 |
Newsletter Archives July-September 2007
SAND & GRAVEL SETTLED
Three-Year Contract Approved By 80% Majority By BILL McCARTHY A major goal of the Rick Hicks Administration was achieved August 1st when the Local 174 Sand & Gravel Bargaining Unit ratified a strong new three-year Contract with a huge 80% “Yes” vote. It affects over 300 total personnel at four King County Area Companies — Stoneway, Glacier, Salmon Bay, and Cadman. The Local was successful in negotiating a Master Agreement that applies equally to the four involved Companies, and thus to the five signatory worker groupings under it, in that they all have identical language and share Industry-wide “Common Clauses.” There are, though, individual “Riders” attached to each of the five groupings dealing with Company-specific issues. The Contract brings with it wage, health care and pension gains that amount to an increase of approximately 6% per year. Rick Hicks, Local 174’s Secretary-Treasurer and the Lead Negotiator in these talks, recalled, “Our members in the Sand & Gravel Industry saw fifteen years of inadequate Contracts that led to a steady decline in their benefits and working conditions. We have reversed the trend and achieved a great new Master Agreement for them. We succeeded by strong Team Bargaining by an excellent hard-working Negotiating Committee.” In addition, the Union was able to secure more than 40 language improvements — including enhanced seniority rights, double time for early morning hours, increased vacation selection, and all hours compensated for pension benefits — to name a few. “For the first time in many years the Employers stepped up and demonstrated to our members their value to this Industry,” said Hicks. He added, “This package represents an investment in living wage jobs that ensures the continued economic development in King County for the foreseeable future.” Rank & File Negotiating Committee member Mark Bergman from Stoneway Concrete said, “Pension payments on all hours compensated is a great thing to build our pensions for when it comes time to retire. I think that when other workers at non-union companies see the strength of this Contract, it will really make them want to organize with the Teamsters.” The success of this Master Agreement, Hicks emphasized, is certain to help in the organizing of the non-union Sand & Gravel Companies like Miles and Corliss in Pierce County. NEGOTIATIONS PROGRESSION Sand & Gravel Negotiations began with two all-day Bargaining Sessions June 21st and 22nd. The Employer Team was chaired by Ed Owens from Glacier. Local 174 Organizer Patty Warren co-chaired the Union Team with Hicks. Before negotiating started, Hicks approached Owens about creating a Master Document, aimed at getting all Sand & Gravel Employers signatory to an identical document, with the exception of as mentioned earlier, the Riders dealing with Company-specific issues. This was agreed to, and the bargaining was off to a running start. Hicks informed Management the members were not interested in working past Contract expiration of their then-current three-year agreement which was set to expire on July 31, 2007. Negotiations continued with all-day bargaining sessions held July 2nd, 3rd, 9th and 10th at the Local 174 Office. Good progress was made in language. Most of 174’s language items had gotten resolved. The Local also put its opening economic proposals on the table, covering wages, health & welfare, and pension. On the week of July 23rd, 174’s Team met each morning with a different Employer to discuss their unique issues. The afternoons were spent with the full group working on the remaining language items and economics. But no final Settlement was reached. The aforementioned Strike Authorization Vote was held Sunday, July 29th at 10 a.m. at the Teamster Hall in the Tukwila JC-28 Headquarters Building. With their Contract set to expire in only two days on July 31st, the Sand & Gravel members present voted unanimously to authorize a Strike if necessary. The news of the Strike Authorization Vote and a picture of the packed Meeting Hall were posted on the Local 174 Website midday on the 29th. Negotiations continued on the 30th and 31st, and the two sides were able to reach the Tentative Agreement covering August 1, 2007 through July 31, 2010 that was submitted to the members August 1st. Local 174 thanks all the Rank & Filers who served on the Negotiations Committee: Stoneway, Robert DoBosh and Mark Bergman; Glacier, Matt Brock, Mark Hislop and Steve Maurice; Salmon Bay, Mike Jablonski; and Cadman, Marty Horn and Bret Eyerly. Besides Co-Chairs Hicks and Warren, 174 Staff on the Committee included Business Agents Larry Boyd and Tom George. Secretary-Treasurer’s Message Our Membership continues to lead the way when it comes to raising the standards for all workers whether it comes to wages, health & welfare, or workplace safety. I would also like to thank my Field Staff as well as my Office Staff, who have worked extremely hard to help me fulfill the vision I have for our Local Union. When our Administration began on January 2nd of this year, we knew it would be critical to hire and retain experienced Staff so the members would not suffer the same wholesale turnover that usually occurs with the numerous Administration changes we have all endured. I believe we have succeeded in this area, which has brought stability and has helped us move forward quickly and professionally. ACCOMPLISHING OUR GOALS By the end of this our first year in office, we will have already negotiated Contracts that affect approximately 65% of our membership. Along with your Business Agents, we have achieved Industry-changing Contracts in Construction and in Sand & Gravel. In both the AGC Agreement and the new Master Agreement for the Sand & Gravel Industry, we have doubled the previous wage and benefits packages over the last several Contract terms. One of the areas we are making fantastic progress in is the area of Pension. I am committed to negotiating all compensable hours into your Contracts wherever we can so that we can control our own retirements. We are having great success with this approach at Companies like Stoneway, Cadman, K & L Dist, Eastside Masonry, Glacier and Salmon Bay Sand & Gravel. National Contracts at UPS, DHL, and Master Freight (the oldest National Contract in the International Brotherhood of Teamsters Union) are being negotiated this year as well. These Contracts cover over 3,000 members locally and will be a very important part of our first year in office. LOOKING TO THE FUTURE As I also promised, our Local will be organizing Companies that strengthen our current Jurisdictions — and to that end I would like to announce our first new Contract at OMA Construction covering fifteen new Construction Industry workers. In addition we are close on a new Contract at Parsons Construction. The Organizing Department has filed for elections in the Lumber Industry and has ongoing campaigns in Beer, Warehouse, School Buses, and Freight to name a few. BUILDING OUR STRENGTH Day-to-day my Staff and our Local Activists are working hard to return this Local to the forefront of Labor in Washington State, and to re-establish our place as a beacon across the United States. We are building our strength through our Organizing Committees and Political Action Committees. We have received tremendous support from our Stewards in the battle on the frontlines and I am confident that, with the stability we have and the militancy of our membership, we will continue the successes we have achieved in the first eight months of this year. ATTENTION ALL CTI DRIVERS AND FORMER CTI DRIVERS:
ARBITRATOR RULES IN FAVOR OF UNION
CTI Arbitration Victory By TOM GEORGE, Local 174 Business Agent The long awaited day has arrived. The arbitration case between Teamsters Local 174 and City Transfer Inc. over the Date of Hire language in the 2006–2010 Contract has been decided. The Arbitrator has agreed with the Union. The “Dispatch Order List” must be in order by latest date of hire. CTI must now dispatch by Date of Hire. This is a big victory for all of us because it restores the CTI drivers to their rightful place in the dispatch order and proves that the Grievance and Arbitration System really does work. The Arbitrator’s decision also requires that we now get together with the Company and work out an acceptable remedy. To do that we will need a complete list of all affected drivers. If you are now or have been a driver for CTI during the period of June 1, 2006 to present and believe that you were not worked when someone who had been there less time than you was worked please contact me, Local 174 Business Agent Tom George, at the Union. Petterson Gets $60,000+ Restitution
In the photo printed in the Teamster Record (not on Web Site), Local 174 Business Agent Erv Lemon is shown giving 174 member at Boeing Kerry Petterson the settlement information which summarizes his recent case. The paperwork showed that Kerry’s back wages due him of over $43,000, plus pension and health & welfare unpaid employer donations due him of about $17,000 — added up to an amount owed to him of over $60,000. And yes, he has received that money, since he has returned to his job as a driver after having been gone and off work for eight months. He had been working for Boeing for over five years before being terminated on October 20, 2006. The Company terminated his employment at the Boeing Company without Just Cause. Local 174 Business Agent Lemon tried to convince the Company to reinstate Kerry immediately, explaining that it did not have Just Cause to terminate him. The Company refused, so the grievance process was followed all the way to arbitration and the arbitrator agreed that Boeing did not have Just Cause to terminate Kerry and ordered that Kerry be reinstated in his driving position and be compensated as if he had never been off work. Kerry has told Local 174 “thank-you” numerous times, and stated that he was grateful for belonging to a strong Union — and Kerry is very happy to be back at work. BROKEN WHEEL
These Local 174 members or spouses passed away recently. The deceased will be missed greatly. We offer our most sincere condolences to their surviving families and friends.
Local 174’s Teamster Truck Shines Again
By GARY BOLEN, Local 174 Trustee and Organizer For years the Local 174 Teamster Truck had been losing its shine, suffering from rusted hub and lug caps, road grime and bug guts. Thanks to a few Teamster volunteers, a little elbow grease and a few new parts the Teamster Truck shines once again! Renton River Day’s Parade The yells and thumbs-ups from the crowd were very positive. It gave you that feeling in your gut that makes you proud to be a Teamster. You could see it in the people’s eyes, the look of hope for the future, a proud moment for those who know what Unions have done for the workers. It’s hard to explain the feelings we had when we drove the parade route down S. 3rd Street to Houser Way in Renton. You just knew the crowd really appreciated the Local 174 Teamster Truck. Yellow Freight Safety Barbeque Thanks to the Yellow Safety Committee Teamsters Ross Johnson, Bill West, John Roufs, Matt Carroll, Dave Collamore, Robert Gallagher and David O’Hara for all the work they did or supervised to prepare for this event. Special thanks also to retired Teamster Max McMahan and Trustee Jeff Anderson, Sr., for their help at both events. 2007 ROADEO A LOCAL 174 SHOWCASE
By David Jacobsen On June 9, 2007 the Washington State Truck Driving Championships were held in South Seattle. The Best of the Truck Drivers from around our State gathered on the Kent Boeing practice field to show off their professional driving abilities. This year featured one of the highest driver turnouts in years. More than 164 drivers registered to compete. Although the morning started out with gray clouds and drizzle, the drivers and their families gathered together under the tents from the different Company sponsors of the Roadeo. Business Agent Erv Lemon from the Local 174 Staff was “Den Mother,” which involved making sure the drivers didn’t see the course before their allotted times. He also made sure the drivers were not competing in their own Companies’ trucks. Erv has been involved in the State Roadeo competition for 17 years. He has also been an assistant at the Nationals in different parts of the United States. We are going to make a big push for participation from all Local 174 Teamster shops in the 2008 Washington State competition. We are also going to set up a booth and BBQ stand to represent our Local 174 contestants. One of our most active Roadeo participants is Joel Johanneck, an 18-year Teamster driver for Yellow Freight. We talked with him about his record. Joel has won several past truck driving competitions, including: In 1989 Joel and his father Joel Johanneck, Sr., also a Teamster truck driver, won awards, in the first-ever instance of father-and-son winners of National titles from the same State. Joel said, “Once you start competing, you can’t wait until the next year’s event.” Joel has several titles under his belt — a National Twin Axle award, and four State Twin Axle titles. He competed four times at Nationals for Twin Axles though he did not win those contests. This year Joel competed in the State Three Axle category, though he didn’t bring home a plaque this time. Local 174 Teamsters took 6 of the 8 First Places in the 2007 WTA Roadeo — advancing those six men to Nationals in Minneapolis, Minnesota. 174 STATE 2007 WTA ROADEO WINNERS Featured Member: Fred Sheppard
Yellow Transportation’s Driver Of The Year For 2007 By ROGER PARDO, Business Agent Local 174 would like to extend our congratulations to Fred Sheppard, a Teamster Local 174 member working at Yellow Transportation’s Tukwila facility. Brother Sheppard was recently awarded Driver of the Year honors at Yellow Transport. Driver of the Year at Yellow is an honor awarded to only fourteen drivers systemwide! Fred’s accident-free record since 1989, positive attitude, along with his eagerness to assist his fellow employees as well his dispatchers with knowledge gained from his years of experience, excellent customer service, and his high level of professionalism were a tremendous factor the selection process. Fred has also participated in the Washington State Truck Driving Championships, is active in his community, and has been an Eagle member for 25 years. Fred and Myrna, his wife of 30 years, have two sons, Jake and Josh. The Sheppards all love the outdoors — camping as well as hunting and fishing. If you see Brother Sheppard performing P&D services for Yellow Transportation in the West Valley area of Kent, join his co-workers and this Local in expressing our support! ALSO, CONGRATULATIONS TO NEW RETIREE LARRY NELSON POLITICAL ACTION REPORT
By MICHAEL GONZALES, Local 174 Organizer and Political Director Local 174 Organizer Patty Warren and I attended this year’s 50th Annual Washington State Labor Council Convention. This is a forum for all Unions in Washington to come together and communicate what is happening in Labor across the State. The Convention is also important because this is the place for candidates to reach out to Labor and get political endorsements from the WSLC. I first would like to thank all the hard-working Union members of Unite/Here who work at the Sea-Tac Doubletree Hotel where this year’s event was held; they worked very hard to make this event go smoothly without any problems. Many things were presented and discussed from the investment our State has made in transportation infrastructure to what Labor can do to help fix health care in our State. I will also take this opportunity to thank all of our members who turned out and helped door-knock for Dave Lovell the last weekend of July. Dave was campaigning to become a Commissioner for the Port of Tacoma. We all had a great time and learned it takes a lot of hard work to get someone elected into local office. Helped by the great turnout we had from all the Teamster Locals in the Joint Council, Dave fought a good battle but unfortunately, did not make it through the Primary Election on August 21st. The Primary Election voting for candidates may be over — but we still should be thinking of politics and the General Election, which will be coming up on Tuesday, November 6th. We will be out campaigning for our political friends. So, if you have some time to volunteer, please call me, Michael Gonzales, at the Local Union Hall. And lastly, I urge all Local 174 members to take an interest in politics, and to get out and vote! LOCAL 174 NEWS & VIEWS
By TIM ALLEN, Senior Business Agent It has been a busy summer for the staff here at Local 174. Rick Hicks, Patty Warren, Larry Boyd and Tom George were busy conducting AGC and Sand & Gravel Negotiations. Jeff Sullivan, Bill Byington and Matt Webby are learning just how different the negotiation process with UPS is when you have Agent responsibilities as compared to when they sat in as Rank and File members observing (see related articles). Of course summertime also brings an increase in activity for the Hiring Hall. Laurie Wood has been doing a great job of keeping up with the increase in demand. She wanted to remind anyone who is signed up on the Hiring Hall List that the Hiring Hall fee must be into our Office no later than the first of the month (per Rule #10 of the Hiring Hall Rules) in order to be on the List for that month. Anyone who is not paid current will be pulled from the List until they are paid in full. Also, please keep in mind that anytime your work status changes, you must call into Dispatch and let us know so that you can be placed back on the List. This is extremely important to those who may be claiming unemployment benefits. And, due to high employer demand, the Hiring Hall List is a little low at this time, so if anyone knows of experienced drivers in the Construction Industry who might like to sign up on our Hiring Hall List please ask them to come in to the Hall. Erv Lemon has been busy this summer. He reports that at United Warehouse–Herche Transfer, all the employees are happy their Contract was ratified. Among the many improvements, we were able to set up dues checkoff and that is going well. At the Boeing Company we were able to win a huge victory in a termination case. Kerry Petterson was returned to work after eight months off and made whole. His back pay was over $46,000 plus back pension of over $9,000. (See story and photo on page 1.) Over at Coca Cola we were able to resolve several grievances and we are still negotiating a Contract for the Checkers. After challenging negotiations in the spring, it was announced Univar has purchased Chem Central and the two Companies will be called Univar. Dave Jacobsen with an assist from Erv Lemon negotiated and had the members ratify a new Contract with Eastside Masonry. Dave is currently representing the Local and our members, as well as getting his first taste of multi-Union bargaining with the negotiations taking place with Foss Maritime. Things don’t get any easier for Dave, with opening negotiations this month with Praxair, Ferndale. Roger Pardo and Brian Davis — who together service the Local’s Freight Division — report they have been very busy in the first half of this year. The number one issue throughout the Freight Industry is by far the excessive overtime concerns as well as hours of service issues. Local 174 sent out a “notice of opening” of the multi-Local Labor Agreement to negotiate changes in wages, hours and other terms and conditions of employment in April to the Lanier Brugh Corporation. At our press deadline time the “fringe allocation” package offer is being voted by the members of Lanier Brugh Corporation. That vote is scheduled to be counted August 24, 2007. Oak Harbor negotiations have begun and the Company and Union sat down at the table on August 15th and 16th and exchanged proposals for the first time. The Oak Harbor Agreement expires October 31st of 2007. The intent of proposals from both sides was the agenda for the first meeting. The two sides are scheduled to meet again the 26th through the 28th of September, 2007. NMFA (National Master Freight Agreement) opening notices have been sent out to all NMFA companies under Local 174’s jurisdiction for negotiations that are expected to begin this September. Demands questionnaires were mailed out from the Local in conjunction with surveys mailed from the IBT. And on August 11, 2007 a Demands Meeting was held at the Teamster Building in Tukwila. The primary concerns of Local 174 members were those commonly expressed by most member demands recently — those being Health & Welfare, Wages, Pension, and Subcontracting. The Local will be setting up a system with a liaison at each barn to keep members updated on the NMFA negotiations progress. Please work safe! Speaking of Freight — DHL, which has been under the NMFA in this Local since 2003 — has notified the IBT General President that they intend to bargain separately when the current Agreement expires in 2008. This decision will have a tremendous impact on our DHL members and has caused me to rearrange my entire summer as Secretary-Treasurer Hicks asked me to sit in for him on a series of planning sessions with Teamster reps from around the country and DHL’s management. While our members have enjoyed the protection of the provisions of the NMFA for only one Contract, others in attendance have been a party to the NMFA since its inception. As we go to press, these discussions are about to begin the next phase, as all DHL Local Unions are brought into the process to begin planning for bargaining in the near future. Foremost on our agenda for any future bargaining is to maintain our ability to negotiate a Local Rider, locally here in Seattle with our Stewards present at the bargaining table. Secretary-Treasurer Hicks took time out of his busy schedule to join me at one session to reinforce this position with the Teamster Planning Committee and DHL. As I mentioned earlier, all this travel has had an impact with other jurisdictions, notably Patent Construction, as we have had to reschedule some of their negotiation dates. Thanks to Steward Doug Severs and the rest of the bargaining unit for their understanding. We were scheduled at copy deadline time for this issue of the Teamster Record to resume bargaining in late August. EMJ drivers ratified their Contract in July, achieving the best economic package in their history. Thanks to Steward Steven Grasser for his assistance in that endeavor. UPS NEGOTIATIONS UPDATE
By TED BUNSTINE, President Negotiations have continued at the Supplemental (West Region) and Rider (Joint Council 28) levels. Negotiations were scheduled for August 8 through 10, 2007 for the JC-28 Rider and Sort Addendum. During those three days less than one hour of face-to-face negotiations took place. It appeared as though UPS was more concerned with their upcoming 100-year anniversary celebration than they were with getting an early Contract Agreement. National negotiations are scheduled to resume on September 5, 2007, and are scheduled to run through Friday, September 14, 2007. Secretary-Treasurer Rick Hicks will be attendng those negotiations representing the UPS members of JC-28 and Local 174. On the Grievance Front, one of the most important issues being addressed in these negotiations is the grievance procedure. It has been made clear by the UPS members, that it is one of the top 5 issues to be fixed in this Contract. Currently there are 22 grievances waiting to be heard at the West Region Grievance Committee, most dating back to the beginning of this year. There is a good possibility many of these grievances will not be heard until April of 2008. Secretary-Treasurer Hicks has been instrumental in proposing Contract language that will put an end to the backlog of grievances. It is now up to the Company to decide if they are truly interested in fixing the problem also. Your IBT Online Source For Solidarity, www.teamster.org
The Teamsters represent 1.4 million working men and women in virtually every occupation throughout the United States and Canada. Teamsters operate computers, protect families as law enforcement officers, work as technical employees in both the public and private sectors, care for patients in hospitals and nursing homes, work as public defenders, assist customers at car rental agencies, work at leading hotels, work in schools as both principals and custodians, repair highway bridges, and collect tolls on thruways and turnpikes. And they process, store and deliver food products, and transport automobiles, trucks, SUVs and other vehicles. Your Union is a democratic organization — where you and the other members have the right to elect local leaders and decide the policies that will affect you. You are a member of one of the more than 500 Local Unions in the Teamsters. Each Local has been assigned a number by the International to designate its location and is chartered to reflect the industries represented. Being a member of the Teamsters gives you many rights and benefits on the job. It also gives you a chance to join with other working people to win changes in your workplace and your community on the national stage and the international stage. Check in with the IBT web site regularly to learn more about the Teamsters Union and our activities across the country. From the latest news on organizing victories, contract campaigns and Union events — to exclusive benefit programs and opportunities to take action on legislative issues that affect working families everywhere — you’ll find what you’re looking for. — IBT News Release: “Resources for Members” Teamsters History
LOCAL 174 & JC-28 FACE ISSUES OF WWII By BILL McCARTHY, Communications Specialist Following are excerpts from 1939-1949 issues of JC-28’s Washington Teamster newspaper — years dominated by pre-WWII worries, WWII itself, and post-WWII chaos. During the decade Local 174 did not have its own publication, but its views were addressed clearly in the very trucker-oriented Washington Teamster. Why trucker-oriented? As 1939 — the first year the Washington Teamster was published — dawned, the JC-28 President was Dave Beck, longtime former activist member and officer of “Seattle Laundry Drivers Local 566” as well as then-present International Brotherhood of Teamsters and Western Conference of Teamsters powerhouse. JC-28 Secretary-Treasurer and Beck’s assistant everywhere, Frank Brewster, also was Secretary-Treasurer of “Seattle Teamsters, Chauffeurs & Helpers Local 174.” The Washington Teamster Editor was Lew Shaw, Secretary-Treasurer of “Seattle Newspaper Drivers Local 763.” APPLES AND WWII FDR FOR 3RD TERM WE MUST FIGHT FOR PEACE ABOUT WWII ANTI-LABOR TACTICS TEAMSTER WWII POSITION PLAN FOR POST-WWII CHANGING ERAS AMERICAN WAY TO MEET THE WWII JOB SHORTAGE WWII POSITION GOUGING VETS POST-WWII COMMUNISM THREATENS END OF 1949 |
 |
