Local #174 Teamster News Archives
March 2012


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Allied waste/Republic pickets spread; sanitation workers honor lines
Posted: March 30, 2012
Source: Teamsters 117
Puget Sound sanitation workers, employed by Allied Waste/Republic Services, honored picket lines on Thursday morning that were established by striking Teamsters from Alabama. Picket lines were set up at the company's facilities in Seattle, Bellevue, Lynnwood, and Kent/Kent Meridian.

Known as Republic Services nationally, the company provoked the strike when it violated federal labor law and backed out of a negotiated contract with Teamsters Local 991 in Mobile, Ala. The company rescinded the agreement because it wanted to impose greater cuts to workers' health care coverage. Workers in Mobile struck the company on Thursday, March 22. Pickets immediately extended to Buffalo, NY, and Columbus, OH before reaching Western Washington early this morning.

"Republic's reneging on its negotiated agreement and violating federal law show that the company is more concerned with maximizing corporate profits than with taking care of its customers and ensuring the health and safety of its workers," said Tracey A. Thompson, Secretary-Treasurer of Teamsters Local 117. In 2011, Republic earned $8.2 billion in revenues and declared profits of $589 million, up 15 percent per share from 2010.

When garbage, yard waste, and recycle drivers arrived to work early this morning, they informed their employer of their intent to exercise their contractual right to honor the picket line.

"We are standing strong in solidarity with our Brothers and Sisters in Alabama. We will not allow Republic to trample on our rights and erode our health care coverage. We won't stand for it here or anywhere else in the country," said Shop Steward, Roderick Holmes, a 15-year residential recycle driver at Allied Waste's Bellevue facility.

The National Labor Relations Board is investigating several labor law violations committed by Republic, including bargaining in bad faith. Mobile's drivers were set to vote on their tentative contract agreement on Feb. 17. The day before, Republic announced that it was withdrawing the agreement.

For more information on this dispute or to sign up for picket duty, please contact Lily Wilson-Codega at (206) 794-2606.


 

Garbage Company's Trashed Promise Sparks Rare Rolling Sympathy Strike
Posted: March 30, 2012
Source: AlterNet
Picket KidsThursday, 250 Teamsters in Seattle went on strike against Republic Services, the second-largest waste disposal company in the United States.  Workers in Buffalo, New York, and Columbus, Ohio struck Republic for three days earlier this week.  These workers aren’t responding to moves by local management.  Instead, they went on strike in solidarity with 24 striking co-workers in Alabama.  That kind of strike has become all too rare in the modern labor movement – and it’s usually illegal.

“We’ve made this company what it is,” says Mobile, Alabama striker Michael McLean.  “And then you have these people who come in and basically just poop on us.  No respect for us.”  But after taking workers for granted, says McLean, “they’re seeing it now: There’s garbage still all on the ground.”  Striking Alabama workers – all male, majority African-American -- wear signs that read “I Am a Man,” echoing the sanitation workers strike that Martin Luther King was assassinated while supporting.  So do their children.

“It means a whole lot to know that other guys stand behind us…” says Alabama striker Robert Agee.  “To have that much support from people you don’t even know means a whole lot.”  That solidarity – from South to Northeast to Midwest to Northwest – may be what brought Republic back to the negotiating table for the first time in months.
Read complete source story here.

 

Teamster Strike at Red Cross Spreads to Michigan, Grows in Ohio
Posted: March 30, 2012
Source: Teamster.org
Workers at the American Red Cross represented by the Teamsters Union and the Office and Professional Employees International Union (OPEIU) were forced to strike today in Lansing, Mich., over rising concerns about understaffing and cuts in health care benefits despite $2 billion in revenue from blood donations. View more photos from this event.

America's Blood is NOT Your Bank!The strike of about 150 Lansing workers escalates widespread employee unrest at Red Cross. They joined about 400 workers in Ohio who have already walked off the job to protest the organization’s greed and its lack of concern for blood donation safety.

“Red Cross employees have made every attempt to settle outstanding contract issues,” said Jim Hoffa, Teamsters General President, in a letter to Red Cross CEO Gail McGovern. “They love the work they do, but long shifts with short staff and high pressure, combined with management’s insistence on replacing their quality health insurance with a far inferior one, has left them no other choice.”

Earlier this week, 150 Red Cross workers who are members of the United Food and Commercial Workers Union (UFCW) walked off the job in Toledo, Ohio. They joined 250 Teamsters who were forced to strike in Cleveland on February 14.

Lansing Red Cross Teamsters have been without a contract since May 1, 2009 despite vigorous attempts by local union officials to work with Red Cross so that blood safety concerns and a new health care plan could be addressed.

“I want Red Cross to bargain in good faith over our health care,” said Jennifer Hemstreet, a 19-year mobile unit assistant for blood drives working in Lansing. “Blood donors provide their own blood for free and Red Cross turns around and sells it for $250 or more a pint. They say it’s to pay my salary, but it doesn’t add up. The CEO of Red Cross makes more than $1 million a year.”

“We will fight Red Cross in order to have the right to bargain over health care,” said Michael Parker, Secretary-Treasurer of Local 580 in Lansing. “They are cutting the health benefits of their employees around Ohio, Michigan and everywhere else. Plus, the Red Cross has racked up $40 million in fines from the Food and Drug Administration. But, the big shots in Washington are feasting over workers’ sacrifices. If you ask me, the Red Cross is infected with greed.”

The safety of the collected blood is also an important issue in the strikes. Red Cross management has tried to eliminate necessary restroom and fatigue breaks for blood collection staff. The result is that employees are overworked and concerned that despite carefully following blood collection protocol, mistakes could occur, thus jeopardizing blood inventory.

“Non-profit employers should not take the short-sighted view of putting their workers’ health and community’s safety on the line in pursuit of money,” Hoffa said. “When dedicated employees call out for a safer process that protects the public, the workers and the blood supply, they deserve respect and consideration.”


 

Ga. Anti-Free Speech Bill Dies; Attacks on Jobless Workers and Welfare Applicants Pass
Posted: March 30, 2012
Source: AFL-CIO Now
The Republican-controlled Georgia state legislature ended its session. In a victory for working families—and for the Bill of Rights—the anti-free speech bill (S.B. 469), that brought union, faith and tea party activists together (see photo) to protest the proposal to subject picketers to big fines, died. But not before lawmakers, in a last-ditch attempt to pass the bill in some form, stripped the picketing provisions and turned S.B. 469 into a purely anti-union bill that would affect dues deduction for public employees. But the bipartisan coalition opposed to the S.B. 469 held firm, and lawmakers decided not to take up the bill.

But the victory was bittersweet. Republicans still managed to pass bills that cut jobless benefits severely and require some welfare applicants to pass drug tests.

Under the passed bills now on the governor’s desk, welfare applicants who fail an initial drug test would be ineligible until their tests are clean; failing a third test would make the applicant ineligible for a year. Jobless workers could receive benefits for 14 to 20 weeks, rather than the 26 weeks possible now. As the National Employment Law Project says, “This cut is particularly devastating to Georgia’s unemployed since Georgia already has the stingiest benefit formula in the country with regards to weeks of eligibility.”

 

Teamster Sanitation Workers Bring Republic Services Strike to Seattle
Posted: March 29, 2012

Source: Teamster.org
Workers at Republic Services/Allied Waste [NYSE: RSG]  – the nation’s second largest solid waste and recycling company – arrived at work in Seattle, Bellevue, Lynnwood and Kent early this morning to find picket lines outside the facilities.

Striking members of Teamster Local Union 991 had traveled from Mobile, Ala. to extend picket lines to Republic’s Seattle-area facilities. Members of Teamsters Joint Council 28 and community supporters put up sympathy pickets as well.  Republic’s workers at these facilities–250 members of Teamsters Locals 117 and 174, 38 and 763–refused to cross the lines.

On Thursday night, March 22, all 24 Republic Services workers in Mobile went on strike, including two workers who are not members of Teamsters Local 991. They are striking over Republic’s labor laws violations. In February, Republic negotiators agreed to a contract, then backed out when they decided they wanted to pay less for workers’ families health care coverage.

Just hours after Mobile workers went on strike, Republic Services workers in Columbus, Ohio and Buffalo, N.Y. – members of Locals 284 in Columbus and 449 in Buffalo – refused to cross sympathy picket lines in support of the Mobile strikers. Republic’s trash and recycling work in those two cities were effectively shut down from Friday through Monday. Sympathy picket lines are now spreading to other Republic facilities across the country, where the Teamsters have nearly 150 contracts.

More than 400 Teamster-represented drivers and helpers have now honored picket lines at Republic Services at these facilities.

In 2011, Republic Services/Allied Waste earned $8.2 billion in revenues and declared profits of $589 million, up 15 percent per share from 2010.

“Republic claims it can’t afford to provide quality, reasonably priced health care for its employees,” said Teamsters Solid Waste, Recycling and Related Industries Division Director Robert Morales. “Yet the employees are the ones who risk their lives every day to protect the public health and rake in profits for the company.”

“I’ve worked at Republic for 16 years,” said striking worker Steve Burroughs. “I don’t want to strike, but these top 1 percent corporations have done nothing but harass and intimidate us. As a worker, I’m part of the 99 percent in America and I can’t stand by any more while our jobs are destroyed.”

The Teamsters represent approximately 9,000 employees at Republic Services and its subsidiaries at more than 150 facilities throughout the U.S., Puerto Rico and Canada.

For more information, visit https://www.facebook.com/RepublicServicesTeamsters and follow https://twitter.com/repubteamsters .


 

Republic Waste strike spreads to WA
Posted: March 29, 2012
Source: Teamster Nation
Steve Burroughs holding the line BellevueSteve Burroughs takes the Republic Services strike from Mobile, Ala., to Washington state and holds the line in Bellevue. In another inspiring act of solidarity, members of Teamsters Joint Council 28 and community supporters also put up sympathy pickets at Seattle-area Republic Services facilities. Refusing to cross the lines in Kent, Bellevue and Lynnwood were 250 members of Teamsters Locals 117 and 174, 38 and 763.

Burroughs, who has worked at Republic for 16 years, didn't want to strike. But, he said,
These top 1 percent corporations have done nothing but harass and intimidate us. As a worker, I’m part of the 99 percent in America and I can’t stand by any more while our jobs are destroyed.
According to Local 991's press release,
On Thursday night, March 22, all 24 Republic Services workers in Mobile went on strike, including two workers who are not members of Teamsters Local 991. They are striking over Republic’s labor laws violations. In February, Republic negotiators agreed to a contract, then backed out when they decided they wanted to pay less for workers’ families health care coverage.

It sure helps when your brothers and sisters have your back. Hours after Mobile workers went on strike, members of Local 284 in Columbus and Local 449 in Buffalo refused to cross sympathy picket lines at Republic Services facilities. Props to the 400 Teamsters who have honored picket lines so far.

There's even more to come. Sympathy strikes are spreading to Republic facilities across the country, as the Teamsters represent 9,000 employees with nearly 150 contracts in the U.S., Canada and Puerto Rico.

In 2011, Republic Services/Allied Waste earned $8.2 billion in revenues and declared profit of $589 million, up 15 percent per share from 2010. And yet it claims it can't afford to provide quality, reasonably priced health care for its employees.

Stand strong, brothers and sisters!


 

Judge Orders Hearing in Teamsters' Challenge to FDOC Probation Rules
Posted: March 29, 2012
Source: Teamster.org
An administrative judge today ordered a hearing in Teamsters Local 2011’s legal challenge to restore the requirement that probation officers visit the homes of dangerous criminals on probation.

Robert S. Cohen, chief judge for the Division of Administrative Hearings, wrote that the Teamsters’ petition complies with Florida statute. He assigned the case to Administrative Law Judge Elizabeth W. McArthur. A hearing is to be held within 30 days.

The Florida Department of Corrections on Feb. 29 suspended officers’ visits to offenders’ homes and treatment providers until June 30. The Teamsters argue the suspension breaks Florida law and endangers Florida’s communities.   

The Teamsters say FDOC’s action violates Florida Statute 944.09(4), which states, “the department shall…keep informed concerning the conduct, habits, associates, employment, recreations, and whereabouts of such probationer, by visits, by requiring reports, and in other ways.” The Teamsters also argue FDOC violated Section 120.54(a)(1) of the Florida statutes, which requires the agency to engage in the rulemaking procedure before acting to change offender supervision.

Within 30 days of the hearing, the administrative law judge must determine if FDOC acted improperly. If the judge rules against FDOC, the agency must restore home visits.

Probation officers say field visits to probationers prevent future criminal activity. They have found guns, drugs, credit card fraud and other illicit activity in probationers’ homes.

For more information, visit http://fdocteamsters.org/ . The petition can be found here.

 

Local garbage picketing could disrupt service today
Posted: March 29, 2012
PicketingSource: King 5 News
Union garbage collectors for Allied Waste and Republic in four Puget Sound cities are walking picket lines Thursday in solidarity for fellow union workers who are on strike in Alabama. That means some customers may not have their trash, recycling and yard waste picked up.

Picket lines have been set up at the company facilities in Seattle, Bellevue, Lynnwood and Kent/Kent Meridian. Teamsters spokeswoman Tracey Thompson said the local workers are not on strike, but are simply choosing not to "cross" the picket line.

ST Rick Hicks at picket line"Our contracts have language that allow workers to exercise their right to honor a picket line and refuse to cross or work behind it without retribution," said Thompson.

Thompson believes all union workers at the four facilities -- approximately 200 -- are participating. Some of them are walking the lines while others have chosen to stay home from work.

Allied Waste says the stoppage affects some 60,000 customers. All Seattle customers will still have collection. The company hopes backup workers will be able to serve most of the customers in the other areas.
Read complete source story here.


 

Ohio Red Cross strike spreading to Michigan
Posted: March 28, 2012
Source: Teamster Nation
Northeastern Ohio Teamsters from Local 507 in Cleveland are standing strong against the Red Cross. About 250 blood services workers were forced to strike on Feb. 14 because Red Cross had ignored workers’ concerns about understaffing and the impact on blood safety.

Marching against Red Cross greed in WashingtonOn Friday they will be joined by Lansing Teamsters Local 580 and Office and Professional Employees International Union Local 459. Both have sent notices of intent to strike over cuts to their health benefits.

Last week, hundreds of striking Teamsters boarded a bus at 3 a.m. to come to a rally at Red Cross national headquarters. They came to protest management's disrespect for its workforce and its greed. (If you doubt that, check out their CEO's pay. It's over $1 million.)

The workers wore monkey pins to the rally because management told them their jobs could be done by monkeys. They were joined by members of the United Auto Workers, United Food and Commercial Workers, United Steel Workers, Occupy DC and Jobs with Justice.
Read the source story here.


 

Teamsters highlight contradictions in Mexican trucks caseNAFTA kills
Posted: March 28, 2012
Source: People's World

The Teamsters have apparently caught the Obama Transportation Department in several contradictions in the two sides' continuing fight over the agency's pilot program to let selected Mexican trucks roll on all U.S. roads.

For example, the union's legal brief filed with the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in D.C., says the agency admits the pilot program will produce between 2,800 and 4,100 inspections every year of the Mexican trucks, and it admits those trucks also do not meet U.S. environmental rules.

Yet at the same time, the government argues that the extra pollution from the Mexican trucks will have no impact on U.S. pollution - or U.S. truck drivers who, more than other drivers, are exposed to hazardous fumes on the roads.
Read the source story here.


 

The 99% Spring Is Coming
Posted: March 27, 2012
Source: Teamster.org
Groups from every corner of our movement—inspired by the everyday heroes of Occupy Wall Street and Madison —are planning a massive campaign to make the voices of the 99% impossible to ignore.

How to rise up and join The 99% Spring
Badd Ass

The key is making the 99% Spring as big as possible. That's why during the week of April 9-15, in small towns and big cities all across America, 100,000 people will come together for an unprecedented national movement-wide training. We'll learn to tell the story of our economy and what went wrong, and we'll learn how we can take action and create great change in this country.

Will you join the 99% Spring? Click here to find the event closest to you.

Local organizations and volunteers are running more than 750 trainings in living rooms, union halls, churches, and community centers nationwide. All we need now is to get as many people as possible to join in - people like YOU.

Our nation's greatest steps forward have come when everyday people stood up and took courageous, visionary, morally compelling action—from the struggle to secure the vote for women, to the strikes that built power for workers and unions, to the civil rights movement.

Now we need to create that kind of change again in America. 

Last year, from the Wisconsin workers who took over their state capitol to Occupy Wall Street, we saw a new movement in America using action to highlight the massive inequality that's destroying our country.

The 99% Spring is our chance to maintain and broaden that changemaking energy, and learn how we can take action to challenge corporate power, end tax giveaways to the 1%, fight the influence of money in politics, and create an economy that works for all of us.

Our movement is uniting, and this is a chance for all of us to come together to shift the political landscape in America. Will you join in?

Click here to sign up for a 99% Spring training in your area.


 

Teamsters Urge House to Pass Senate Transportation Bill
Posted: March 27, 2012
Source: Teamster.org
Teamsters General President Jim Hoffa today said the House of Representatives should stop stalling and pass the Senate’s surface transportation bill. The House is considering a 60-day extension.

“We need more than another eight weeks of uncertainty about our long-term transportation needs,” Hoffa said. “The American people don’t need more deadlock in Congress, they need good jobs. We need to rebuild and repair our roads and bridges, and we need to do it with American workers and American materials.”

The House remains deadlocked while the Senate recently passed a surface transportation bill by a vote of 74-22. The Senate bill, which is fully paid for, maintains current funding for highways and public transportation, consolidates two-thirds of all highway programs, eliminates earmarks, establishes a national freight program and improves safety. The House bill rolls back safety and worker health protections.

Unless Congress passes another extension by Friday night, the current surface transportation program expires, putting 3 million jobs at risk.

“Passing the Senate bill will help speed our economic recovery, improve safety and create 3 million jobs that American workers desperately need,” Hoffa said.  “America’s working families deserve better than obstructionist politicians who ignore their needs,” Hoffa said. “Members of Congress need to come together and work to solve our country problems, including unacceptable levels of unemployment and failing infrastructure.”


 

Teamsters Sue FDOC Over Weakened Supervision of Dangerous Criminals
Posted: March 27, 2012
Source: Teamster.org
Teamsters Local 2011 today filed a legal challenge to restore the requirement that probation officers visit the homes of dangerous criminals on probation.

The Florida Department of Corrections on Feb. 29 suspended officers’ visits to offenders’ homes and treatment providers until June 30. The Teamsters argue the suspension breaks Florida law and endangers Florida’s communities.   

The Teamsters filed their petition to challenge the action before the State of Florida Division of Administrative Hearings. If the challenge is deemed valid, a hearing must be held within 30 days. Within 30 days of the hearing, the administrative law judge must determine if FDOC acted improperly. If the judge rules against FDOC, the agency must restore home visits.

“We want to make sure Florida’s citizens are safe and the FDOC does what the law tells it to do,” said Ken Wood, Acting President of Teamsters Local 2011, which represents 20,000 FDOC officers. “FDOC’s new action is not only dangerous, but illegal.”

The Teamsters argue FDOC’s action violates Florida Statute 944.09(4), which states, “the department shall…keep informed concerning the conduct, habits, associates, employment, recreations, and whereabouts of such probationer, by visits, by requiring reports, and in other ways.” The Teamsters also argue FDOC violated Section 120.54(a)(1) of the Florida statutes, which requires the agency to engage in the rulemaking procedure before acting to change offender supervision.

The Teamsters’ attorney, former Sen. Ron Silver, said personal contact is the main way probation officers monitor offenders. “We know that home visits are critical to keeping our citizens safe, whether it’s in their home, at work or at school. The safety of our citizens is paramount,” said Silver, former chairman of the Senate Committee on Criminal Justice.

Probation officers say field visits to probationers prevent future criminal activity. They have found guns, drugs, credit card fraud and other illicit activity in probationers’ homes.

For more information, visit http://fdocteamsters.org/ . The petition can be found here.


 

Striking workers converge on Red Cross headquarters
Posted: March 27, 2012
Source: People's Word
With walkouts looming in two more regions, striking Northern Ohio Red Cross workers brought their anger and frustration to the agency's National Headquarters in Washington, D.C., March 19.

Riding all night in buses, 150 blood technicians and mobile unit operators, members of Teamsters Local 507, held a spirited rally in a nearby park and marched to the offices of the giant charity where they picketed with boisterous non-stop chants throughout the lunch hour.

The 250 workers in the nation's largest Red Cross region walked out Feb. 14 after nine months of futile talks for a new contract.  The strike, affecting 19 northern Ohio counties, occurred as the agency insisted on reduced health care benefits, heavier workloads and conditions the union says threaten the safety of donors, employees and the blood supply.

"They're trying to erode our living standards.  They want you to take ten to fifteen thousand dollars in cuts," Al Mixon, Principal Officer of the local told the cheering crowd.  "I can't recommend that."

Red Cross, he said, is "wants to turn all of you into part-time workers."

Mixon pointed to last year's appointment of virulently anti-union Walmart CEO William Simon to the 22-member Red Cross Board of Governors as evidence for the agency's union-busting policies.  As with other major national charities, the ARC board is dominated by former and current executives of giant corporations and Wall St. Banks.

"They are the 1 percent," Mixon said.  "We are 99 percenters. They are trying to turn this into a Third World country."

Solidarity with the strikers was voiced by representatives of the District of Columbia Teamsters, the United Steelworkers (representing Red Cross workers in Georgia) and DC Jobs With Justice.  Mike Parker, Principal Officer of Teamsters Local 580 representing Red Cross workers in Lansing, Michigan, announced to loud applause that a walkout would begin March 30 in that region.

"We're going to shut these people down," he said.  "We're going to kill Red Cross greed with Teamster justice!"
Read the complete source story here.

 

the 99% Spring video linkTeamsters endorse 99% Spring
Posted: March 26, 2012
Source: Teamster Nation
The International Brotherhood of Teamsters is endorsing the 99% Spring, a week of training for direct action to take America back. It's a coalition that includes unions, community groups, faith groups, students, civil rights organizations -- you get the picture. Here's what it's all about:

From April 9-15 we will gather across America, 100,000 strong, in homes, places of worship, campuses and the streets to join together in the work of reclaiming our country. We will organize trainings to:
Tell the story of our economy: how we got here, who’s responsible, what a different future could look like, and what we can do about it

Learn the history of non-violent direct action, and

Get into action on our own campaigns to win change.
Stay tuned; there'll be lots more!
Read the source story here.

 

Teamsters ready for TV
Posted: March 26, 2012
Source: Boston Herald
Teamsters Local 25 prez Sean O'Brien isn't Snooki and the reality show Mark Wahlberg is producing about Charlestown's truck-driving guys ain't the "Jersey Shore." But convincing the 11,000 members of the powerful Charlestown union of that was not an easy ride!

"There was a lot of resistance, the members held out for a year," O'Brien told the Track. "But we think we have a story that needs to be told."

As you may know, Wahlberg — the Dorchester homey whose dad was a Teamster — is making a pilot for A&E about the local Local and the drama of being a working stiff in an age of economic turmoil.

Wahlberg's crew has already filmed a membership meeting and plans to be on hand for the Teamsters' "Light Up The Night" autism fundraiser April 7 at the Intercontinental Boston. The serious shooting is expected to start at the end of next month.

"We're calling it a docu-drama," O'Brien said. "Look at shows like 'The Deadliest Catch.' When I was a kid, crab legs were like Sasquatch, you heard of them but never saw them. But when you watch that show and you see what the guys and gals go through to provide that food, you have a lot of respect for them.

"We want people to watch this and feel the same way. We want them to see the Teamsters and say 'That's an organization that takes care of its members. That's an organization that I want to be a part of.' "
Read the complete source story here


 

Construction Demands Meeting Set For April 1st
Posted: March 23, 2012
Negotiations for a renewal of the AGC contract and all white paper Heavy Construction contracts will be starting soon. There are some things we need to do as a Union to prepare for these negotiations. First, a letter was mailed to all Construction members that included a Contract Demands meeting notice asking recipients to make every effort to attend this meeting. It is important that we talk through the issues and make sure we are fully prepared going into bargaining.

Second, there was a survey enclosed which every member was asked to fill out and return to the Union. This survey is critical so the people who are negotiating on our members' behalf understand what issues are most important to all the members who work in the industry.

Secretary-Treasurer Rick Hicks wrote in the letter:

"I understand that this has been a hard last couple of years in your industry. Everyone who has a union member in their family probably knows someone who has lost their job or the majority of their hours to the devastating recession of 2008. No industry was hit harder than the construction industry, from heavy highway to sand & gravel and our lumber industries. The building trades saw unemployment soar up to 30 percent in this state and even higher in other states around this country.

"That being said I believe we are turning the corner in this state for years to come. We have some major infrastructure projects that are going to kick off soon (Deep Bore Tunnel, Light Rail into the Eastside, etc.) and we should have a new collective bargaining agreement that will reflect the future growth that is coming to this region.

"If we work together we will achieve a new collective bargaining agreement that all of you can be proud of so please make every effort to attend the Contract Demands meeting and remember to fill out and return your surveys. I look forward to working with all of you in the coming months. See you at the meeting."


 

Federal Labor Law Violations Provoke Teamsters Strike at Republic Services
Posted: March 23, 2012
Source: Teamster.org
Republic Services workers were forced to strike the nation’s second-largest solid waste and recycling company today in response to Republic’s labor law violations, which include backing out of a negotiated contract with Teamsters Local 991 in Mobile, Ala. View more photos from this event.

Republic picketsThe 24 drivers and helpers at Republic’s facility in Mobile struck at 11:30 p.m. Thursday. At 1 a.m. today, in a show of solidarity against Republic’s labor law violations, Teamsters Local 375 put up a sympathy picket line at the Republic facility in Buffalo, NY. The 95 Republic drivers and helpers in Buffalo, members of Teamsters Local 449, honored the line.

Also at 1 a.m. today, a sympathy picket line went up at the Republic facility in Columbus, Ohio. The 78 Republic drivers and mechanics in Columbus, members of Teamsters Local 284, honored the line.

And across the country today, Republic workers are wearing stickers that say, “Republic Services: Don’t Trash Our Contracts.”

“The workers at Republic Services care about this company and its customers,” said Local 991 Secretary-Treasurer Jim Gookins. “They don’t want to strike, but like the rest of the 99 percent in America, they are tired of being disrespected and having their rights under federal labor law violated while corporations in the top 1 percent destroy their livelihoods.”

The National Labor Relations Board is investigating several labor law violations committed by Republic, including bargaining in bad faith. Mobile’s drivers were set to vote on their tentative contract agreement on Feb.17. The day before, Republic announced it was withdrawing from the agreement.

“Unfortunately, the situation in Alabama isn’t an isolated case,” said Teamsters Solid Waste, Recycling and Related Industries Division Director Bob Morales. “In the last year, Republic has increasingly tried to intimidate, harass and bully its employees to the detriment of both workers and customers.”

In Columbus, Ohio and Buffalo, New York, Republic has been demanding pay, health care and retirement concessions since contract negotiations started last year. In Kansas City, Republic tried to strip employees of some of their overtime pay. In Canton, Ohio, Republic tried to bully workers into giving up their union health care plan.

In 2011, Republic earned $8.2 billion in revenues and declared profits of $589 million, up 15 percent per share from 2010.

“These workers put their bodies in harm’s way every day to protect the public health,” Gookins said. “The least Republic can do is provide affordable health coverage for them.”

The Teamsters represent about 9,000 employees at Republic Services and its subsidiaries at more than 150 facilities throughout the U.S., Puerto Rico and Canada.


 

Hoffa-Hall Slate Sworn In for New Term
Posted: March 23, 2012
Source: Teamster.org
Hoffa and Hall take oathTeamsters General President James P. Hoffa, General Secretary-Treasurer Ken Hall and the newly elected International Vice Presidents and Trustees were sworn in today to a five-year term on the union's General Executive Board.

“It is truly an honor and a privilege to serve the 1.4 million members of this great union,” Hoffa said. “We have accomplished so much as a union since 1999, but our work is not done. There are new attacks on working families every day and unions are the only ones standing up for people with no voice. I am proud to serve on our General Executive Board with these outstanding union leaders.”

Hall is a 36-year, second-generation Teamster. As Package Division Director, he negotiates the largest collective bargaining agreement in the country covering more than 250,000 Teamsters at UPS. He has served on the General Executive Board since 2003.

“I will never waiver from our mission, which is to provide the best representation possible to the members of the greatest union in the world,” Hall said. “We will continue to do everything in our power to protect, defend and secure strong Teamster contracts that provide good benefits and job security. Teamster membership has lifted generation after generation into the middle class and helped millions secure the American dream. I am honored to help carry on that important tradition.”

The 2012-2017 International Brotherhood of Teamsters General Executive Board:

*Strzechowski was appointed Central Region International Vice President by the General Executive Board to assume the office left open by the untimely death of former Secretary-Treasurer of Teamsters Local 705 in Chicago, Steve Pocztowski, who was elected as part of the Hoffa-Hall slate.

The Hoffa-Hall slate won the 2011 IBT International Officer Election by a wide margin in November. The election results were certified on Jan. 6. Hoffa took office in March 1999 and won re-election in 2001 and 2006. Under his stewardship, the Teamsters Union has regained its place as the strongest labor union in North America.


 

Teamsters Win Resolution of UC Clerical Layoff, Campus Closure Issues
Posted: March 23, 2012
Source: Teamster.org
Teamsters Local 2010 has reached an agreement with the University of California (UC) in settlement of the union’s legal actions challenging the temporary layoffs imposed on union-represented employees in the year 2010.

Teamsters Local 2010, which represents 14,000 UC clerical and related employees statewide, negotiated the settlement, with an estimated value of more than $2 million. It will provide affected employees an adjusted amount of paid personal leave time to be used during this calendar year.

“Our union, with this victory, has been able to accomplish what others have not been able to accomplish on this issue through our negotiations,” said Amatullah Alaji-Sabrie, a Local 2010 member and Chief Negotiator. “This victory is important because it demonstrates the power of the local union as an affiliated local of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters and our ability to protect the interests and gain significant improvements in the terms and working conditions of our bargaining unit members.” 

Under the settlement, Local 2010-represented employees who were subjected to temporary layoffs will receive paid time off to be taken in 2012, under a formula set forth in the settlement agreement. The University must make such paid time available beginning May 1, 2012, and employees may schedule such time off in the same manner as vacation.  Requests for time off may not be unreasonably denied.

Teamsters Local 2010 is affiliated with the Public Services Division of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, which represents more than 260,000 public service employees throughout the United States.


 

Senate Sides with Wall Street. Passes So-Called JOBS Act
Posted: March 22, 2012
Source: AFL-CIO Blog
Ignoring warnings from current and former financial market regulators, law professors, institutional investors and consumer advocates, the Senate today passed (73-26) the cynically named JOBS Act and, says AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka, “We are disappointed and angry.”

The bill will do nothing to create good jobs and stabilize the U.S. economy. Instead, it will deregulate Wall Street—voiding investor protections put in place after Enron and the 2008 financial crisis to protect the retirement savings of America’s workers from fraud and other risks.

Read the source story here.


 

Teamsters approve YRC unit's move out of next-day delivery
Posted: March 22, 2012
Source: Kansas City Business Journal
The International Brotherhood of Teamsters approved YRC Worldwide Inc.’s  plan to move its national transportation arm out of the next-day delivery business.

A spokeswoman for YRC (Nasdaq: YRCW) confirmed that the changes will be implemented on April 8.

Gordon Sweeton, assistant director of the Teamsters National Freight Division, said in an email Wednesday that a union committee recently signed off on the proposal, also called a “change of operations.”

YRC Freight, the Overland Park-based company’s national arm, wants to focus on long-range hauling as it seeks to regain market share lost in recent years as the parent company struggled with its finances.

“The change of operations was approved, and it should help YRC tremendously,” Sweeton wrote. “It should help the company grow and lead to more jobs, which will be good for our members.”
Read the source story here.


 

Teamsters, Worker Justice Groups Protest Red Cross Greed
Posted: March 21, 2012
Flyer linkSource: Teamster.org
Almost 200 blood collection workers and mobile unit assistants for the American Red Cross in Northern Ohio traveled by bus to Washington, D.C., today to the national headquarters of the American Red Cross to rally for respect and fair treatment. View photos from this event .

The workers, represented by Teamsters Local 507 in Cleveland, have been on strike since Feb. 14. They carried signs that read, “Red Cross: Tainted With Greed” and “Red Cross: America’s Blood Is Not Your Bank.”

“These loyal Red Cross workers screen donors, draw and safeguard blood. They love their jobs and are passionate about helping people and working with donors,” said Al Mixon, Teamsters Vice President and Secretary-Treasurer of Teamsters Local 507. “But the Red Cross is working them to the bone and is trying to replace their quality health care plan with a far inferior one.”

The longtime blood donation workers are also extremely concerned about the Red Cross’ shoddy blood management practices. The Red Cross has been fined over $40 million by the FDA over blood safety practices. This includes a $9.6 million fine just last month for mishandling or misplacing donated blood and, in some cases, transfusing potentially infected blood into patients.

“Here we’ve got Red Cross executives–who are in the top 1 percent of earners in this country–forcing underpaid, dedicated workers to absorb unnecessary increases in health care premiums,” Mixon said. “Red Cross CEO Gail McGovern receives over $1 million in total compensation each year.”

The Ohio-based workers were joined at the Red Cross headquarters by allies from DC Jobs with Justice, the United Steel Workers, the United Auto Workers, United Food and Commercial Workers and Occupy DC.

The workers had given the Red Cross a 10-day notice in advance of the strike, but the company would not budge at the bargaining table.

“To the Red Cross, blood is big business,” said Safeyyah Edwards, a 10-year blood collection instructor. “We feel like the Red Cross treats the Cleveland blood supply as a cash cow that can be sold for hundreds of dollars a pint, rather than what it should be–a cornerstone of protecting our community's public health.”

Last Saturday, Red Cross workers in Lansing, Mich., gave the Red Cross a 10-day strike notice. Those workers will strike on March 27 if a new contract is not reached by that date.


 

Georgia's Protest of SB 469 Brings Together Unions, Occupiers, Tea Partiers, LGBT Groups
Posted: March 20, 2012
Source: We Party Patriots
Teamsters march in Georgia Georgia Senate Bill 469, which looks to place extreme limits on picketing, brought together an unlikely coalition of protesters at the Capital building on Saturday. The crowd, estimated at upwards of one thousand strong, was made up of local union members, Occupy Atlanta protesters, and many other groups who see the law as a violation of free speech and their right to peacefully assemble. Ben Speight of Teamsters Local 728 told the Atlanta Journal- Constitution:

“This is an extreme attack on our basic democratic rights. It’s also an attempt to bankrupt and destroy our unions.”

Occupy Atlanta participated in the event because the law prohibits protesting outside residences, making it impossible to demonstrate at CEO homes. The law has both an anti-union and anti-Occupy bias, not surprising considering four of the State Senator’s behind the bill are American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) members.

If Senate Bill 469 passes in Georgia it will likely make its way into other state houses. This raises the stakes of the Georgia protests.

Unions are frustrated because the anti-picketing law attempts to sneak in paycheck deception language that would make it mandatory for unions to get written consent from members before automatically collecting dues. Senator Don Balfour, the bill’s sponsor, has recently amended the bill to exclude state teachers groups and police organizations from the mandate in the interest of “sweetening the deal’s chances.” It appears, though, that the bill will face protest every step of the way.
Read the source story here.


 

Murdoch Bows to Investor Pressure: Resigns From Sotheby's Board
Posted: March 20, 2012
Source: Teamster.org
The International Brotherhood of Teamsters welcomes the long-awaited resignation of James Murdoch from the Sotheby’s [NYSE: BID] board of directors. The Teamsters Affiliates Pension Plan, a shareholder of Sotheby’s, was first to call for this board change in a letter to Sotheby’s Chairman Michael Sovern on Sept. 14, 2011, citing concerns about his credibility, availability and performance in the wake of the News Corp. [NASDAQ: NWS] phone hacking scandal. 

The board’s inaction ensnared Sotheby’s into the seemingly endless cycle of news coverage regarding the investigations of James Murdoch and News Corp. since July 2011.

“During this period of inaction, Sotheby’s shareholders have suffered through poor earnings performance; an unresponsive, indifferent board; and the consequences of management’s disastrous lockout of professional art handlers in New York that has led to public confrontations and negative press worldwide,” said Jim Hoffa, Teamsters General President. 

Four of the last five directors to be nominated to the board were handpicked by CEO William Ruprecht and senior management.  Each of these directors serve on important committees that should have the highest standards of independence—audit, compensation, and nominating committees.                                                                      

It is difficult for shareholders to feel confident in a company when even the insiders have lost faith.  Ruprecht has sold off nearly 75 percent of his direct shares in the company since 2008, according to SEC filings. His current .22 percent stake is the lowest it has been since 2005 when he started receiving stock grants as part of his pay. And Kevin Delaney, the company’s chief accounting officer has liquidated all of his holdings in the company this month.

“We call for an independent nominating process for board directors that engages shareholders directly,” Hoffa said. “Sotheby’s needs to get back to business and restore the confidence of its shareholders, employees and clients.”


 

Slow but Steady: 6 Years Into Bus Driver Campaign, Teamsters Organize 32,000
Posted: March 19, 2012
Source: In These Times
Durham organizing While most large labor union organizing stories of the last decade have been dark tales of hostile employers, indifferent government bureaucrats and powerless workers, one such effort stands out in hopeful contrast—the national school bus drivers campaign spearheaded by the Teamsters union. 

The campaign marked a major milestone last month when it notched an election victory in the northern California towns of Hayward and Livermore. That vote added only 159 workers employed by Durham School Services to the union rolls, but it also represented the 300th bus driver election victory for the Teamsters over the last six years. Cumulatively, the election wins have resulted in the addition of some 32,000 new union members at Teamster locals across the country.

These numbers are impressive by themselves, but the campaign is far from over. If anything, the effort to sign up more bus drivers is picking up steam, said Kim Keller, deputy organizing director of the union. The Teamsters are confident they can organize the bulk of some 68,000 drivers employed by First Student Inc., the country's largest single school bus operator. And there are many smaller companies, including Durham, where low wages and paltry benefits are creating a grassroots demand for union representation, Keller said.
Read the source story here.

 

Coors is Tasteless, Say Teamsters on St. Patrick's Day
Posted: March 18, 2012
Source: Teamster.org
Coors is tasteless flyer(SAN FRANCISCO) – More than 100 Teamsters marched in the St. Patrick’s Day parade today to raise awareness about anti-immigrant behavior, worker abuse and discrimination by DBI Beverage, the distributor of products by Coors Brewing Co. in Northern California.

The Teamsters, from Local Unions 150, 439, 853 and 856, carried banners and leaflets that read: “Tell Coors Hating Immigrants is Tasteless,” and “Tell Coors: This is California. Stop the Hate.”

“Coors has a long history of funding anti-immigrant organizations, as does DBI Beverage’s owner,” said Jim Tobin, President of Local 150 in Sacramento. “Coors also funds groups that are anti-worker and promotes laws that would suppress minority voting. DBI is simply taking a page out of Coors’ playbook, so DBI’s behavior is, unfortunately, not surprising.”

DBI Beverage takes in $250 million in annual revenue, yet it implemented a discriminatory wage system on longtime drivers and warehouse workers in Sacramento and Stockton, many of whom have an immigrant background.

In South San Francisco, DBI wants to introduce a two-tiered benefit plan: One for its male warehouse workers and drivers, and a reduced benefit level for its mostly female, customer service workforce.

“The workers that distribute Coors products throughout Northern California are appealing to the community today,” said Sam Rosas, Secretary-Treasurer of Local 439 in Stockton. “We want our neighbors to know that in this devastated economy, DBI wants to destroy good jobs. All these loyal workers want is a contract that respects the work they do.”


 

Hoffa Pledges Continued Support of Effort to Turn Green Jobs Into Good Jobs
Posted: March 17, 2012
Source: Teamster.org
Today, Teamsters General President Jim Hoffa reinforced the union’s support of building a sustainable, green supply chain that also provides jobs with good wages and benefits. Hoffa addressed the 2012 Good Jobs Green Jobs West Conference in the morning and then spoke at a rally in support of recycling workers fighting for respect in the workplace during the afternoon. View more photos from this event.

President HoffaThe Good Jobs Green Jobs West Conference is the nation’s leading forum for sharing ideas and strategies for greening America’s economy and creating good jobs. The conference is held by the BlueGreen Alliance, a national, strategic partnership between labor unions and environmental organizations dedicated to expanding the number and quality of jobs in the green economy.

“Right here in Los Angeles, the Teamsters and our environmental allies have been fighting to raise standards for drivers in the port and for workers in the solid waste and recycling industry,” Hoffa said. “Through the Clean Truck Program and the Don’t Waste L.A. campaigns, we are well on our way to making a real difference for workers who have been exploited by these industries for too long.”

The Teamsters, along with the support of Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, have reduced the deadly diesel pollution in the port through the Clean Trucks Program. Now a group of Los Angeles port drivers employed by Australian company Toll, have taken their first step toward gaining respect on the job by filing for a union election to join the Teamsters Union.

“When these drivers vote to join the Teamsters, they will represent what may be the biggest victory for our union in the port industry,” Hoffa said while surrounded on stage by more than 20 of the Toll drivers. “They will be the first of many of workers who will help change the way the port industry treats their workforce.”

Following his remarks at the conference, Hoffa spoke at a rally in support of a Teamsters organizing effort at American Reclamation to help recycling workers gain a voice on the job.

The organizing campaign is part of the Don’t Waste LA effort, a coalition of community, environmental, faith and labor organizations working for clean air, green jobs and recycling for all Angelenos through region-wide standards and accountability in our commercial and multifamily waste and recycling system.

Hoffa was joined by labor and environmental allies including Allison Chin, Sierra Club director, Ron Herrera, Secretary-Treasurer of Teamsters Local 396, Greg Good, director of Don’t Waste L.A., Ananda Lee Tan from the Global Alliance of Incinerator Alternatives and Adrian Martinez, Natural Resources Defense Council.

Hundreds of supporters rallied outside American Reclamation bearing signs that read, “Fight for Recycling Workers.”

“This is what its all about,” Hoffa said. “We are here fighting to make these green jobs good jobs for the hardworking men and women here at American Reclamation that are just trying to provide for their families. There will be justice at American Reclamation!”


 

Michigan Working Families Push for Constitutional Amendment to Protect Their Rights
Collective bargaining rights under attack in MI video linkPosted: March 14, 2012
Source: Crooks and Liars
Michigan's working families, fed up with an assault that has more than 80 bills currently before the legislature that would strip their rights, will soon start collecting signatures to get a constitutional amendment on the ballot that would protect those rights from legislative overreach. From attempts to ban collective bargaining for government workers to criminalizing strikes and other forms of protest, most of the proposed bills come from conservative Republicans, but even a few Democrats — Reps. Douglas Geiss, Tim Melton, and Fred Durhal J. — have signed on to the anti-worker agenda.
Michigan citizens from all backgrounds who work hard and play by the rules are joining together and taking a stand.

For more than a year, Lansing politicians and corporate special interests have made one attack after another on Michigan workers: cutting middle-class families’ wages, health care benefits, retirement security and safety protections.

[...] These political attacks on basic collective bargaining rights have done nothing to put Michiganders back to work. Instead, all they’ve done is hurt middle-class families, small businesses and local communities.

Enough is enough.

Read the complete source story here.


 

Get ready for the latest trade deal coming down the pike
Posted: March 14, 2012
Source: Teamster Nation
It's called the TransPacific Partnership (TPP), and right now it sucks in the usual way these things suck. It's being negotiated in complete secrecy.

We expect the TPP will give multinational corporations all kinds of new powers to challenge national sovereignty. We're pretty damn sure it will offer no protections to the workers who'll get screwed by the deal. Some even fear it will allow Asian state-owned steel companies to set up shop in the United States.

Here's what the AFL-CIO had to say about it:
...so far, it doesn’t look like the TPP fixes the problems with U.S. trade policy that have been hurting workers for the past 20 years, which means the TPP could be a big mistake.

Just what is the TPP anyway? It’s a trade agreement between the United States and Australia, Brunei Darussalam, Chile, Malaysia, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore and Vietnam. The United States Trade Representative (USTR) has called it “an ambitious, 21st-century” agreement.

If passed, it would be the biggest free trade agreement since NAFTA, and that’s before including Japan, Mexico and Canada, which are waiting in the wings to join. With an unemployment rate of more than 8 percent, and 2.8 million jobs lost to trade with China over the past decade, America’s workers have every right to be wary—is the TPP the right answer to create good jobs in America?
Read the source story here.

 

RFK Jr. joins Teamsters on Sotheby's picket line
Posted: March 9, 2012
Source: Teamster Nation
Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., told picketing Teamsters today that he had come face-to-face with Sotheby's callous indifference to working families.

Kennedy had canceled an auction at Sotheby's in sympathy with Local 814's 42 art handlers, who have been locked out for seven months. The event to benefit Kennedy's environmental group, Waterkeeper Alliance, was moved to another venue.

"I talked to them and they just don't care," Kennedy told about two dozen members of Local 814 walking the picket line outside of the auction house.

One worker asked him why he moved his auction. "I couldn't have my event here," Kennedy said. "I couldn't cross a picket line."
Read the source story here.


 

Hoffa Thanks RFK Jr. for Canceling Sotheby's Event in Support of Teamsters
Posted: March 9, 2012
Source: Teamster.org
Teamsters General President Jim Hoffa thanked Robert F. Kennedy Jr. for moving an art auction scheduled at Sotheby’s Auction House this week to a new venue in support of locked-out Teamster art handlers. He also announced that the historic correspondence between the sons of two adversaries would be preserved in the union’s archives at The George Washington University.

“Thank you for joining in with the chorus of labor unions, Occupy Wall Street and others who believe in economic justice and a strong middle class, to help the art handlers,” Hoffa responded in a letter to Kennedy. “This injustice is yet another example of the class warfare being waged by the top 1 percent.”

Kennedy’s environmental organization, Waterkeeper Alliance, moved the auction to a new venue “out of respect” for the art handlers, who were locked out by Sotheby’s seven months ago amid ongoing contract negotiations.

In his letter to Hoffa, Kennedy said, “I know that our families have been at odds in the past. But you and I have spent our lifetimes fighting off the right wing attacks on the union movement and battling to make our country live up to her historical ideal as a template for justice and democracy.”

The letters will be preserved in the union’s archives established at The International Brotherhood of Teamsters Labor History Research Center at The George Washington University in Washington.

"The problems facing working families are far more serious than our fathers' past conflicts,” Hoffa said. “Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s decision to stand up for the locked-out Teamsters at Sotheby's tells me what a good man he is."

Two days after locking out the workers, the company reported its most profitable quarter in its 267-year history. Sotheby’s not only kicked out the workers without paychecks, but the auction house also cut off their health care coverage on Jan. 1.


 

Teamsters Remain Committed to Find Comprehensive Fix to Hostess Woes as New CEO is Announced
Posted: March 9, 2012
Source: Teamster.org
Teamsters Union Vice President Ken Hall issued a statement today regarding the announcement by Hostess Brands Inc. that Greg Rayburn has been appointed CEO following the resignation of Brian Driscoll: 

“While this development was unexpected, we continue to work with the company, and now Mr. Rayburn, toward a negotiated resolution that will allow the company to emerge successfully from bankruptcy.

“Obviously the situation with Hostess has been and remains extremely challenging, but as we have said before, we are committed to finding a comprehensive fix to the company’s challenges that works for our members. 

“We have negotiations with Hostess and relevant stakeholders scheduled over the next two weeks to work toward that goal.”

 

Mark Wahlberg 'Teamsters' reality pilot coming to A&E
Source: ZAP2it.com

Is Boston the new New Jersey? Between "Southies" and this, we're thinking yes: Hometown hero Mark Wahlberg, star of "The Departed" and "The Fighter," has a new reality pilot in the works for A&E tentatively titled, "Teamsters," reports the network.

Wahlberg is executive producing the series along with Stephen Levinson ("Entourage," "In Treatment"), Kevin Harrison and Bill Thompson. The show features the Teamsters Local 25 in Boston.

According to A&E, the series "will give viewers a firsthand glimpse of the most legendary union in the most aggressive and territorial city in America: Boston. Here, the Teamsters Local 25 battle for the rights of their 11,000 members."

"We believe A&E is the perfect venue to create a cutting-edge show that promises to be like nothing else on television," Levinson says.

Thompson was inspired by seeing Wisconsin union members invade the statehouse last summer to protest anti-union legislation, reports Deadline Hollywood. And Wahlberg was apparently key in getting the local Teamsters for the show, as his dad was also a Teamster truck driver in Boston.

Deadline also reports that the series is envisioned as a franchise that would feature unions in different cities.
Read the source story here.


 

Teamsters Respond to Government on Mexican Truck Program
Posted: March 8, 2012
Source: Teamster.org
The Teamsters Union filed counterarguments in its lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Transportation's (DOT) pilot program to open the border to dangerous and illegal Mexican trucks. General President Jim Hoffa said the DOT's claim that Mexican trucks won't affect Teamster truck drivers is "bizarre."

The Teamsters filed the motion in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit Court late yesterday. The case was consolidated with a similar lawsuit by the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association against the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA).

“The FMCSA makes the bizarre argument that our members aren’t harmed by a program that opens the border to low-paid truck drivers and dangerous, dirty trucks,” Hoffa said. “Try telling that to our members.

“U.S. commercial truck drivers must follow all U.S. safety regulations while Mexican drivers only need to follow selected Mexican regulations. The government is flat-out wrong to say Mexican trucks and drivers meet equivalent standards.”

The purpose of a pilot program is to demonstrate the impact of Mexican trucks on U.S. highway safety. The law requires the program to include a statistically valid number of trucks. In other words, program administrators can’t cherry pick the safest trucks and drivers and then conclude from their safety record in the U.S. that opening the border to all Mexican trucks won’t harm highway safety.

FMCSA argues that the pilot program “is designed to include a representative sample of the population of Mexico-domiciled trucks.”

The government’s brief claims that “FMCSA will closely track the safety performance of participating carriers.” Hoffa pointed out that the first trucking company that FMCSA allowed into the program – Grupo Behr de Baja California – withdrew because of its poor safety record.

“How are we to believe that FMCSA will closely track safety when it admitted a carrier into the program that had a poor safety record according to FMCSA’s own records?” Hoffa said.

“The last time we checked, three drivers and two trucks made nine trips beyond the border zone in six months,” Hoffa said. “That sure isn’t a representative sample. We predicted at the beginning that this program would be a dismal failure and it looks like we were right. FMCSA should just pull the plug on this program and save the taxpayers some money.”

Hoffa further said that Mexico has clearly failed to provide the same access to its markets that the U.S. offers to Mexico. The U.S. State Department last month warned against taking unnecessary trips to vast areas of Mexico, and yesterday the Texas Department of Public Safety cautioned against going to Mexico for spring break.

“Mexico can’t guarantee the safety of U.S. truckers because it can’t control the drug cartels that killed 12,000 people last year,” Hoffa said. “U.S. drivers are scared to death to drive down there. How is this a reciprocal trade deal?”

The suit claims the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration breaks the following laws:

The Teamsters case is USCA Case #11-1444 and the document number is 1362495. A copy of the brief can be viewed here.


 

RFK Jr. sides with Teamsters in Sotheby's fight
Posted: March 8, 2012
Source: The Detroit News
Kennedy and Hoffa--the SeniorsThe Hoffa and Kennedy families appear to be patching up relations nearly four decades after a well-publicized fight, and they are doing it through the handling of a labor conflict.

As U.S. attorney general, Robert F. Kennedy targeted then-Teamsters President James R. Hoffa for prosecution, leading to Hoffa's indictment in 1963 and and conviction in 1964 of attempting to bribe jurors. Hoffa served four years in prison.

Hoffa disappeared in Bloomfield Township in 1975, and his body was never found. Kennedy was assassinated in 1968 while running for the Democratic presidential nomination.

Now his son, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., an environmental attorney who hosts a radio show, decided that his environmental group, Waterkeeper Alliance, would move a charity auction from Sotheby's "out of respect for the striking Teamsters."

Kennedy wrote Hoffa's son, Jim, who is president of the 1.4 million member International Brotherhood of Teamsters, to tell him of the decision and acknowledged the families' history.

"I know that our families have been at odds in the past," Kennedy wrote in a Feb. 13 letter obtained by The Detroit News. "But you and I have spent our lifetimes fighting off the right wing attacks on the union movement and battling to making our country live up to her historical ideal as a template for justice and democracy. Our success will require a large and durable middle class that can only come from a strong union movement."

Hoffa said it was time to put the past issues of his father and Kennedy's father behind them.

"The problems facing working families are far more serious than our fathers' past conflicts," James P. Hoffa said Thursday in a statement. "Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s decision to stand up for the locked-out Teamsters at Sotheby's tells me what a good man he is."
Read the source story here.


 

GA Teamsters rally keeps working spirit alive
Posted: March 6, 2012
Source: Teamster Nation

GA Teamsters Rally video link

Our Teamster brothers and sisters in Atlanta are raising hell about a heinous anti-worker bill to criminalize picketing. The video above was posted just last night at a rally against Georgia Senate Bill 469, which will be voted on tomorrow.

Our Teamster brother Chuck Stiles from Local 728 in Atlanta says SB 469 is not just anti-worker, it's anti-Christian:
This bill will destroy our first amendment rights. This bill would prevent churches from protesting adult book stores, crack houses etc that try to move into our communities and civic organizations would be prohibited from engaging in actions to prevent landfills in our neighborhoods. Your organization or church could be fined 10000 per day and convicted of conspiracy under this poorly written bill.

Four Senators, all members of the Benedict Arnold Koch brothers-funded American Legislative Exchange Council, filed the legislation on Feb. 21. ALEC, a corporate bill factory, has tentacles that spread throughout all 50 U.S. statehouses. It's crucial to strangle the bill in its Georgia cradle. Otherwise it will pop up everywhere.
Read the source story here.


 

Secret GOP backroom deals defy public will
Posted: March 5, 2012
Silent ProtestSource: The Stand
OLYMPIA — Senate Republicans, with the assistance of three Democrats, staged a coup Friday night using an arcane parliamentary procedure to seize control and pass a secretly negotiated budget and several budget policy bills. The legislation further eviscerates the social safety net, takes revenue from local governments, harms public schools and higher education, and fails to fund our state's pension liabilities.

Many have expressed shock and dismay at this cynical subversion of the legislative process and utter disregard for government transparency. But the truth is, forgoing public hearings and testimony and forcing legislators to vote on backroom bills they haven't even had the opportunity to read is right out of the Republican playbook — from 2003.

In 2003, the last time Republicans controlled the Senate, they unveiled and passed a mammoth bill gutting Washington’s unemployment insurance system. They did so at 2 a.m., just hours after the third special session had been called, with a bill that the public had never seen and, in fact, would not see for the first time until 6 hours after it had passed the Senate.

So the 2012 Senate Republican budget is deja vu all over again. Secret backroom deals. No public notice or input. Strong-armed partisan votes on bills that haven’t been read.

“What we witnessed this past Friday was a taste of what it would be like with Republican control of the Legislature and Rob McKenna in the Governor’s office,” said Jeff Johnson, President of the Washington State Labor Council. “The Republican budget is an attack on the basic values we hold dear to protect the poor and the most vulnerable in our state. It directly contradicts the public testimony and presence of thousands of citizens who came to Olympia over the last couple months or who contacted legislators asking them to protect the safety net.”

Instead, here is what the Senate Republicans’ backroom budget does:

Read the complete source story here.

 

Judge Clears Rule on Union Posters at Work
Posted: March 5, 2011
Source: The New York Times
A federal judge ruled Friday that the National Labor Relations Board can require most private businesses to put up posters telling workers they have a legal right to form a union. But the judge, Amy Berman Jackson of United State District Court, limited how the board can enforce the requirement. She said simply failing to display the new N.L.R.B. poster is not automatically a legal violation. The ruling pleased labor groups but disappointed business groups, which argued that the new poster is too one-sided and seems to encourage workers to join unions. The posters are to be displayed effective April 30.


 

GOP coup advances budget in Senate
Posted: March 3, 2012
Source: The News Tribune
Minority Republicans and three rebel Democrats – one from Puyallup – took over the state Senate floor Friday and passed a budget plan kept under wraps until the coup began.

The blow-up killed a series of bills that needed votes before a 5 p.m. deadline, and Senate budget chairman Ed Murray said it would send lawmakers into special session. The takeover occupied the Senate all evening, with debate stretching late into the night and a 25-24 vote coming early Saturday morning.

The Republican plan is expected to run into a wall in the House, where Democrats have large majorities and do not want to pass some of the reforms sought by Senate Republicans and moderate Democrats.

Most lawmakers had never seen anything like Friday's maneuver.
Read complete source story here.

 

Georgia Making Picketing, Protesting a Felony, Punishable by Large Fines and Jail Time
Posted: March 1, 2012
Source: We Party Patriots
In Georgia, a new bill would effectively make picketing and protesting a felony punishable by a $10,000 fine, a year in prison, or both. Senate Bill 469 was written by the Georgia Chamber of Commerce and unanimously passed through the Senate Insurance and Labor Committee on Tuesday after an hour of heated debate from opponents:

Police escorted two of the bill’s opponents from the meeting after the vote, as shouting erupted in the standing-room-only crowd. Those who testified against the bill said it infringed on people’s rights to free speech and to assemble peaceably.

The bill specifically targets unions with provisions for protesting outside of a workplace or company as well as creating a separate charge of conspiracy to commit criminal trespass which would allow for mass arrests of protesters if one member of the group forgets to remain peaceful during said protest. The latter aspect is believed to be aimed at various Occupy groups.

[...] The bill also takes the union attack further. It requires union workers to certify annually by signature that they allow fees and dues to be taken from their paychecks. Lastly, the law forces private employers to post information reminding workers they have the right not to join a union.
Read the source story here.