June 2011
RSS Content
- Day Three: Fighting for our Communities, Our Jobs and Our Future
- Teamsters Convention Day Two: Organizing, Organizing, Organizing
- Teamsters Open 28th International Convention
- The Teamsters Are In the building
- Study Shows Why NLRB Election Rule Changes Needed
- Get the Facts on the proposed NLRB Rule Changes
- Seattle UPS Members Hold Solidarity Rally
- WA Teamsters Welfare Trust Re-Enrollment Deadline Extended to July 15, 2011
- Teamsters Local 174 Mourns Death Of Justin Schmidt
- Teamsters File Grievance to Halt YRCW Outsourcing of Clerical Work
- Teamsters AGC Training Video
- Want better economy? Fill skills gap
- Teamster grocery workers gear up for battle
- More arrests as UW’s Sodexo protests continue Posted June 4, 2011
- Tornado Victims Face Massive Cleanup
- Archived News Stories
The 2011 IBT Convention:
Posted: Wednesday, June 29, 2011
Source: Teamster.org
Teamsters who suffered tragedies in the past year – their loved ones murdered in Hartford, their homes lost in the Joplin tornado – will receive donations from their brothers and sisters from the passing of the hat at the 28th Convention on Wednesday.
International Vice President Gordon Sweeton is from Joplin, Mo., where on May 22, at 5:41pm a F-5 tornado destroyed over half the city. The tornado was three-quarters of a mile wide and stayed on the ground for thirteen miles. The tornado went directly through the center of Joplin leaving a death toll of 159 people in its wake. Our Teamster sister, Heather Leigh Terry, was one of the victims.
Politics will be a feature of Day Three, as Teamsters recount their involvement in some of our successes over the past five years. Ed Slater, a member of Local 107 in Pennsylvania, plans to discuss the Teamsters Working Class Convoy for Change, which helped elect President Obama in 2008. Steve Vairma, principal officer of Local 455 in Colorado, will talk about the successful campaign to defeat a right-to-work ballot measure to destroy unions.
Kevin Moore, principal officer of Local 299 in Detroit, will describe how Teamsters from across the country stood together to save carhaul jobs. The Teamsters long fight to stand up to Wall Street and save 30,000 jobs at YRC will be discussed by Ernie Soehl, Eastern Region Coordinator of the Freight Division, and Carl Barelli, chief steward at USF Holland and a 30-year member of Local 41 in Kansas City.
Frank Sevilla, business agent of Teamsters Local 952, will tell the assembled crowd about the importance of capital strategies to protecting jobs and contract standards for Teamster members at Coca-Cola. Dave Laughton, director of the Beverage Division, will describe how Teamsters fight beverage companies' war on their workers with good strong contracts.
Dave LaBorde, a Teamsters international representative, will discuss how the Building Material and Construction Trade Division has helped locals organize workers in thousands of good-paying pipeline jobs.
The 2011 IBT Convention:
Day Two: Organizing, Organizing, Organizing
Source: Teamster.org
If there was one takeaway from Monday's session, it was that the recent assault on workers wasn't going to fade away.
"Their greed knows no end," said Bob Bouvier, president of Teamsters Canada. The war on workers he said, is not just in the U.S., it's not just in Canada, it's not just in Puerto Rico, it's around the world.
"They're not going to get us, we're going to get them," he said.
And so a resolution to Stop the War on Workers was passed unanimously.
International Vice President Tyson Johnson gave a no-nonsense account of the dangers in opening the border to dangerous Mexican trucks. Mario Leva, a shop steward with Local 745, described the dangers of Mexico's violent drug cartels across the border from his home in El Paso. A resolution opposing the latest pilot program to open the border to Mexican trucks won unanimous support. So did a resolution to support public workers.
The Teamsters enthusiastically supported a resolution to "continue to fight and to lobby against any trade agreement that does not increase jobs in the U.S. and protect workers' rights." And following speeches on right-to-work bills to destroy unions, Teamsters endorsed a resolution that opposing right to work "should remain a paramount priority for the Teamsters Union, working families, and allies throughout the country as to ensure that a strong and vibrant American middle class continues."
Thousands Of Delegates Resolve To Rebuild Middle Class
Teamsters Open 28th International Convention
Posted: Tuesday, June 28, 2011
Source: Teamster.org
(LAS VEGAS) – The International Brotherhood of Teamsters opened their 28th International Convention today with plenty of noise and a new resolve to stand up for the American Dream.
Teamsters General President Jim Hoffa announced the Teamsters had organized 135,000 new members in the past five years since their last convention – more than any other labor union in North America. Hours later, he announced that more than 3,000 Republic Airways pilots had just voted to join or remain with the Teamsters by a margin of 2-to-1.
"This is how we fight back – we organize," Hoffa said.
Teamsters International General Secretary-Treasurer Tom Keegel also set the tone early in the day with a vow: "There's no way they're going to bust us or take us down because it ain't gonna happen."
The convention opened in grand style, living up to its theme of "Vision, Solidarity, Action." Delegates and guests were treated to a raucous tribute to the union that included images and video that were both current and historic. Members celebrated their role in the fight for workers' rights as drummers, dancers and Harley Davidson motorcycles revved up the opening ceremony.
International Vice President At Large and President of Joint Council 42 Randy Cammack gaveled the convention to order and starting the first day of the 28th International Convention. The theme of the convention's first day was, "Stop the War on Workers," from attacks by extremist politicians, bad trade deals and policies that undermine the middle class.
Delegates passed resolutions to support public workers, to oppose job-killing trade deals, to keep the border closed to dangerous Mexican trucks; to fight against right-to-work bills to destroy unions; and to stop the war on workers.
Teamster delegates unanimously resolved, "that the Teamsters Union will take the opportunity of this 28th International Convention to strengthen the unity and solidarity within our ranks and with all those who are committed to fighting and defeating the War on Workers, as the only effective way to victory."
The Teamsters, their families and their guests heard from some of the central players in the battleground states over the past six months. Indiana Assembly Minority Leader Patrick Bauer thanked the Teamsters for organizing five weeks of protests in Indianapolis.
Retired Teamster Dave Hansen, fighting for his state Senate seat in Wisconsin, said in a video greeting that the war against workers wasn't just about unions. "This is truly about the middle class," Hansen said.
Tom Morello, guitarist for "Rage Against the Machine" who also tours solo as "The Nightwatchman," led the crowd in "This Land is Your Land." Morello is a true trade unionist and has shown his unwavering support at protests in Wisconsin and Los Angeles this past year. "It's up to us to turn the tide, not just to stop a few bad pieces of legislation," Morello said.
Charlie Andrew, member and PAC Chairman for Teamsters Local 407 in Cleveland, said the Teamsters and their allies would kill SB 5, a new Ohio law that strips collective bargaining rights for government workers, in a November referendum.
"The public understands that unions are the only shot the middle class has," Andrew said.
According to the Teamster Constitution, the International Convention, which is held every five years, is the supreme policy-making body of the union with the power and authority to modify the Constitution, establish programs, address fiscal issues and set priorities. This week, delegates will consider a number of constitutional measures and resolutions. Delegates also have the important task of nominating candidates for the International offices of General President, General Secretary-Treasurer, Vice President and Trustees.
Founded in 1903, the International Brotherhood of Teamsters represents more than 1.4 million hard-working men and women in the United States, Canada and Puerto Rico. Go to www.teamster.org for more information.
The Teamsters are in the building 
Posted June 27, 2011
Source: Teamster Nation
It's hard to get noticed in Las Vegas, but several thousand Teamsters, their families and guests are managing to do it. Proud Teamsters in their Teamster gear paraded through hotels, met in conference rooms and rehearsed their appearances on the grand and glitzy stage. Outside the Paris Hotel, tourists took photos of Teamsters posing in front of the gleaming red-white-and-blue Teamster semi-tractor trailer from Joint Council 42.
Teamsters from all over the United States, Canada and Puerto Rico are gathering today for the first time in five years. Day One's agenda of the 28th annual IBT convention is focusing on the War on Workers, combining solemnity with fervor, formality with music, world-renowned celebrities and rank-and-file Teamsters.
General-Secretary Treasurer Tom Keegel -- aptly introduced as "a Teamster's Teamster" -- said the war on workers is going full blast. Keegel set the tone with his vow:
There's no way they're going to bust us or take us down because it ain't gonna happen.The morning began with a rock 'em, sock'em, opening: an ear-splitting drum tattoo, a throng of protesters waving "Stop the War on Workers signs, "We Won't Get Fooled Again," and yes, a dozen Harleys roaring through the enormous hall.
Study Shows Why NLRB Election Rule Changes Needed
Posted: June 27, 2011
Source: AFL-CIO Now Blog
Here are some key reasons the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) should level the playing field when workers are deciding whether to form a union. Employers’ anti-union campaigns begin much earlier than expected and continue all the way up to election. In fact, a new study found that almost half (47 percent) of serious unfair labor practices allegations are reported before a petition is even filed.
Interrogation and surveillance are especially concentrated in the weeks before the petition is filed, and continue unabated all the way up to the election date, according to the study. Dorian Warren, assistant professor in Columbia University’s department of political science, and co-author of the study, said:
Our findings make a strong empirical argument for streamlining the NLRB certification process to reduce the period between the petition and the election as much as possible.
The study found, for example:
- In 89 percent of all campaigns surveyed, employers require workers to attend captive audience meetings with top management during work time.
- The majority of employees attend at least five of these during the course of a campaign.
- In 66 percent of campaigns workers are required to meet alone with their supervisors at least weekly, where most threats and interrogations occur.
- Workers are threatened with plant closings in 57 percent of campaigns and with loss of wages and benefits in 47 percent.
- In 64 percent of campaigns workers are interrogated about how they and other workers are going to vote, mostly by supervisors (53 percent), while employers use surveillance in 14 percent of elections.
Co-author Kate Bronfenbrenner, director of Cornell University’s Office of Labor Education Research, said:
This opposition to unions is constant and cumulative. Legal tactics, such as supervisor one-on-ones and captive audience meetings are interwoven with serious ULP violations. Streamlining the process matters because for workers each week that goes by is another week of threats, interrogation, harassment, discharges, and surveillance.
The study was published as part of the Working Paper Series of Columbia’s Institute for Social and Economic Research and Policy (ISERP).
Get the Facts on the proposed NLRB Rule Changes
Posted June 22, 2011
Source: AFL-CIO
The media is being flooded with disinformation regarding the NLRB. Much of this is coming from corporate sources bent on destroying the NLRB's role to protect and oversee the workplace. It is crucial that the public understand what is at stake.
The NLRB's Notice of Proposed Rule Making revises the representation process by removing unfair obstacles so that workers who petition for a vote on whether to form a union can have a vote. The changes in the proposed rule are aimed at ensuring a fair process by cleaning up and modernizing a system paralyzed by delays, bureaucracy, and wasteful litigation. The proposed process is more uniform, transparent, predictable and efficient.
For a detailed breakdown of what this all means, please click here.
Seattle UPS Members Hold Solidarity Rally
Posted June 21, 2011During the past year, UPS management has increased their harassment and intimidation of drivers nationwide in an attempt to increase production to unrealistic levels. Here locally, numerous supervised production rides, followed by disciplinary letters, has been the tactic used in an attempt to bully Local 174 members into submission.
On May 28, 2011, Package Division Chairman and International Vice President Ken Hall led Teamster Locals across the country in a National Day of Action, asking members to participate in a show of solidarity by wearing a sticker conveying our dissatisfaction with management's tactics. It was also intended to send a clear message to UPS that this issue cannot continue to fester for two years until the next contract; the Teamsters demand that the Company address these issues today!
While the day of action had a clear affect on Local management; Corporate UPS has ignored our cries for JUSTICE! Local 174 along with several other Local Unions on the West Coast decided to continue to apply pressure on the Company and ramp up our efforts to gain the respect our members deserve.
On June 17, 2011, Local 174 Secretary Treasurer Rick Hicks led the members at UPS's Seattle Hub in a Solidarity Rally, attended by most of the Seattle Drivers and many part-time employees. Secretary Treasurer Hicks stressed the importance of this fight to those in attendance and to reinforce the message he has sent to the Company that Local 174 will not tolerate the disrespect shown our members. Secretary Treasurer Hicks conveyed a message of encouragement from Package Division Chairman and International Vice President Ken Hall.
Secretary Treasurer Hicks reminded the group that while the battle may be a long one; by sticking together as Local 174 members did in 1994 during the over 70 lb one day strike, and again during the 1997 strike we can and will win!
WA Teamsters Welfare Trust Re-Enrollment Deadline Extended to July 15, 2011
Posted June 20, 201
The Washington Teamsters Welfare Trust is requiring ALL participants to re-enroll themselves and other eligible family members in order to help ensure benefit claims are being paid accurately and efficiently. You may choose to re-enroll on the web or by mail.
YOU MUST RE-ENROLL BY JULY 15, 2011.
If you do not re-enroll by July 15, the Trust will be unable to continue processing your claims until re-enrollment has been completed. Therefore, you are strongly encouraged to re-enroll as soon as possible. When re-enrolling, please be aware it is a crime to knowingly provide false, incomplete, or misleading information for the purpose of obtaining insurance benefits. Penalties for insurance fraud may include repayment of claims, fines, denial of benefits and imprisonment.
RE-ENROLL ON THE WEB AND AVOID COMPLETING THE PAPER FORM
To re-enroll on the web:
- Register and/or login at www.nwadmin.com. (Note: Only the participant (covered employee) can complete the re-enrollment process.)
- Select Update Participant Information from the left-hand side of the screen.
- Click Edit.
- Make the appropriate changes, if any are needed, and put a check-mark in the Re-Enrollment Confirmation box at the top of the screen.
- To add a dependent click the Edit button. Scroll down to Dependent Information and click on the Add New Eligible Dependent link. Complete all required fields, then click Continue.
- To terminate a dependent, click the Edit button, Scroll down to Dependent information and click the View/Change link next to the dependent name. Enter the termination date and select a termination reason from the Term Reason field, then click Continue.
- Click Submit.
- You will be presented with a screen listing the changes made, if any, and a positive confirmation of re-enrollment.
To re-enroll by mail:
- Complete a re-enrollment or Participant Data Form. A copy of the form can be obtained by registering on the www.nwadmin.com website and going to Washington Teamsters Welfare Trust Forms and Documents.
a. For any child age 19 and under 26 you enroll who is currently a full-time student and unmarried, please indicate “Full-Time Student” in order to cover them through June 30, 2011. (If they are not currently enrolled in school full-time or are currently married, they will not be covered until July 1, 2011).
b. Be sure to list any other group insurance you or your eligible family members have.
- Sign the form.
- Return the form to Washington Teamsters Welfare Trust – 2323 Eastlake Ave E – Seattle, WA 98102.
If you have any questions, please call the Trust Administrative Office at 800-458-3053.
Teamsters Local 174 Mourns Death Of Justin Schmidt
Posted: June 15, 2011
Source: Teamster.org
Teamsters Local 174 is mourning the death of a solid waste worker who died on the job on Memorial Day.
Justin Schmidt, 31, a helper at CleanScapes, fell off the back of a garbage truck and struck his head on the pavement. It is uncertain if Schmidt suffered a health problem prior to falling.
"The Local 174 family is saddened by Justin's death and we have worked with the company to make sure his family receives as much help as possible," said Rick Hicks, Local 174 Secretary-Treasurer.
The local has worked with the company to make sure Schmidt qualified for the local's life insurance, and Schmidt's co-workers have donated more than 220 hours pay to help the family. The company has agreed to match the members' hourly donations.
In addition, the local was tremendously satisfied by the way the company handled this tragic situation, including the actions of the company to provide grief counseling to the driver involved and to the victim's brother, who also works for the company, as well as all other Local 174 members employed by the company. More than 500 people—many of them Schmidt's co-workers—attended the funeral.
"It is tragedies like these that remind us that waste workers perform one of the most dangerous jobs in the United States," said Ken Marshall, Vice President of Local 174. "Our thoughts are with Justin's family as they mourn his loss."
A fund has been established to provide further help to Schmidt's widow. Checks should be made out to "Jessica Schmidt" and sent to: Teamsters Local 174, 14675 Interurban Ave. S., Suite 303, Tukwila, WA 98168.
Teamsters File Grievance to Halt YRCW Outsourcing of Clerical Work
Posted: June 10, 2011
Source: Teamster.org
The Teamsters Union has filed a grievance to put a halt to YRC Worldwide, Inc.’s (YRCW) outsourcing of clerical work that should be done by Teamster members.
The grievance was filed on Tuesday, June 7. In addition, Teamsters General President Jim Hoffa sent a letter protesting YRCW’s actions to the company’s chief operating officer, Michael J. Smid.
It is the Teamsters’ contention that YRCW has outsourced clerical work, including billing, to India and the Philippines. Such outsourcing is contrary to the YRCW restructuring agreement that was recently approved by members.
The Teamsters Union is demanding the issue be resolved quickly and that the impacted union workers be compensated.
Teamsters AGC Training Video
Posted: June 9, 2011
Source: Mark Candee
This year I took pictures and video from two Apprentice classes I helped instruct at the Teamsters Training Center in Pasco. Feel free to forward this on to others that might find interest.
[This video is also available on our Members Video Gallery!]
Want better economy? Fill skills gap
Posted: June 9, 2011
Source: Politico
The United States faces a daunting workforce challenge. But it's also a dramatic opportunity. As our country continues its slow climb out of a recession, we're suffering from a paradox: Unemployment remains high, yet many businesses report that they can't find the workers they need.
One problem is that we have a skills gap. And it's large and growing. While millions of Americans are actively looking for work, the reality is that many lack the skills needed to fill current openings. The U.S. could be three million skilled workers short as soon as next year.
Driving this trend is the combination of a changing economy and an aging workforce. Our economy’s fasting-growing sectors include high-tech manufacturing, health care and new energy. Yet many in the skilled trades either lack these skills, or are retiring without a younger generation trained to fill their open slots.
As a result, too many Americans remain out of work and too many U.S. industries are on the brink of a skills crisis.
The good news is that tackling the skills challenge head on provides a significant opportunity for America to answer President Barack Obama’s call to “win the future” — and ensure our country has the best trained, best prepared workforce in the world.
The first step is to identify what works. Read complete source story here.
Teamster grocery workers gear up for battle
Posted: June 8, 2011
Source: Teamsters117.org
Teamsters from across our region’s grocery industry joined forces over the weekend for the first-ever Grocery Workers’ Summit to strategize and prepare for upcoming contract negotiations set to begin early this summer.
Contracts are open this year for over 1000 Teamsters at four major grocery houses – Fred Meyer, Safeway, SuperValu, and Unified Grocers.
The Summit was a powerful display of Union solidarity, with Teamsters and their families from Locals 38, 117, 174, 252, 313, and 690 in attendance, along with Union members and allies from a variety of other industries, including the bakery, food service, and aerospace industries, as well as from King County, and the Department of Corrections.
Teamster and UFCW grocery retail workers, who achieved an historic deal last year, were also on hand to lend their support.
Teamsters Local 117’s Secretary-Treasurer Tracey A. Thompson kicked off the meeting with a powerful message: “Our grocery contracts are the best in the country, and it is our objective to keep it that way,” she said. “We are ready to take on this challenge and fight to defend ourselves, our families, and our livelihoods against the ongoing attack on working families.”
“It is essential to this Union that all of the grocery houses uphold the industry standard that Teamsters have worked so hard to achieve so that no one Company has an unfair advantage,” Thompson added.
IBT Warehouse Division Director John Williams proceeded to provide some historical context to grocery bargaining in our region, especially as it relates to the advantages of multi-employer negotiations.
Steve Vairma, the IBT’s Western Region Warehouse Division Director, compared grocery contracts in different parts of the western states, while Local 117’s General Counsel Spencer Thal discussed differences in contracts locally.
Local 174 Secretary-Treasurer Rick Hicks talked about the power of Local Unions working together. “Teamsters Locals in the Joint Council are working together more closely than ever before. This partnership gives us maximum strength at the bargaining table because the employer understands that we are committed to fighting together to achieve the strongest possible contracts for all of our members,” he said.
After the meeting, Union members and their families enjoyed an old-fashioned Teamsters chowfest, compliments of our brothers and sisters at Teamsters Local 174.
"All of our labor agreements in other industries are tied to the success of our grocery contracts,” Thompson said. “Our success in grocery will have reverberations across our Union. That is why it is essential that we all unite with a common purpose.”
This summer we will be calling on all Teamsters to join members in the grocery industry in the fight to achieve fair and equitable grocery contracts. To get involved, contact Local 117 Organizer Brenda Wiest at 206-441-4860 ext. 1256 or check in at your Local Union’s website at www.teamsters117.org.
More arrests as UW’s Sodexo protests continue
Posted June 4, 2011
Posted: June 4, 2011
Source: The Stand
Student outrage is growing at University of Washington after another 14 students were arrested Wednesday night as campus protests continue over the university’s food-services contract with Sodexo, a company accused of global human rights violations. More than 50 students have been arrested at UW protests against Sodexo in the past month.
“We deeply fear for the future of our institution in which corporate excuses take precedence over the democratic will of the campus community,” said Allie Padgett, a junior who is a member of United Students Against Sweatshops. “Students and community leaders are furious that President (Phyllis) Wise is so willing to protect her relationship with Sodexo.”
The UW Kick Out Sodexo Coalition, which includes 23 campus groups, is urging the university to cancel its contract with Sodexo, a food-services company that supplies concessions at UW athletic facilities under a contract that expires in June 2012. Human Rights Watch and TransAfrica Forum have reported that Sodexo pays poverty wages, denies employee breaks, and intimidates those who seek to form unions. Read the complete source story here.
Volunteers Needed
Tornado Victims Face Massive Cleanup
Posted: June 4, 2011
Source: Teamster.org
Cleanup efforts in Joplin, Mo. continue after an F-5 tornado devastated the community on May 22.
The storm claimed the lives of 139 victims, including LeBarge Inc. employee and Local 823 member Heather Leigh Terry. Approximately 40 members from the local lost everything in the storm, while others sustained damage to their property.
Since the tornado struck, Teamsters have worked diligently with the Red Cross and FEMA to assist disaster victims. Members from Locals 823 and 245 in Springfield, Mo. will again be on hand this weekend to volunteer. Coordinating volunteer efforts is Annie Deken, a member of Local 245 and the AFL-CIO Community Services liaison with the Springfield Central Labor Council.
“We are trying to make sure that Teamsters who were affected by this are being taken care of,” Deken said. “We want to try to make a bad situation better.”
According to Deken, the cleanup process is tedious, as volunteers must first go through rubble and pick out anything that is salvageable. From there, search and rescue teams will conduct final sweeps and then rubble will be removed.
“I have a hard time wrapping my head around how the cleanup is going to work because there is just so much to go through,” Deken said. “It’s very emotionally draining, but we are trying to make the best of it.”
Teamsters interested in volunteering in Joplin should contact Deken at (417) 863-7700.
Read source story here.