March-April 2010
Stories on this page:
- Some Good News From the Freight Division
- Waste Management Still Clinging to Substandard Proposal
- Teamsters 174 and Allied Waste (Republic) Reach TA
- Waste Management Threatens Area Jobs
- Training Heroes
- UPS News Update
- Teamsters Proud to be Irish (Updated with new photos 4/21)
- Washington State Trades People Take the Lead in Training Heroes
- Yard Sign Solidarity Action Day April 18th
- Update on upcoming NLRB trial and new contract proposal submitted by your union
- Some Good News From the Freight Division
- Waste Management Still Clinging to Substandard Proposal
- Teamsters 174 and Allied Waste (Republic) Reach TA
- Waste Management Threatens Area Jobs
- Training Heroes
- UPS News Update
- Teamsters Proud to be Irish
- Army Corp. of Engineers Contractor in Action
- March is Irish-American Heritage Month
- New Fines Up to $2,720 for Texting While Driving
- Hazardous Materials Instructor Training (HMIT)
- Updated 03/10: Local 174 Freight Update
- DOT HazMat Training Offered This April
- NCCCO Crane Certification Training Coming April 1st-2nd
- News Archives
Some good news from the Freight Division
April 8, 2010 - For the first time in a long time we seem to be able to report
some good news from the Freight Division. It seems that most freight companies
are either in the process of or are preparing to call some of our members off
of layoff. Some members have been on layoff for close to 2 years and just the
discussions of recalls makes us feel optimistic that we are now, finally, on
the other side of the worst period of layoffs we have seen in decades. Let’s
just hope this isn’t a spike in volumes that plateaus or bottoms out in the near
future.
A sub-committee was formed and has been having discussions trying to get some of the outstanding issues at Oak Harbor resolved. The members continue to hold strong and we hope to someday have a contract in place for these members to vote on.
Reddaway still is working with an extension in place and we are holding our ground on the company trying to impose a deal that asks our members to sacrifice more out of pocket concessions than any other Reddaway employee. Local 174 has continually told the company that we will not recommend a proposal to our members which asks them to conceded more per hour than what they are asking other employees to concede.
Waste Management clinging to substandard
proposal
Teamster sanitation workers reached a tentative settlement with Republic
Services yesterday over collective bargaining agreements covering 145
garbage drivers and recycling center workers who service approximately
123,000 residential and commercial customers throughout King and Snohomish
Counties.
“This agreement, if ratified, will ensure fair wages, decent health
and welfare coverage, and retirement security for our members and their
families in the sanitation industry,” said Rick Hicks, Secretary-Treasurer
of Teamsters Local 174. “We plan to fully recommend the offer to our
members for approval.”
Teamsters Local 117 also reached a tentative agreement covering employees
at Republic’s 3rd and Lander recycling facility located in downtown
Seattle.
“The company has agreed to a compensation and benefit package that
recognizes the important nature of the services our members provide
to their communities,” said Local 117 Secretary-Treasurer, Tracey Thompson.
Thompson says she will also recommend the proposal for approval and
plans to vote her members on the deal as early as next week.
Teamsters at Republic had voted to authorize a strike and were preparing
to fight for good middle class jobs in our communities if forced into
a labor dispute. Now that a tentative settlement has been reached,
the workers say that they can get on with the business of hauling and
processing trash, recycling materials and yard waste from thousands
of homes and businesses across King and Snohomish counties.
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Members
offered words of solidarity for over 400 sanitation workers at Waste Management,
whose contract with the company expired at midnight on March 31. “We stand
united with our brothers and sisters in their fight for a fair contract,” said
Rick Neatherlin a container driver for Allied Waste in Bellevue. “We will do
everything we can to support them.”
Local 117 members at Waste Management whose contract does not expire
until 2012 said they would fully support a strike and honor all picket
lines should the Local 174 drivers are forced into a labor dispute.
Now that both CleanScapes and Republic have negotiated settlements
with the Union, Waste Management stands alone, as Hicks put it, “clinging
to a substandard proposal that undermines good middle class jobs and
continues to threaten the safety of our communities.”
For minute-by-minute updates, follow the action on twitter at: http://twitter.com/teamsters117
Teamsters Local #174 and Allied Waste (Republic)
Come to a Tentative Agreement
SEATTLE: March 31, 2010 – Teamsters Local 174 and Allied Waste (Republic)
have a tentative agreement and is still in negotiations with Waste
Management. Teamsters Local 174 is still bargaining in good faith and
working to reach a settlement. A Federal Mediator has been brought
in to help Waste Management and the Union find a resolution in the
dispute.
More will be posted when information is available.
Teamsters: Waste Management Threatens
Area Jobs
As a part of its Puget Sound public relations blitz, Waste Management
(WMI) has been tossing around figures, claiming first that area sanitation
workers are paid on average $77,000 annually and that the union is
holding out for wage increases of 25%. Now WMI has inflated its own
numbers, asserting that the company is offering to pay union garbage
drivers $100,000 a year.
“WMI is grossly inflating these numbers in an effort to obscure the
real issue at hand – the company’s disregard for the dangers that garbage
haulers face every day to protect the public health,” said Teamsters
Local 174 Secretary-Treasurer, Rick Hicks. “The bottom line is that
the Union is proposing the same economic package that a local company,
CleanScapes, already offers sanitation workers who perform the same
work.”
According to Hicks, sanitation workers at WMI regularly report company
retaliation for workplace injuries and intimidation for reporting safety
hazards. They say they are discouraged from filing L & I workers’
compensation claims and forced to work mandatory overtime.
“A sanitation worker is more likely to die on the job than firefighters
or police officers,” said Local 117 Secretary-Treasurer, Tracey A.
Thompson. “Workers are regularly exposed to rotting meat, maggots,
syringes, asbestos, and blood products. In the fifth most dangerous
job in the United States, workers see WMI’s practices as a threat to
their own personal safety and to the safety of the communities they
serve.”
Monica Zebley, a garbage driver at a WMI facility in Kirkland, is one
of countless sanitation workers in the region who have been hurt on
the job. "After getting injured, I was in so much pain that I
couldn’t sleep at night. When I went to management to report the injury,
they asked me to quit. I had to get a lawyer just to file a claim with
L & I.”
Garbage driver Roderick Holmes adds, “A lot of our drivers are working
50-60 hours a week, which is usually forced overtime. That increases
our chances for accidents. We just want to make it home each night,
with 10 fingers and 10 toes, to our families.”
Thompson and Hicks say that before the threat of a labor dispute, WMI
was unwilling to hire new drivers, electing instead to force garbage
and recycling drivers to work 10 to 12 hours a day. “Under normal circumstances,
hiring new drivers would help boost the local economy and take the
pressure off of these workers. Now with a looming strike, WMI would
rather exploit the local labor market to find temporary strikebreakers
than keep decent jobs in this region,” Thompson said.
Hicks points out that the cities in our region, as the customers of
waste companies, have a responsibility not just to make sure that the
waste is picked up, but also to ensure that the companies doing the
work are performing it with experienced drivers who will not pose a
danger to our communities. “Importing strikebreakers from out-of-state
and hiring temporary replacements does not fulfill that requirement,”
he said.
Historical Event as Washington State Trades
People Take the Lead in Training Heroes
After the September 11th attacks on the World Trade Center, many Teamsters,
Ironworkers, Operators, and other trades from all over the US answered
the call for help. They used their skills and trade knowledge to work
heroically to recover the bodies of victims, clean up the site, and
make ground zero safe. Because we don’t face disasters in our day to
day work lives, many of these skilled workers had no training in how
to protect their own health, or the specific safety issues of a disaster
site clean up. 
They
just knew they wanted/needed to help. Emotionally and physically, there
is a vast difference in conditions at a disaster site as opposed to
the well-regulated workplaces we are accustomed to. The asbestos- and
silica-laden dust of the collapsed twin towers gathered in workers’
lungs, and some have become permanently disabled. At least one tradesman
has died from lung disease caused by his work in serving others as
a disaster responder and others will have their lives considerably
shortened.
In response to this, concerned citizens from Emergency Management and
the Building Trades started working on a program to train construction
trades people to safely volunteer and work on disaster sites. One of
the pioneers, Lee Newgent, now at the King County Building Trades Council,
responded to the disasters at The Federal Building in Oklahoma and
to Ground Zero after 9/11. Being a worker on those sites he noted the
need for increased communication, chain of command and safety training
for the responders. He helped design a training program in Seattle,
F.I.R.S.T. (First Responders and Skilled Trades), a joint training
for City of Seattle Firefighters, Operating Engineers, Ironworkers
and Laborers to work together to respond to disasters locally. This
training was so well received by all its participants that it has become
the model for others throughout the country.
OSHA used that training outline to build its OSHA Construction Worker
Disaster Training (OSHA 7600), a 16 hour disaster site safety course.
It addresses the different sorts of safety hazards workers might encounter
in responding to a disaster site. In a normal work environment, unidentified
airborne particles, downed electrical lines, unlabelled confined spaces
filled with toxic fumes, chemical spills, and unstable structures are
not usually a factor. Disaster recovery workers will often face these
challenges as well as the difficulties of working with and for people
they are unfamiliar with, in a dangerous and emotionally charged environment
where it is hard to remember to keep your safety and your coworkers'
safety as a first priority. The OSHA-7600 course trains recovery workers-
who come on a site after first responders- to navigate those kinds
of hazards while helping their communities recover.
It is now possible to acquire a “Program Card” - a Federal Card for
disaster response, for those that have taken OSHA 10, OSHA 7600, and
a 40 hour Hazwopper card - as a trained disaster response worker. Sisters
in the Building Trades, a tradeswomen's organization based in western
Washington, is using its unique ability to reach out across trades
and agencies to spearhead a project to create a critical mass of cardholding
trained workers in Puget Sound, so that in the event of an earthquake,
the eruption of mount Rainier, a terrorist attack, or any other big
emergency, we have a trained workforce to call upon to get us back
on our feet without sacrificing recovery workers' health. The program
currently offers the OSHA 7600 Training, OSHA 10, HAZWOPER 40, First
Aid, and is implementing a database of trained volunteers and equipment
that could be volunteered, for Emergency Management officials to call
upon when needed.
In November 2009, three Teamsters attended the first Sisters in the
Building Trades organized OSHA 7600 training and an introduction to
the F.I.R.S.T program. The November Training was the first time Washington
State Emergency Management or King County Emergency Management had
been fully introduced to these programs.
Since then, eighteen more Teamsters have attended the Sisters’ OSHA
10 class in February 2010 and 19 attended the second Disaster Response
training on March 6th & 7th, 2010. These Teamsters now have the
knowledge and training to be called out to help in the aftermath of
a natural or man made disaster. Any Teamster who takes the time to
certify themselves as a disaster responder will be ready to help their
community, know better how to keep themselves and their family safe,
and will have certifications that can be helpful in many jobs and which
are required for others. This training has so far been offered without
charge thanks to generous sponsorships from local organizations and
community colleges who found it worthwhile. Due to the nature of disasters,
you never know when you might need it. Congratulations to the 22 teamsters
who have taken advantage of this opportunity- it is invaluable training
we should all consider.
UPS Update
It
has been a very interesting and hectic time in my jurisdiction recently. UPS
has increasingly ramped up its efforts to harass and intimidate our members.
Specifically, Local 174 has noticed the Company increasing its efforts to send
disciplinary letters to package car drivers for their S.P.O.R.H’s (stops per
on road hour). Local 174 has repeatedly told the Company that we will not recognize
any type of production standard. It is important for every package car driver
to document their daily work load if you are receiving or have received discipline
for S.P.O.R.H’s. I would encourage all our members both part-time and full-time
to keep a daily journal of events which occur during the work day.
I also recently attended the Teamsters / UPS National Grievance Panel on March 1st -3rd and the NW 5 States Grievance Committee on March 15th- 18th. Prior to hearing cases at the National Panel the Company gave a presentation on how the Company has done financially over the past several years. While the Company’s presenter was careful not to “claim poor,” it was apparent UPS has not met their revenue expectations. The Company clearly recognizes the depressed economy as a major contributing factor in the loss of revenue. UPS also underscored their competitive disadvantage with Fed Ex by presenting a comparison of the average wage and benefits package of an average full-time UPS package car driver to that of a Fed Ex driver. The presentation reaffirmed how imperative it is that the Teamsters are successful in their attempts to organize Fed Ex. Organizing at Fed Ex is not just about giving Fed Ex workers a voice but it’s also vital in the Teamsters efforts to continue to make industry setting gains for our current members at UPS.
To continuing with the ongoing efforts with organizing Fed Ex their will be a conference call for Stewards with the IBT on March 25th at 8:30pm Eastern time. Stewards who are available and want to participate in the conference call should contact Local 174 for information.
St. Patrick’s Day Parade 2010
Teamsters are Proud to be Irish
It
pays to be Irish on St. Patrick’s Day in Seattle. The picture to the right
shows the Teamsters Local 174 semi truck driven by Boeing member Donny Jones
and his two sons Jeff (14 yrs), and Pete (11 yrs) participating in the 2010
St. Patrick’s Day parade. Among the several thousand spectators who watched
along the parade route on Fourth Avenue were people who just happened to be
downtown and suddenly found themselves staring at bagpipers, Irish Dancers
and Leprechauns.
“It was a beautiful sunny day for one of the largest parades that we
have ever had. Over nine bands participated this year, including one
from Ireland,” said David Jacobsen, Parade Chairman. “The parade has
grown in popularity over the last 25 years. We have welcomed all to
join the Irish in celebrating this wonderful heritage of the people
who have moved to America and helped make it what it is today. I would
like to thank Teamsters Local Union #174. They have donated the semi
truck and driver since 1996. There is a strong presence of the Teamsters
Union in the Irish Heritage Club organization. I am glad to be a second
generation Irishman.”
See more photos by clicking the images below.
Historical Event as Washington State Trades People Take the Lead in Training Heroes
After the September 11th attacks on the World Trade Center, many Teamsters, Ironworkers, Operators, and other trades from all over the US answered the call for help. They used their skills and trade knowledge to work heroically to recover the bodies of victims, clean up the site, and make ground zero safe. Because we don’t face disasters in our day to day work lives, many of these skilled workers had no training in how to protect their own health, or the specific safety issues of a disaster site clean up. They just knew they wanted/needed to help. Emotionally and physically, there is a vast difference in conditions at a disaster site as opposed to the well-regulated workplaces we are accustomed to. The asbestos- and silica-laden dust of the collapsed twin towers gathered in workers’ lungs, and some have become permanently disabled. At least one tradesman has died from lung disease caused by his work in serving others as a disaster responder and others will have their lives considerably shortened.
In response to this, concerned citizens from Emergency Management and the Building Trades started working on a program to train construction trades people to safely volunteer and work on disaster sites. One of the pioneers, Lee Newgent, now at the King County Building Trades Council, responded to the disasters at The Federal Building in Oklahoma and to Ground Zero after 9/11. Being a worker on those sites he noted the need for increased communication, chain of command and safety training for the responders. He helped design a training program in Seattle, F.I.R.S.T. (First Responders and Skilled Trades), a joint training for City of Seattle Firefighters, Operating Engineers, Ironworkers and Laborers to work together to respond to disasters locally. This training was so well received by all its participants that it has become the model for others throughout the country.
OSHA used that training outline to build its OSHA Construction Worker Disaster Training (OSHA 7600), a 16 hour disaster site safety course. It addresses the different sorts of safety hazards workers might encounter in responding to a disaster site. In a normal work environment, unidentified airborne particles, downed electrical lines, unlabelled confined spaces filled with toxic fumes, chemical spills, and unstable structures are not usually a factor. Disaster recovery workers will often face these challenges as well as the difficulties of working with and for people they are unfamiliar with, in a dangerous and emotionally charged environment where it is hard to remember to keep your safety and your coworkers' safety as a first priority. The OSHA-7600 course trains recovery workers- who come on a site after first responders- to navigate those kinds of hazards while helping their communities recover.
It is now possible to acquire a “Program Card” - a Federal Card for disaster response, for those that have taken OSHA 10, OSHA 7600, and a 40 hour Hazwopper card - as a trained disaster response worker.
Sisters in the Building Trades, a tradeswomen's organization based in western Washington, is using its unique ability to reach out across trades and agencies to spearhead a project to create a critical mass of cardholding trained workers in Puget Sound, so that in the event of an earthquake, the eruption of mount Rainier, a terrorist attack, or any other big emergency, we have a trained workforce to call upon to get us back on our feet without sacrificing recovery workers' health. The program currently offers the OSHA 7600 Training, OSHA 10, HAZWOPER 40, First Aid, and is implementing a database of trained volunteers and equipment that could be volunteered, for Emergency Management officials to call upon when needed.
In November 2009, 3 Teamsters attended the first Sisters in the Building Trades organized OSHA 7600 training and an introduction to the F.I.R.S.T program. The November Training was the first time Washington State Emergency Management or King County Emergency Management had been fully introduced to these programs.
Since then 18 more Teamsters have attended the Sisters’ OSHA 10 class in February
2010 and 19 attended the second Disaster Response training on March 6th & 7th,
2010. These Teamsters now have the knowledge and training to be called out to
help in the aftermath of a natural or man made disaster. Any Teamster who takes
the time to certify themselves as a disaster responder will be ready to help
their community, know better how to keep themselves and their family safe, and
will have certifications that can be helpful in many jobs and which are required
for others. This training has so far been offered without charge thanks to generous
sponsorships from local organizations and community colleges who found it worthwhile.
Due to the nature of disasters, you never know when you might need it. Congratulations
to the 22 teamsters who have taken advantage of this opportunity- it is invaluable
training we should all consider.
Yard Sign Solidarity Action Day April 18th
Last
Sunday, we made thousands of yard signs that say, "Tell Waste
Management to Stop Trashing our Community." Now we need your
help to put yard signs up in the front yards of thousands of residents
of King County and southern Snohomish County. Volunteer to put up yard
signs this Sunday.
What: Deliver Waste Management Yard Signs
to Residents
Where: Teamster Union Hall
14675
Interurban Avenue South
Tukwila,
WA 98168
Date: Sunday, April 18, 2010
Time: 9:00 a.m.
Oak Harbor Update on
Upcoming NLRB trial and
new contract proposal
This memorandum is
intended to give you an update on the upcoming National Labor Relations
Board (NLRB) trial, and to present to you a summary of a contract
proposal that will be submitted to your employer in advance
of contract negotiations scheduled on April 15, 2010. All Local Unions
representing Oak Harbor members are presenting this memorandum at all
facilities and are available to review it with you and answer any questions.
The Unfair
Labor Practice Complaint issued by the NLRB against Oak
Harbor, which describes the charges that are the subject of the trial,
and a complete copy of the union’s contract proposal to the employer
will be available at www.oakharborteamsters.com April 12, 2010.
A hearing before an Administrative Law Judge
(ALJ) is scheduled to begin on June 29, 2010. Given the number of unfair
labor practice charges and the complexity of the case, a decision from
the ALJ could take as long as a year to issue. In the meantime, negotiations
have been scheduled April 15 at the Federal Mediation and Conciliation
Service, and a mediator will be present with the parties. It is possible
that these negotiations could resolve some or all of the charges that
are scheduled for hearing.
The Union’s contract proposals include the following important
features:
- Retains key provisions of the current no subcontracting provisions with some modifications;
- Modifies several bidding procedure rules, but keeps the most important bidding rights intact;
- Protects regular workweek guarantees and also provides the employer greater workday and workweek flexibility;
- Modifies the probationary period and its application;
- Retains accrued time loss disability but eliminates future accrual of time loss disability;
- Retains key provisions of the discipline and grievance procedures with some modifications;
- Continues the company health & welfare plan, with progressive funding caps for active employees;
- Provides for retiree health & welfare coverage under the Washington State Retiree Welfare Trust for all employees (except those Oregon members who are already retired under the Local 206 plan) subject to Trust approval;
- Continues participation in the Western Conference of Teamsters Pension Trust at the current contribution rates; and,
- Protects current wage scales, but no wage increases for the remainder of the contract duration (expires 10/31/13).
This union proposal was developed as a counter
to the employer’s most recent offer. It is your Union Bargaining
Committee’s judgment that this proposal has the best chance of
providing a structure for a settlement to be achieved prior to the
ALJ hearing. If this round of bargaining leads to a proposal that can
be recommended by your Union Committee, there will be a ratification
vote scheduled. The ratification process will include a complete discussion
of all terms of the offer, implications of ratification or rejection,
and other matters the membership will need to make an informed vote.
In summary, your Union Bargaining Committee recognizes that the opportunity
to settle your Labor Agreement prior to the ALJ hearing warrants the
steps taken to present this proposal in the upcoming negotiation meeting.
Although our attorneys are confident that we have a good chance to
prevail in that hearing, there is always a chance that we could have
an adverse decision that could undermine our future bargaining position.
There are other factors including the state of the economy, other union
and non-union trucking labor rates, and the health of your employer
that are being considered in the current negotiating opportunity. How
such factors may change, or not change if we do not settle a labor
agreement at this time have also been weighed by your Union Committee.
Obviously, it will depend on whether the company recognizes the value
of settling the Labor Agreement at this time. Given the fact that the
Union workforce will ultimately require that a Collective Bargaining
Agreement be resolved, that the business is slowly improving, and the
good working relationships that are returning throughout the union
terminals, it would be reasonable for the employer to seek a settlement
at this time. The proposal being submitted by your Union constitutes
a fair basis for both sides to go forward.
Some good news from the Freight Division
April 8, 2010 - For the first time in
a long time we seem to be able to report some good news from the Freight
Division. It seems that most freight companies are either in the process
of or are preparing to call some of our members off of layoff. Some members
have been on layoff for close to 2 years and just the discussions of recalls
makes us feel optimistic that we are now, finally, on the other side of
the worst period of layoffs we have seen in decades. Let’s just hope this
isn’t a spike in volumes that plateaus or bottoms out in the near future.
A sub-committee was formed and has been having discussions trying to get some of the outstanding issues at Oak Harbor resolved. The members continue to hold strong and we hope to someday have a contract in place for these members to vote on.
Reddaway still is working with an extension in place and we are holding our ground on the company trying to impose a deal that asks our members to sacrifice more out of pocket concessions than any other Reddaway employee. Local 174 has continually told the company that we will not recommend a proposal to our members which asks them to conceded more per hour than what they are asking other employees to concede.
Waste Management clinging to substandard
proposal
Teamster sanitation workers reached a tentative settlement with Republic Services yesterday over collective bargaining agreements covering 145 garbage drivers and recycling center workers who service approximately 123,000 residential and commercial customers throughout King and Snohomish Counties.
“This agreement, if ratified, will ensure fair wages, decent health and welfare coverage, and retirement security for our members and their families in the sanitation industry,” said Rick Hicks, Secretary-Treasurer of Teamsters Local 174. “We plan to fully recommend the offer to our members for approval.”
Teamsters Local 117 also reached a tentative agreement covering employees at Republic’s 3rd and Lander recycling facility located in downtown Seattle.
“The company has agreed to a compensation and benefit package that recognizes the important nature of the services our members provide to their communities,” said Local 117 Secretary-Treasurer, Tracey Thompson.
Thompson says she will also recommend the proposal for approval and plans to vote her members on the deal as early as next week.
Teamsters at Republic had voted to authorize a strike and were preparing to fight for good middle class jobs in our communities if forced into a labor dispute. Now that a tentative settlement has been reached, the workers say that they can get on with the business of hauling and processing trash, recycling materials and yard waste from thousands of homes and businesses across King and Snohomish counties.
Members offered words of solidarity for over 400 sanitation workers at Waste Management, whose contract with the company expired at midnight on March 31. “We stand united with our brothers and sisters in their fight for a fair contract,” said Rick Neatherlin a container driver for Allied Waste in Bellevue. “We will do everything we can to support them.”
Local 117 members at Waste Management whose contract does not expire until 2012 said they would fully support a strike and honor all picket lines should the Local 174 drivers are forced into a labor dispute.
Now that both CleanScapes and Republic have negotiated settlements with the Union, Waste Management stands alone, as Hicks put it, “clinging to a substandard proposal that undermines good middle class jobs and continues to threaten the safety of our communities.”
For minute-by-minute updates, follow the action on twitter at: http://twitter.com/teamsters117
Teamsters Local #174 and Allied Waste (Republic) Come to a Tentative Agreement
SEATTLE: March 31, 2010 – Teamsters Local 174 and Allied Waste (Republic)
have a tentative agreement and is still in negotiations with Waste
Management.
Teamsters Local 174 is still bargaining in good faith and working to reach a
settlement. A Federal Mediator has been brought in to help Waste
Management and the Union find a resolution in the dispute.
More will be posted when information is available.
Teamsters: Waste Management Threatens
Area Jobs
As a part of its Puget Sound public relations blitz, Waste Management (WMI) has been tossing around figures, claiming first that area sanitation workers are paid on average $77,000 annually and that the union is holding out for wage increases of 25%. Now WMI has inflated its own numbers, asserting that the company is offering to pay union garbage drivers $100,000 a year.
“WMI is grossly inflating these numbers in an effort to obscure the real issue at hand – the company’s disregard for the dangers that garbage haulers face every day to protect the public health,” said Teamsters Local 174 Secretary-Treasurer, Rick Hicks. “The bottom line is that the Union is proposing the same economic package that a local company, CleanScapes, already offers sanitation workers who perform the same work.”
According to Hicks, sanitation workers at WMI regularly report company retaliation
for workplace injuries and intimidation for reporting safety hazards. They say
they are discouraged from filing L & I workers’ compensation claims and forced
to work mandatory overtime.
“A sanitation worker is more likely to die on the job than firefighters or police officers,” said Local 117 Secretary-Treasurer, Tracey A. Thompson. “Workers are regularly exposed to rotting meat, maggots, syringes, asbestos, and blood products. In the fifth most dangerous job in the United States, workers see WMI’s practices as a threat to their own personal safety and to the safety of the communities they serve.”
Monica Zebley, a garbage driver at a WMI facility in Kirkland, is one of countless
sanitation workers in the region who have been hurt on the job. "After getting injured, I was in so much pain that I couldn’t sleep at night. When I went to management to report the injury, they asked me to quit. I had to get a lawyer just to file a claim with L & I.”
Garbage driver Roderick Holmes adds, “A lot of our drivers are working 50-60 hours a week, which is usually forced overtime. That increases our chances for accidents. We just want to make it home each night, with 10 fingers and 10 toes, to our families.”
Thompson and Hicks say that before the threat of a labor dispute, WMI was unwilling to hire new drivers, electing instead to force garbage and recycling drivers to work 10 to 12 hours a day. “Under normal circumstances, hiring new drivers would help boost the local economy and take the pressure off of these workers. Now with a looming strike, WMI would rather exploit the local labor market to find temporary strikebreakers than keep decent jobs in this region,” Thompson said.
Hicks points out that the cities in our region, as the customers of waste companies, have a responsibility not just to make sure that the waste is picked up, but also to ensure that the companies doing the work are performing it with experienced drivers who will not pose a danger to our communities. “Importing strikebreakers from out-of-state and hiring temporary replacements does not fulfill that requirement,” he said.
Historical Event as Washington State Trades People Take the Lead in Training Heroes
After the September 11th attacks on the World Trade Center, many
Teamsters, Ironworkers, Operators, and other trades from all over
the US answered the call for help. They used their skills and trade
knowledge to work heroically to recover the bodies of victims, clean
up the site, and make ground zero safe. Because we don’t face disasters
in our day to day work lives, many of these skilled workers had no
training in how to protect their own health, or the specific safety
issues of a disaster site clean up. They just knew they wanted/needed
to help. Emotionally and physically, there is a vast difference in conditions
at a disaster site as opposed to the well-regulated workplaces we are accustomed
to. The asbestos- and silica-laden dust of the collapsed twin towers gathered
in workers’ lungs, and some have become permanently disabled. At least one
tradesman has died from lung disease caused by his work in serving others as
a disaster responder and others will have their lives considerably shortened.
In response to this, concerned citizens from Emergency Management and the Building Trades started working on a program to train construction trades people to safely volunteer and work on disaster sites. One of the pioneers, Lee Newgent, now at the King County Building Trades Council, responded to the disasters at The Federal Building in Oklahoma and to Ground Zero after 9/11. Being a worker on those sites he noted the need for increased communication, chain of command and safety training for the responders. He helped design a training program in Seattle, F.I.R.S.T. (First Responders and Skilled Trades), a joint training for City of Seattle Firefighters, Operating Engineers, Ironworkers and Laborers to work together to respond to disasters locally. This training was so well received by all its participants that it has become the model for others throughout the country.
OSHA used that training outline to build its OSHA Construction Worker Disaster Training (OSHA 7600), a 16 hour disaster site safety course. It addresses the different sorts of safety hazards workers might encounter in responding to a disaster site. In a normal work environment, unidentified airborne particles, downed electrical lines, unlabelled confined spaces filled with toxic fumes, chemical spills, and unstable structures are not usually a factor. Disaster recovery workers will often face these challenges as well as the difficulties of working with and for people they are unfamiliar with, in a dangerous and emotionally charged environment where it is hard to remember to keep your safety and your coworkers' safety as a first priority. The OSHA-7600 course trains recovery workers- who come on a site after first responders- to navigate those kinds of hazards while helping their communities recover.
It is now possible to acquire a “Program Card” - a Federal Card for disaster response, for those that have taken OSHA 10, OSHA 7600, and a 40 hour Hazwopper card - as a trained disaster response worker.
Sisters in the Building Trades, a tradeswomen's organization based in western Washington, is using its unique ability to reach out across trades and agencies to spearhead a project to create a critical mass of cardholding trained workers in Puget Sound, so that in the event of an earthquake, the eruption of mount Rainier, a terrorist attack, or any other big emergency, we have a trained workforce to call upon to get us back on our feet without sacrificing recovery workers' health. The program currently offers the OSHA 7600 Training, OSHA 10, HAZWOPER 40, First Aid, and is implementing a database of trained volunteers and equipment that could be volunteered, for Emergency Management officials to call upon when needed.
In November 2009, three Teamsters attended the first Sisters in the Building
Trades organized OSHA 7600 training and an introduction to the F.I.R.S.T program.
The November Training was the first time Washington State Emergency Management
or King County Emergency Management had been fully introduced to these programs.
Since then, eighteen more Teamsters have attended the Sisters’ OSHA 10 class
in February 2010 and 19 attended the second Disaster Response training on March
6th & 7th,
2010. These Teamsters now have the knowledge and training to be called out to
help in the aftermath of a natural or man made disaster. Any Teamster who takes
the time to certify themselves as a disaster responder will be ready to help
their community, know better how to keep themselves and their family safe, and
will have certifications that can be helpful in many jobs and which are required
for others. This training has so far been offered without charge thanks to generous
sponsorships from local organizations and community colleges who found it worthwhile.
Due to the nature of disasters, you never know when you might need it. Congratulations
to the 22 teamsters who have taken advantage of this opportunity- it is invaluable
training we should all consider.
UPS Update
It has been a very interesting and hectic time in my jurisdiction recently.
UPS has increasingly ramped up its efforts to harass and intimidate our members.
Specifically, Local 174 has noticed the Company increasing its efforts to send
disciplinary letters to package car drivers for their S.P.O.R.H’s (stops per
on road hour). Local 174 has repeatedly told the Company that we will not recognize
any type of production standard. It is important for every package car driver
to document their daily work load if you are receiving or have received discipline
for S.P.O.R.H’s. I would encourage all our members both part-time and full-time
to keep a daily journal of events which occur during the work day.
I also recently attended the Teamsters / UPS National Grievance Panel on March 1st -3rd and the NW 5 States Grievance Committee on March 15th- 18th. Prior to hearing cases at the National Panel the Company gave a presentation on how the Company has done financially over the past several years. While the Company’s presenter was careful not to “claim poor,” it was apparent UPS has not met their revenue expectations. The Company clearly recognizes the depressed economy as a major contributing factor in the loss of revenue. UPS also underscored their competitive disadvantage with Fed Ex by presenting a comparison of the average wage and benefits package of an average full-time UPS package car driver to that of a Fed Ex driver. The presentation reaffirmed how imperative it is that the Teamsters are successful in their attempts to organize Fed Ex. Organizing at Fed Ex is not just about giving Fed Ex workers a voice but it’s also vital in the Teamsters efforts to continue to make industry setting gains for our current members at UPS.
To continuing with the ongoing efforts with organizing Fed Ex their will be a conference call for Stewards with the IBT on March 25th at 8:30pm Eastern time. Stewards who are available and want to participate in the conference call should contact Local 174 for information.
St. Patrick’s Day Parade 2010
Teamsters are Proud to be Irish
It
pays to be Irish on St. Patrick’s Day in Seattle. The picture to the right
shows the Teamsters Local 174 semi truck driven by Boeing member Donny Jones
and his two sons Jeff (14 yrs), and Pete (11 yrs) participating in the 2010
St. Patrick’s Day parade. Among the several thousand spectators who watched
along the parade route on Fourth Avenue were people who just happened to be
downtown and suddenly found themselves staring at bagpipers, Irish Dancers
and Leprechauns.
“It was a beautiful sunny day for one of the largest parades that we have
ever had. Over nine bands participated this year, including one from Ireland,”
said David Jacobsen, Parade Chairman. “The parade has grown in popularity
over the last 25 years. We have welcomed all to join the Irish in celebrating
this wonderful heritage of the people who have moved to America and helped
make it what it is today. I would like to thank Teamsters Local Union
#174. They have donated the semi truck and driver since 1996. There is a
strong presence of the Teamsters Union in the Irish Heritage Club organization.
I am glad to be a second generation Irishman.”
Army Corp. of Engineers Contractor in Action
This was River Work was done by a non-union company "Inter West Construction" under contract to the "Army Corps of Engineers" in late August of 2008. This work was done on the Green River without any environmental oversight by the EPA, as a side note to this action by the Corps. If this work was done by our King County River Crew it would have been done properly without any environmental impact to a very sensitive Salmon Habitat. (Click on thumbnails to see larger photos.)
White House Proclamation
March is Irish-American Heritage Month
The White House, Office of the Press Secretary
BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
A PROCLAMATION
From long before American independence to today, countless
individuals have reached our shores, bringing vibrant cultures
and diverse roots, and immeasurably enriching our Nation. This
month, we honor the contributions made by the tens of millions
of Americans who trace their heritage to the Emerald Isle.
Irish Americans fought for our independence, and their
signatures adorn our founding documents. When famine ravaged
Ireland in the 1840s and 1850s, many Irish men and women sought
a new beginning in the United States. Though they faced poverty
and discrimination, these immigrants transformed our cities,
served in our Armed Forces, and settled the frontiers of our
young Nation. Their children, and succeeding generations of
Irish Americans, have preserved their culture's values while
becoming leaders in every facet of American life.
During this year's Irish-American Heritage Month, we also
celebrate an extraordinary Irishman: Senator Edward M. Kennedy.
Throughout his career in public service, Senator Kennedy worked
tirelessly to create opportunity for all Americans. His legacy
lives on in the legislation he championed, which will bolster
and protect the health, education, and civil rights of Americans
for generations to come.
Across the Atlantic, the people of Ireland continue to
confront their own challenges with resolve and determination.
In the face of violence perpetuated by some -- testing a
hard-earned peace -- the people of Northern Ireland have
responded heroically. Undaunted, they and their leaders persist
on the road to peace and prosperity enshrined over a decade ago
in the Good Friday Agreement. The United States remains
committed to supporting the political process and the work of
those who have shown leadership in pursuit of a lasting peace.
Today, the sons and daughters of Erin can look back with
pride on their many contributions to the civic and cultural life
of America. Like so many of our Nation's ethnic communities,
Irish Americans are a people whose hard work and resilience have
brought them great opportunity and success, and whose service to
our Nation has left it a better place.
NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, President of the
United States of America, by the virtue of the authority vested
in me by the Constitution and the laws of the United States do
hereby proclaim March 2010 as Irish-American Heritage Month.
I call upon all Americans to observe this month by celebrating
the contributions of Irish American to our Nation with
appropriate ceremonies and activities.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this
first day of March, in the year of our Lord two thousand ten,
and of the Independence of the United States of America the
two hundred and thirty-fourth.
BARACK OBAMA
Ban Became Effective January 27, 2010
New Fines Up to $2,720 for Texting While Driving
All Teamster members who drive vehicles as part of their job need to know that a ban on texting while driving has gone into affect.
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration issued a regulatory guidance (49 CFR Part 390.17) that prohibits commercial drivers from using electronic devices to prepare or review text messages while operating a commercial motor vehicle in interstate commerce. The ban became affective January 27, 2010.
Drivers who are convicted of texting while driving a commercial motor vehicle may be subject to civil or criminal penalties of up to $2,720. The Teamsters Safety and Health Department issued a memorandum on this topic, which is available for download.
Local 174 update:
Hazardous Materials Instructor Training (HMIT)
The Teamsters Apprenticeship and Training Trust is offering a FREE class called Hazardous Materials Instructor Training (HMIT). And right now because so many are not working or are working reduced hours this is a perfect time to upgrade your skills and abilities. Through a grant from the International Brotherhood of Teamsters the Trust is offering this class to everyone who works around the transportation of hazardous materials. So whether you’re a driver, dock worker, dispatcher or office staff this is the class for you. AGAIN, THIS TRAINING IS FREE!
This class is designed to teach people to become teachers of hazardous materials regulations. Anyone whose work includes or may include the transportation of hazardous (placarded) materials can become qualified to instruct co-workers and others so that the regulations are better known and better applied in the workplace.
In addition by learning to teach others you will develop leadership skills that will help you become better Shop Stewards, Activists and all around better Teamsters.
- Students will learn how to prepare presentations with an objective in mind
- You will learn how to cover critical items in a specified timeframe
- You will learn how to check to be sure the group understands what has been presented
- You will learn how to take control of a group
- You will have the opportunity to give 7 - 10 presentations with review after each one
- This will give you more confidence speaking in front of a group of your peers
- This will help you to be better Shop Stewards and more active Union Members
- Remember – IF Knowledge is Power then Your Knowledge is Your Power
WHAT: HAZARDOUS MATERIALS INSTRUCTOR TRAINING (HMIT)
WHEN: SATURDAY APRIL 3, 2010 AND MONDAY – FRIDAY APRIL 5TH – 9TH
WHAT: 8 HOUR DOT HAZARDOUS MATERIALS TRANSPORTATION WORKER CLASS FOLLOWED BY A 40 HOUR INSTRUCTOR TRAINING CLASS
WHERE: TEAMSTERS LOCAL 174, 14675 INTERURBAN AVE S SUITE 303, TUKWILA, WA 98168
TO SIGN UP: CALL (509) 545-8297, (888) 600-8297, OR E-MAIL: wactjtc@yahoo.com
Local 174 update:
Freight Update
In the white paper freight division the Oak Harbor saga continues. While our members are back to work and the NLRB has ruled that many of our charges have merit, resolution to these charges still could take a while. At time of print, the NLRB is scheduled to have their day in court with Oak Harbor, on our behalf, in late June. The company may come to Local 174 and try to settle some of the outstanding issues before June, but we do not anticipate that being the case.
The bad economy has probably hit Peninsula Truck Lines as hard, if not harder, than any company Local 174 represents. The members have made some hard decisions and some huge sacrifices to help keep this company going. Hopefully, 2010 brings the company additional freight volumes and revenue that keeps this company moving forward.
The members at Reddaway have faced similar challenges that other freight companies have faced over the last 2 years. Decreased volumes and a pricing war that has never been seen. It also hasn’t helped that during contract negotiations the parent company (YRC) has stated over and over that they have needed equal sacrifice from all employees to survive and has proposed that the Reddaway members under the NW agreement take more of a sacrifice than any other Reddaway employee. That offer was voted down and then the company proposed moving Union work to a non-union facility. The dates proposed by the company to make that move came and went without the movement taking place. This was only after discussions where the Union and Company agreed that that work would stay Union.
** Update** The Company submitted a proposal to the Unions on March 1, 2010 and it was voted at the Teamsters Building and throughout the NW on the weekend of March 6 & 7, 2010. The results were counted on March 8, 2010 and the offer was overwhelmingly rejected by the bargaining unit. **
The members at United Warehouse and Herche Transfer seem to be getting their hours and keeping the company moving forward. With the bad economy the company isn’t putting as much volume on trucks as they have in the past, but they still seem to be busy enough for overtime and plenty of hours. This is good news for our members as in the last round of negotiations; S/T Hicks achieved a huge victory in getting language that increased their annual maximum pension hours from 2080 to 2150.
Teamsters Training Center
DOT Hazardous Materials Training Offered
this April
There are two different sessions available:
DOT
Hazardous Materials Transportation 8 Hour
Anyone that is involved in the transportation of hazardous materials
including Supervisors, Dock Workers, Warehouse Workers, Shipping Clerks,
and Drivers should attend this course.
Topics include: Shipping Papers, Driver Pocketbook, Placards and Labels,
Segregation, ERG, and Transportation. This meets the DOT requirements
for General Awareness Training and Hazmat Security Training.
When: Saturday April 3, 2010 @ 7:00
Where: Teamsters Local 174, Tukwila, WA
DOT Hazardous Materials 40 Hour Instructor - DOT HMIT
Participants will learn how to become instructors for the Hazardous
Materials Transportation Training. The pre-requisite for this course
is the 8 Hour class.
Eligible participants include anyone that has the potential to train
hazmat employees. This includes Teamster workers, supervisors, and
safety personnel. Teamster workers may be eligible for lost wages.
Trainers are provided with a training manual that includes 1S modules
regarding Hazmat Transportation. Each module is designed to be taught
stand alone. This means the trainer can return to work and instruct
a module as part of a safety meeting. Training modules can be combined
to make anywhere from a 1 hour to an 8 hour training session.
When: Monday - Friday, April 5- 9,2010 @·7:00
Where: Teamsters Local 174, Tukwila, WA
There is no charge for participating however space is limited! Call today to register: 1-509-545-8297. You can visit the Teamsters Training Center on line at www.teamsterstraining.org
Teamsters Training Center
NCCCO Crane Certification Small Telescopic
Test Preparation
This 2 day Teamsters Training Center seminar, scheduled
for April 1st - 2nd, is designed to prepare
the participant to take the NCCCO 90 question core exam and the 26 question
Small Telescopic specialty exam. Participants should be familiar with
Small Telescopic Cranes and should have the ability to pass the Small
Telescopic Practical exam at a later date. You can download the Registration
Form here