsters were hammered with concessions in 2014.
Now members and local leaders who opposed these concessions and fought for good contracts are building a coalition for change.
Teamster Voice details the latest attack on our benefits and what it will take for members to close the Hoffa-Hall concessions stand for good.
Check out the Teamster Election Timeline and the steps we need to take to win.
Hospital Teamsters Unite for a Fair Contract
January 8, 2015: A new leadership team took office in Rhode Island Teamster Local 251 last year after members organized a grassroots movement for change.
Now 2,500 Local 251 members who work at Rhode Island Hospital are taking that grassroots approach to the bargaining table in a campaign to win a fair contract.
Their contract demands include wage increases, better retirement benefits, and job security.
Union contract proposals address problems that undermine working conditions and patient care at the same time, including inadequate equipment and short staffing.
As a nonprofit, Rhode Island Hospital is supposed to put the healthcare needs of the community first.
But while Lifespan paid just ten executives more than $16.6 million, they’ve implemented cost-cutting measures, causing shortages in equipment and staff that undermine patient care.
To address these issues and win a fair contract, Local 251 is teaming up with community allies in a campaign to win a Fair Contract, Good Jobs & Quality Care.
As we go to press, members are organizing a Worker & Community Speak-Out that will bring together hospital Teamsters, community groups, religious leaders, labor activists, elected officials, and concerned members of the public.
“We need good jobs in our community and we need good healthcare too,” said Armando Brasil, a negotiating committee member.
“By mobilizing ourselves and uniting with the public, we can win a fair contract, good jobs in our community, and better care for the patients,” Brasil said.
Strikers Win at Waste Management
January 8, 2015: Hoffa administration VP Rome Aloise told Teamsters to cross the picket line. But Waste Management workers won a strike that will raise their pay from $12.50 to $20 an hour.
Read moreHow Did It Happen? Disastrous Pension Bill Is Now Law
January 8, 2015: Congress approved pension cut legislation in a sneak attack amendment to the budget bill.
The fight to protect Teamster pensions is on. Teamsters and retirees are joining the Pension Justice Campaign.
Congress approved pension cut legislation in a sneak attack amendment to the budget bill.
The legislation guts federal pension protections and paves the way for pension cuts in the Central States Pension Fund and very possibly some other Teamster funds.
For 30 years, the anti-cutback rule has made it illegal for pension funds to cut retirement benefits that workers have already earned.
But in December, Congress used a loophole to dismantle workers’ pension protections without any up or down vote on the issue, by attaching the change to a budget bill that needed to be approved to avoid a government shutdown.
This final blow was fast, but the attack on our pensions was two years in the making, and Teamsters for a Democratic Union (TDU) led the charge against it.
TDU mounted a grassroots campaign to protect Teamster pensions. We partnered with the Pension Rights Center and AARP and launched a coalition for pension protections, not cuts. The machinists union (IAM) joined front and center, and some other unions helped.
We proposed positive alternative ideas, as did the AARP and the Pension Rights Center.
Hoffa was worse than MIA. His allies at the Central States Pension Fund were leading proponents of the pension cut deal, including Central States Executive Director Thomas Nyhan, who testified before Congress in favor of the bill—with the backing of the Teamster appointed Trustees of the fund.
Nyhan was paid $662,060 in 2013 to stab Teamsters in the back.
Most local unions were in the dark and didn’t even inform members. The IBT did not mobilize retiree clubs to march on Washington. Central States sent reps to local meetings to tell members that the pension cut threat was a hoax made up by TDU.
Hoffa waited until the day before the legislation passed. Then he issued a last-minute letter opposing the pension rip-off. The IBT emailed members calling on them to make phone calls.
Hoffa stayed quiet to signal politicians that he backed the pension cut bill; then when the bill’s passage was secured, he put on a show of opposition to the membership to cover himself politically.
Hoffa gave up fighting for Teamster pensions a long time ago. But working Teamsters and retirees have not.
Some Senators and Congresspersons are willing to take up the issue but they will need grassroots support. That’s where we all come in.
TDU will work with pension advocates, retiree organizations and unions to build a Pension Justice Campaign.
Fight for Teamster Pensions and Rebuild Teamster Power
Teamsters expect Congress to play politics. But they deserve more from their own union leadership.
The Hoffa administration has spent the last year imposing contract concessions, healthcare cuts and pension cuts. It’s time for change.
If you agree, get involved in the movement for change in our union.
Join with Teamsters working to defend pensions and change the leadership of the Teamster Union. Together, we can rebuild the Teamsters!
“Congress passed this bill but that doesn’t mean the fight is over. We’ve put Teamster pressure on the Central States in the past and we can do it again. It’s up to us to organize a political push back, too. Stopping this attack on our retirement security means getting involved NOW!”
Tommy Burke, Local 391 North Carolina, UPS Retiree
“For the past year, we heard nothing from Hoffa and the IBT as the lobbyists, including Tom Nyhan from Central States, weaseled their way through Congress pushing for changes to allow pension cuts. Hoffa’s last minute letter was an effort to cover his behind. Hoffa and Hall are more concerned with PR than making a real fight. We desperately need change to save our union.”
Willie Hardy, Local 667, Memphis, YRC Retiree
Organizing to Protect Our Pensions
January 9, 2015: Reckless Wall Street schemes tanked the economy and Teamster pension funds.
Now Teamsters and retiree advocates are coming together to hold Wall Street accountable and take on pension cuts.
Congress attached to the end-ofyear spending bill a measure that undid 30 years of pension protections. More than one million workers, retirees and their families could see historic pension cuts over the next year or two.
This has sent shock waves across the USA.
The largest affected group is the 300,000 Teamsters and retirees in the Central States Pension Fund.
For nearly two years, TDU has teamed with leading pension policy and advocacy groups, including the AARP and the Pension Rights Center, to build a retirement security coalition.
The pension-cut amendment attached to the budget bill was a sneak attack and a game-changer.
While the Hoffa administration was missing in action, TDU, the PRC, AARP and other unions were gearing up for a national campaign and Capitol Hill fight to defeat pension cut legislation in 2015.
Now we are preparing new tactics and a new approach.
How We Got Here
Reckless Wall Street speculators pushed the stock market and economy over the cliff in 2008.
The crash and the great recession took a huge toll on Teamsters in freight and other industries—and crippled many pension funds.
Congress bailed out the big banks but left working families high and dry. They did exactly nothing to shore up hard-earned pensions.
There is no stomach in Washington, D.C. for governmentfunded aid, but there is a growing movement for accountability by Wall Street and the big banks. They caused the problem, they have to be accountable for at least some of the solution.
We are exploring a Retirement Security and Wall Street Accountability campaign that would demand that the big Wall Street banks finance a fund to assist troubled pension funds that were put in distress by Wall Street speculation and the 2008 economic meltdown.
The approach is similar to other Wall Street Accountability campaigns targeting banks to assist under-water mortgage holders and it shares similar assumptions.
The Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation (PBGC) needs to be a real safety net to backstop earned pensions. In the 2008 meltdown, when the FDIC (which insures bank deposits) was threatened, protections were increased to $250,000 per account. And the FDIC is backed by the full faith and credit of the United States. The PBGC needs to be put on equal footing with the FDIC so that earned pensions are treated like earned savings: with reasonable protection, not a safety net full of holes.
A United Coalition for Change
January 8, 2015: Working Teamsters were hammered with concessions in 2014.
Teamster leaders who showed how to fight for good contracts are building a coalition for change.
Teamster leaders who stood up for Teamster contracts and pensions in 2014 are helping to build a coalition for change in 2016.
Local 804 President Tim Sylvester united UPS Teamsters in New York City to win pension increases, grievance procedure reform, and 150 new full-time jobs.
“Other Teamsters were taking givebacks. But Tim showed us we can fight back. We won a $400 increase in our pension and a damn good contact,” said shop steward Mark Cohen.
Local 89 President Fred Zuckerman united members in Louisville to Vote No to reject concessions by 94 percent. In a low point for our union, the Hoffa administration sided with UPS, overrode the 94 percent No Vote and imposed concessions in Local 89.
But even Hoffa and IBT meddling could not stop Zuckerman and Local 89 members from a contract victory that won top-scale wages, pensions and healthcare for some 200 Teamster carhaulers, with back pay worth up to $50 million.
Now these Teamster leaders who built Teamster power in their local unions are teaming up to build a national coalition for change.
Sylvester and Zuckerman have spoken at rank-and-file meetings along with Sandy Pope, the TDU backed 2011 candidate for General President, and Tony Jones, the President of Columbus Local 413.
The anti-Hoffa forces were split into two camps in the last election—and Hoffa won over a divided opposition.
This time, officers and rankand-file activists are building a united coalition of Teamsters who want to rebuild Teamster power.
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Organizing at the Bottom to Win at the Top
January 8, 2015: The Vote No movement showed that a majority of Teamsters in key industries oppose Hoffa-Hall's concessions.
But are we ready to get to work to elect new Teamster leadership?
Working Teamsters organized an unprecedented Vote No movement against contract concessions and benefit cuts last year.
Teamsters can have new leadership and a new direction in our union. But it won’t be easy or automatic.
Hoffa has a built-in campaign organization. He has a huge payroll with over 100 officials who get multiple union salaries. This patronage system is Hoffa’s built-in fundraising and campaign machine.
To defeat him, Teamster members need to build a campaign machine of our own—a
grassroots army of Teamster volunteers. TDU has analyzed the local-by-local results from each of the last six IBT elections. In each election, where Teamsters were actively campaigning for reform candidates, voter turnout was higher and reform candidates won.
With more boots on the ground—and a united coalition slate—we can win in 2016.
Building Local Campaign Committees “The time is now to lay the ground work for winning in 2016. We need to organize campaign committees in every local. We’re building ours in Local 413 and are making plans for a rally in February.”
Nick Perry, UPS, Local 413, Columbus, Ohio
Organizing a Grassroots Petition Army “The accreditation petition is the first big test of the campaign. We will need to collect thousands of signatures from Teamsters across the country. This needs to be a grassroots effort. I’m ready to do my part and petition in my local and joint council.”
Craig Karnia, UPS, Local 705, Chicago
Funding a Campaign War Chest “It’s going to take money to beat Hoffa. We need large and small contributions to build the campaign war chest. I’m ready to donate and help raise more.”
Matt Studd, Cassens, Local 327, Nashville, Tenn
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The Teamster Election Timeline and You
February 6, 2015: Teamster members will vote for International Union officers in 2016. But the election process starts now.
Find out the election timeline and how TDU helps Teamster members organize to win.
Election Rules and the Election Supervisor Early 2015
The International Union election is run by an independent Election Officer under fair rules— a big difference from local union elections.
The Election Supervisor is Richard Mark, who served as Election Supervisor in 2006 and 2011. He will be hiring staff and issuing the Election Rules by May 2015.
TDU will educate members about their election rights—from campaigning to petitioning to running for delegate to voting.
TDU will organize workshops and trainings so members have the tools they need to be effective campaigners. And our legal team will be there to help with election protests and back members’ rights to vote and campaign for change.
Petition Drive to Accredit Candidates June 2015-August 2015
The first big test of the campaign is the Accreditation Petition Drive. To be officially accredited, the slate of candidates for International Union office needs to collect at least 50,000 petition signatures from Teamsters across North America—with proportional numbers needed in various regions.
Accredited candidates get the right to publish campaign ads in the Teamster magazine and they get a copy of the entire Teamster membership list so they can reach out directly to members.
The candidates can’t collect these signatures on their own: it’s too big a job. TDU’s network of rank-and-file volunteers will collect signatures from coast to coast. You can be a part of it.
TDU will be backing a broad coalition of candidates who have the platform, the experience and the guts needed to lead.
Getting Candidates on the Ballot January-June 2016
Candidates, even accredited candidates, don’t have an automatic spot on the ballot.
To get on the ballot, candidates must be nominated at the Teamster Convention in June 2016 by at least five percent of the convention delegate in each region.
That means we need to elect hundreds of convention delegates who will nominate coalition candidates.
Convention delegate elections will be held in all local unions—with most elections being held between January and April 2016. These elections are overseen by the Election Supervisor.
In the last election, many local unions whose members voted against Hoffa in the election were represented at the convention by officers who nominated Hoffa and Hall and tried to keep all opposition candidates off the ballot. We can’t let that happen again.
TDU will organize workshops and trainings for Teamsters who are interested in fielding a slate for convention delegate. We’ll explain the rules and how to organize a winning campaign.
Running for convention delegate is much easier than running for local union office. You’re serving a five-day term, not a three-year term. And it’s much easier to win. Reform slates win about half the time they run in convention delegate races.
Campaigning and Voting
Being fed up with Hoffa and Hall won’t get them out of office. Teamsters who want change will need to build grassroots campaign committees and get the word out to Teamster members to vote for change.
Ballots will be mailed to all Teamster members in October 2016 and they will be counted in November.
It will take about 200,000 votes to win the International Union election. That’s an achievable goal but only if we’re organized.
Team up for Change with TDU
Do you want to vote out Hoffa and Hall and elect International Union leaders who will fight for the members? Then team up with Teamsters for a Democratic Union.
TDU will be backing a coalition of Teamster candidates in the 2016 election. We need you to be part of our national network of Teamster members who will be campaigning for change.
Lessons from a UPS Contract Victory
January 8, 2015: While other Teamsters were taking concessions, UPS Teamsters in New York Local 804 won a $400 pension increase, 150 new full-time jobs and grievance procedure reform.
Local 804 President Tim Sylvester explained how they did it in a speech to the Labor Notes conference of union leaders and activists.
“When the International Union makes givebacks to UPS, they are sending a message to every employer—that the concessions stand is open in the Teamsters Union. We decided to send a different message: The concessions stand is now closed.
“We formed a Contract Action Team. We took contract surveys to every building, Teamster to Teamster, and over 3,000 members filled out surveys.
“We held parking lot rallies. We have a 15-foot inflatable fat-cat strangling a UPS worker that made a tour of the local.
“Every action we took was designed to bring members together and send UPS a message: if you come to us with concessions, we will Vote No and send them back.
“Negotiations did not go smoothly. UPS refused to negotiate pension increases or more full-time jobs. The International Union called our negotiating committee down to Florida and told us that a $3,800/month was the best that we could do.
“We told them our bottom line was $4,000. We went back to New York and held parking lot meetings and rallies. Our members showed they were ready to Vote No and hold up the contract. We used that leverage to win improvements.
“UPS came back to the table. We won a $400 pension increase and a $4,000 pension—and we maintained 25-and-out. We won 150 new fulltime jobs for part-timers. And we won a new grievance procedure so members get faster justice and don’t need to walk off the job to be heard.
“Union Power is not something you declare in a press release.
“It is something you build worker-to-worker by mobilizing and involving the members.”
Watch the Video: How 804 Members Won a Strong Contract
Tim Sylvester and UPS Teamsters in Local 804 bucked the concessions trend and won a pension increase, full-time jobs and grievance procedure reform.
Share the video that shows how they did it.
Gearing Up Early
Local 804 formed a Contract Action Team and launched a Contract Survey so members could set the bargaining goals. More than 3,000 members participated, sending management a message that members care about their contract.
Members Set the Demands
Members packed a contract meeting to speak out on their priority issues. A Contract Proposal Committee of stewards and members finalized the demands that Local 804 turned in to management.
Stewards on the Bargaining CommitteeShop stewards, full-time and part-time, joined the Contract Negotiating Committee to bring members’ issues straight to management.
Members Show Contract Unity
Members wore contract stickers, posted signs in their car windows and held parking lot meetings to get updates. These actions showed management that members were informed and united.
Rallies and Contract ActionWhen management refused to negotiate pension increases and full-time jobs, members held rallies to send management the message they were ready to take action to win contract improvements.
Making UPS Deliver
UPS management came back to the table and agreed to contract improvements, including a $400 pension increase, 150 new full-time jobs and a new grievance procedure.
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