LOCAL 118
RETIREE CHAPTER
== N E W S B U L L E T I N S ==
The Teamsters’’Drive Up Standards’’ campaign to organize private school bus and transit workers nationwide has reached a major milestone, organizing 20,000 FirstGroup workers since the campaign began in 2006. Check out the 'Drive Up Standards' web site's new look!
First Student Drivers In Minnesota Vote To Join Teamsters
10/15/2009 - 3:28pm
First Student drivers in Minnesota have again voted to have the Teamsters Union represent them. The latest victory occurred on Tuesday, when First Student workers in Wayzata voted to join Teamsters Local 638.
Durham Workers In New Jersey Choose Teamsters Union
10/09/2009 - 6:54pm
School bus drivers and aides with Durham School Services in Tinton Falls, N.J., have taken a major step toward gaining fair treatment and respect on the job, voting today to join Teamsters Local 469 in Hazlet, N.J.
Ohio First Transit Drivers Choose Teamsters
07/22/2009 - 8:19am
First Transit in Xenia, Ohio who provides transportation services for people with mental and physical disabilities have voted to join the Teamsters.
October 15, 2009
In votes counted today, some 1,000 YRC dock workers again rejected the concession proposal, and by a larger margin than in August. The rejection among dock workers was by a vote of 486-242.
Source: Teamsters on line
Apr 17, 2006 --Source: "Tom Curtin"
UPS has renamed the recently purchased Overnite Transportation "UPS Freight," and the Teamsters Union is launching an effort to bring its nearly 15,000 employees into the Teamster family. As part of the member mobilization and education drive, freight and UPS Teamsters are being asked to speak with UPS Freight workers about the benefits of working under a Teamster contract. Those benefits include a strong voice on the job and maintaining gold-standard wages and benefits by raising density at UPS-the largest Teamster employer with more than 200,000 union members. "The nearly 15,000 employees at UPS Freight-the former Overnite- deserve the same strong voice and strong representation that the Teamsters provide to workers at UPS," said Jim Hoffa, Teamsters General President. "With our members' help, we will make that happen." "Our members' involvement is vital because they know firsthand the benefits of being in the union," said Ken Hall, Director of the Parcel and Small Package Division. "Our members at UPS, our freight members and others, are on the front lines in this effort to educate UPS Freight workers." "Our members have struggled to achieve justice at Overnite," said Tyson Johnson, Director of the Teamsters Freight Division. "This effort is a new chapter in that struggle and we will succeed." UPS bought Overnite last year for $1.25 billion. UPS Freight workers' new uniforms and branded trucks will begin appearing May 1. The rebranding of Overnite's facilities and fleet, which includes 22,000 trailers, will occur over the next several years.
April 13, 2006 --Source: IBT
(Washington, D.C.) –– In another blow to workers everywhere, the Bush administration signed the U.S.-Peru Free Trade Agreement, a substandard deal with no worker protections that will continue the trend of shipping good, American jobs overseas.
““Congress can make sure this bad trade deal never sees the light of day, and the Teamsters will do everything in our power to ensure that happens,”” said Jim Hoffa, General President of the Teamsters Union.
In this agreement, the Bush administration has blatantly disregarded the issues that have plagued the past trade agreements——core labor standards. Despite the president of Peru publicly stating he would include International Labor Organization labor standards in any trade agreement with the United States, the Bush administration inexplicably chose to exclude them, mirroring the failed NAFTA and CAFTA models.
““If the global economy is to truly benefit workers and economies, there must be real and enforceable mechanisms in our trade agreements to ensure the basic rights of workers,”” Hoffa said. ““Without such mechanisms, these trade agreements will only lead to more job loss, weaker critical regulations, and repercussions that will affect economies and workers everywhere. If Peru is ready to move forward on workers rights, why isn’’t our government as enlightened?””
April 10, 2006 --Source: IBT
(Washington, D.C.) –– At Saturday’’s meeting of the National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL), the Teamsters won significant victories by passing a resolution in support of increasing the minimum wage and coming just two votes short of passing a resolution on the Employee Free Choice Act.
Despite Friday’’s strong 9-1 vote of the Labor Committee the big business lobby mounted a heavy last-minute effort. The Teamsters Union held strong to fight for what is right for working men and women in our country.
““Today workers in our country were dealt both victory and defeat,”” said Missouri State Representative Tim Meadows, a 30-year Teamster who was first elected to office in 2004. ““While we were able pass the minimum wage resolution, it is clear by Big Business’’s efforts against EFCA that they want to keep workers’’ very basic rights from being protected in the workplace.””
The freedom to form unions has been shown to benefit society as a whole in the form of reduced inequality, higher wages and increased purchasing power for union and non-union members alike, reduced gender gap, greater access to healthcare and pensions, lower poverty rates, and higher voter participation. The Teamsters stand committed to workers’’ access to their very basic rights and will continue to fight to make sure these rights are preserved, promoted, and protected.
April 10, 2006 --Source: IBT
(Washington, D.C.) –– A recent statistical poll of UPS Teamsters shows that they have major concerns about health care and retirement security and support the union urging UPS to enter into negotiations earlier than normal in advance of the 2008 contract expiration. By a margin of more than 3 to 1, UPS Teamsters believe that it is a good idea for the Teamsters to pressure UPS into early negotiations to deal with those issues. The poll of 600 UPS members had a margin of error of +/- 4 percent.
““All over the country, our UPS members have told me they want their pensions and health care protected, and they ask us what our plans are,”” said Ken Hall, Director of the Teamsters Parcel and Small Package Division. ““They know that Congress is not going to fix these problems today, so we need to fix them at the bargaining table. The members want us to take action sooner rather than later, and the poll confirms this. We will follow the poll with a mail survey of all UPS members to determine more precisely their concerns and to give every member the opportunity to tell us what they think about early negotiations.””
““Early negotiations will simply give us more time to negotiate over these difficult issues,”” Hall continued. ““Normally we start negotiations many months in advance of the contract expiration. This time we are telling UPS we want to start earlier than usual because we need a permanent fix to the complex problems of pension and health security, and these will take time to hammer out. This is important for our members to have peace of mind. Our members can’’t wait until 2008 to have solutions to these problems.””
““Early negotiations mean we have time to come up with creative solutions as our members remain protected by the existing contract,”” Hall said. ““Make no mistake, however. This will not be easy. We will have to force UPS to come to the table early to talk about these issues.””
The National Negotiating Committee voted Monday while meeting at the national grievance panel in Detroit. Now, UPS Teamsters will be asked to fill out a survey that they will receive soon in the mail. In the meantime, these issues will be discussed at future regional grievance panels and other forums around the country.
““By forcing UPS to the table early this year rather than wait until late next year or 2008, we would effectively position ourselves to fight for our members’’ retirement security and health care,”” said Jim Hoffa, Teamsters General President.
April 13, 2006 --Source: IBT
Apr 7, 2006 --Source: "Tom Curtin"
Teamsters General President Jim Hoffa testified Wednesday at a U.S.
Senate Homeland Security Committee hearing about vulnerabilities at
the nation's ports, calling on Congress to improve security by
forcing carriers to clean up their act.
"We're playing Russian roulette with our nation's security," Hoffa
said. "But no matter how high we build fences or how many Coast Guard
cutters patrol the harbors, our ports remain vulnerable when the
gates are left wide open. And that is the situation at U.S. ports
today."
As with cross-border trucking, the port issue puts the Teamsters
Union once again at the forefront of protecting the American public
by securing the nation's points of entry. And, also like the cross
border issue, the Teamsters are prepared to stay in this fight as
long as it takes.
More than 100,000 port drivers are classified as independent
contractors and operate under the radar as a threat to national
security, Hoffa said.
"They are susceptible, knowingly or not, to people who would harm our
country. They are in a position to smuggle contraband-or God forbid,
a weapon of mass destruction," he said.
Hoffa also took a stand against foreign operators controlling U.S.
ports, as the Bush administration tried to do by turning over the
keys to a Dubai company owned by the United Arab Emirates. Under
Hoffa's leadership, the Teamsters Union successfully led opposition
to the Bush administration's approval of the sale.
"We believe that American ports should be run by Americans," Hoffa
said at the hearing. "We believe port security should be managed by
Americans. We believe, as it stands now, America's ports are
dangerously vulnerable. And we believe something can and should be
done about it."
America's security is tied to port security.
"The system we have now is bad for our ports and bad for America,"
Hoffa said. "Once Congress forces the industry to clean up its act, you will have a workforce that can pass background checks. A
workforce that will be trained, efficient and productive. A workforce
that will be the eyes and ears of our ports-one that will make
America more secure."
Apr 2006
Wage, Benefit Increases for 500 Members of Local 82
Last week, a strong majority of workers at the Boston Convention
Center ratified a new three-year contract. Negotiated by Local
82 in Boston, the agreement raises wages and benefits for
approximately 500 workers at the convention center.
"This is a great contract, one of the best we've negotiated,"
said John Perry, Trade Show Division Director and Local 82
President. "The contract improves the things that most matter to
Local 82 members: wages, health care and pensions."
Retroactive to April 1, 2006, the new contract improves wages
and benefits by $5.67 an hour over its three-year term. The
wage and benefit improvements include a $1 hourly wage increase
each year, plus hourly health and welfare and pension plans
increases of 82 cents, 89 cents and 97 cents during the first,
second and third years.
The contract also improves vacation language and secures an
additional shop steward to help represent the workers' interests
at the workplace. The workers' eight-hour schedules changed from
beginning exclusively at 8 a.m. to beginning between 7 a.m. and
8 a.m.
Local 82 members perform all work, except electrical, at the
convention center. The bargaining unit includes truck drivers,
forklift drivers, rigging workers, warehouse workers, set-up
workers and general laborers.
"We were successful in securing a contract we could be proud
of," Perry said. "We gave nothing back and strengthened workers'
positions everywhere."
February 7, 2006
(Washington, DC) –– In response to a growing international campaign by students, labor and other groups protesting human rights violations at Coca-Cola bottling facilities in Colombia and around the world, delegates to the Teamsters Brewery and Soft Drink Workers Conference unanimously endorsed a resolution today authorizing its leadership to seek a just resolution of this dispute between the Coca-Cola Company [NYSE: KO] and student, labor and human rights groups.
In the United States, student protests have led to universities such as Rutgers and the University of Michigan to cancel lucrative contracts for Coca-Cola products. More colleges and universities are likely to follow.
““Coca-Cola’’s refusal to take the students seriously is having a direct impact on the company, its reputation and the Teamsters who service university contracts,”” said Joe Wojciechowski, President of Teamsters Local 812, which represents nearly 2,000 Coca-Cola workers in New York.
““Our union brothers and sisters at Coca-Cola bottling facilities in Colombia have been threatened, kidnapped, tortured and murdered,”” said Jim Hoffa, Teamsters General President. ““It’’s long past time for Coca-Cola to negotiate a global human rights agreement that will protect the rights and safety of workers who produce, package and distribute Coca-Cola products.””
Conference Director and Teamster International Vice President, Jack Cipriani, said Coca-Cola’’s labor abuses in the United States includes harassment, intimidation, discrimination and retaliation at CCE facilities as well as at Odwalla and Minute Maid operations——both wholly owned by the Coca-Cola Company.
After the resolution was passed, delegates heard from Katishi Masemola, General Secretary of the Food and Allied Workers Union (FAWU), which represents approximately 6,000 Coca-Cola workers at three bottling plants in South Africa. ““Our members in South Africa support you in your demand that Coca-Cola institute a human rights policy,”” Katishi said. ””No worker should have to endure the abuse that our fellow workers in Columbia have had. We look forward to working with the Teamsters Brewery and Soft Drink Conference towards concrete solutions to these human rights indignities.””
In an effort to reach out to the students who are spearheading campus protests against Coca-Cola, Teamsters will address a national meeting of the United Students Against Sweatshops later this week.
February 2, 2006
(Washington, DC) ––In the latest of a series of decisions exposing FedEx Ground’’s driver misclassification tactics, The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) has ruled that 23 FedEx drivers in Northboro, Massachusetts, are employees and not, as FedEx wrongly contends, independent contractors.
The drivers who work for FedEx Home Delivery (FHD), a division of FedEx Ground, are seeking union representation from Teamsters Local 170 in Worcester, Massachusetts. The decision clears the way for the workers to hold an election in the next month. The ruling is yet another big setback for the company, which has been misclassifying drivers to avoid paying taxes and overtime, and to prevent workers from forming a union.
““This decision sends a clear message to FedEx Ground——stop misclassifying your workers to fatten your bottom line,”” said Teamsters General President Jim Hoffa. ““These workers deserve health and welfare benefits, competitive wages and a voice in the workplace.””
The ruling follows on the heels similar findings by the NLRB over the last two years. The NLRB rulings also align with a California judge’’s decision from 2004 which ruled in that FedEx single-route drivers in that state were employees and directed the company to reclassify the works by April 2006.
““Government agencies are finally taking notice of FedEx Ground’’s tactics,”” said Ken Hall, Director of the Teamsters Small Package and Parcel Division. ““Until FedEx is stopped, it will continue to profit at the expense of these workers and all taxpayers.””
Massachusetts Attorney General Tom Reilly has opened an investigation into FedEx’’s use of independent contractors and has taken notice of the ruling.
Founded in 1903, the Teamsters Union represents more than 1.4 million hardworking men and women in the United States and Canada.
Click here to visit the Teamsters FedEx Watch web site.
Ex-Employees Should Receive Money Soon
February 1, 2006
The U.S. District Court in Philadelphia has approved the Teamsters’’ $7 million settlement with USF Corp. over the closure of USF Red Star, which will result in payments to the nearly 1,600 union members who lost their jobs.
““Soon our ex-members at Red Star will receive some payment, which is good news,”” said Jim Hoffa, Teamsters General President. ““However, this won’’t make up for the losses these workers suffered when the company failed to give the proper notification.””
Some of the Red Star workers, who lost their jobs in May 2004 following the closure, have since been hired at USF Holland or at other freight companies.
After the closure, the union filed a complaint in U.S. District Court in Philadelphia against USF Corporation, USF Red Star, and USF Holland arguing that Red Star closed without giving the 60-day notice required by the Worker Adjustment Retraining Notification Act (WARN). Also, the union argued, USF Corporation and its affiliated companies engaged in an unlawful scheme to evade Red Star’’s obligation to bargain about the decision to close in order to shut down and replace Red Star with USF Holland. In addition to the lawsuit, the union filed NLRB charges against USF.
The settlement resolves both the court case and NLRB charges:
Teamster-represented workers at the terminals with 50 or more employees, as required by the WARN Act, will receive a pro rata share of $6.6 million based on their W-2 earnings for 2003. This will result in a payment for these employees of a minimum $3,200 each. (Under the WARN Act, employees at terminals with less than 50 employees are not eligible for relief.).
Teamster-represented workers at the Red Star terminals with fewer than 50 employees will receive approximately $1,000 for the breach of contract claims in the court case.
The court reduced the fees paid to the non-Teamster retained attorneys from 33 percent to 25 percent.
Official Statement Of Teamsters General President Jim Hoffa
January 31, 2006
With the passing of Coretta Scott King, our nation has lost one of America’’s true crusaders for equality and justice. Our union mourns her death, and will continue to strive to uphold the values she so courageously championed through volatile times in our nation’’s history.
Her vision excluded no man, woman or child, regardless of their race or religious beliefs. Hers was a voice of reason, demanding tolerance and acceptance, in a society that often lacks both. While her husband will be forever remembered for his contributions to the civil rights movement, Mrs. King’’s accomplishments stand on their own merit, securing her place among those who have changed the course of American history.
Mrs. King continued to stand with Teamster members in their fights for fairness and dignity on the job until her passing. I am proud to have marched with her as my father marched with her husband. We are forever grateful for her leadership on behalf of all working people.
Union members everywhere have learned from her example and heed her words:
"When you are willing to make sacrifices for a great cause, you will never be alone.”” –– Coretta Scott King
Posted on Wed, Jan. 04, 2006
By RANDOLPH HEASTER
The Kansas City Star
The country’’s largest trucking company is giving up a bit of its colorful past.
Yellow Roadway Corp., the Overland Park-based trucking giant that has expanded markedly the past two years, has changed its name to YRC Worldwide Inc.
Bill Zollars, YRC’’s chairman and chief executive, said the name change better indicates the company’’s variety of enterprises in more than 70 countries, from trucking to logistics. In 2005, for example, the company bought half of a freight-forwarding firm in China in efforts to expand in that country’’s fast-growing economy.
““Our new name, YRC Worldwide, better reflects the reality of what our enterprise is today,”” he said. ““Our aspirations for the future remain consistent with our core purpose: Making global commerce work by connecting people, places and information.””
Meridian IQ, the company’’s logistics unit, is its quickest-growing subsidiary and arranges shipments in North America, Asia, Europe and South America.
The company’’s ticker symbol will change to YRCW today from the previous YELL on the Nasdaq Stock Market.
YRC is now about three times bigger than it was in 2003 prior to Yellow Corp.’’s acquisition of its biggest rival, Roadway Corp. Since then, the company also has bought USF Corp., which has made the company a leading regional trucking operation.
YRC has been forecasting fourth-quarter earnings of $1.30 to $1.35 a share and $5.18 to $5.23 a share for 2005. The company is scheduled to report its financial results after the market’’s close Jan. 26. Shares closed Tuesday at 45.74, up $1.13.
Along with the name change, YRC has changed its web address to yrcw.com.
First glance
|| The company’’s stock will begin trading under the ticker symbol YRCW today.
|| Its Web address has changed to yrcw.com.
(Mar. 1, 2005)
OVERLAND PARK, Kan. -- Consolidation continues in the U.S. LTL market as one of the world's largest carriers announced it plans on getting much bigger. Overland Park, Kan. based-Yellow Roadway Corp. says it has agreed to buy USF Corp. for $1.37 billion. USF Corp. is the holding firm for a $2.4 billion group of companies specializing in regional and national LTL freight transportation, premium truckload freight, and distribution and logistics. Its carriers moved more than 20 billion pounds of freight last year, reaching points all over the U.S., Mexico and Canada. Yellow -- which almost doubled in size when it acquired rival Roadway Corp. in a blockbuster deal in late 2003 -- is expected to fork over $639 million in cash, with the remainder to be paid with Yellow's common stock. The deal is said to strengthen the carrier's firm grip in regional and next-day service, while also expanding national and international operations. The acquisition -- which was unanimously approved by the boards of both companies on Sunday and expected to close this summer -- also requires Yellow to assume about $99 million in USF debt. In a joint statement, the companies said the transaction would have annual revenue in excess of $9 billion, with over 70,000 employees and 1,000 service locations. The combined companies will offer a broad range of transportation services including next day, inter-regional, national and international capabilities. The deal is also expected to result in savings of about $40 million in the first year and long-term savings of at least $150 million. While labour issues are still being worked out, the following executives will lead company divisions and report directly to Bill Zollars, chairman, president and CEO of Yellow Roadway: -- Jim Staley, current president of the Roadway Group, will become president of the Yellow Roadway regional companies which will include New Penn Motor Express, USF Holland, USF Reddaway, USF Dugan and USF Bestway. Staley will also be responsible for the truckload unit of USF, Glen Moore. --Bob Stull, who currently reports to Jim Staley as president of Roadway Express, will continue in that role and report directly to Zollars. --James Welch, president of Yellow Transportation, will continue in that role, while Jim Ritchie will continue as president of Meridian IQ, the logistics unit of Yellow Roadway, which will include the operations of USF Logistics. -- Mike Smid will remain as president of Yellow Roadway Enterprise Services and chief integration officer. In a conference call with media, Zollars compared the similarities between this deal and the Roadway merger. However, there is virtually no customer overlap between Yellow and USF, as was the case with Yellow and Roadway, Associated Press reports Zollars as saying. The acquisition further consolidates the unionized LTL sector of the U.S. trucking industry, which was once dominated by the International Brotherhood of Teamsters. The Teamsters, which issued a brief release noting their concern over a possible merger last week, posted a release that said it will do everything it can to protect the job security of its members. ““Our members at both companies can rest assured that we will do everything it takes to protect their job security and their livelihoods. We will carefully monitor the pending deal and do our own analysis so that our members’’ interests are protected,”” said Teamster President Jim Hoffa in a statement.
March 1, 2005
Teamsters Freight Division Wins $5 Million
Red Star Settlement
Former Employees to Receive Back Wages, Benefits
Approximately 1,500 former Teamster employees of USF Red Star, which closed in May 2004, will share nearly $5 million as part of a settlement with USF Corporation over numerous issues.
The company recently agreed to the settlement after the Teamsters Union filed numerous grievances on behalf of former employees. Because various supplemental agreements were involved in the settlement, the issues varied. Some grievances involved workers who were denied vacation pay, while others involved unpaid personal time off.
““The workers will share the $5 million in wages and benefits that they were denied,”” said Dan Virtue, the Teamsters Eastern Region Freight Director. ““It was bad enough that USF shut down Red Star without the proper notice. Then they denied these workers wages and benefits owed to them. We’’re pleased that the company finally recognized their unjust actions.””
The Teamsters Union is still negotiating a settlement over unpaid sick days and unpaid holiday time.
February 26, 2005
Local 786 Member Awarded $95,000 in Back Pay, Benefits
Local 786 member Frederick Totten won more than $95,000 in back pay, health and welfare and pension benefits after the union fought his dismissal. Totten, a ready-mix truck driver for Prairie Material Sales Company, received the award six months after his wrongful termination.
““This is a huge win for Local 786,”” said Lou Mazzei, the local's President. ““I’’m pleased that the arbitrator agreed with us.””
Prairie unjustly terminated Totten for allegedly not calling in to work. The company alleged that it was a rule of conduct for a worker to be discharged if the worker refused to show up or call off for an assigned start time.
Local 786 successfully defended the member by arguing that the company lacked credibility in the statement that Totten refused to show up.
First, Totten was not aware that he was scheduled for work. Second, the member’’s not calling in to work should be characterized as negligence and not a willful violation or refusal to do his job.
The arbitrator agreed with the union, determined that the member had not engage in misconduct and ordered his reinstatement.
In the ruling, Totten received $75,799 in wages, $14,150 in welfare benefits and $5,920 in pension benefits. Because the Teamsters union represented Totten, he was able to keep all of the money, as opposed to hiring an attorney who would have taken a portion of the money for fees.
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