No. There are no immediate cuts to any pensions.
Jan. 5, 2015 | The IBT has compiled a list of frequently asked questions about how the omnibus spending bill could affect you and your family. The big question: “Will my pension check be reduced?” Answer: No. The legislation does not mandate pension cuts. And for those funds that might seek to implement pension cuts, there are a number of procedural steps that have to be followed before they can do so. Learn more here.
Port strikes mirror Organized Labor's roots
Jan. 8, 2015 | Port truckers in California walked off the job in November to protest their dismal working conditions. Required to lease trucks while paying insurance and maintenance costs, drivers often earn less than minimum wage… While their plight hasn't commanded the widespread attention that 19th century strikes did, port workers might be the key to restoring basic labor rights for all Americans. Learn more here. Related: Agreement between Los Angeles, Long Beach port truck drivers, Carson firm allows Teamsters to enter negotiations.
ObamaCare and Bargaining: Local Union leaders seek answers to tough questions
Jan. 10, 2015 | The Affordable Care Act (ACA) – commonly referred to as ObamaCare – and our union members' healthcare plans have recently become a major issue for union negotiators bargaining successor contracts. Officers and trustees of the six local unions comprising Teamsters Joint Council 62 recently spent the better part of a weekend reviewing and discussing specific sections and requirements of the extremely complex healthcare law, as it pertains to employer plans and Taft-Hartley Benefit Plans. Some of the troublesome ACA provisions become effective this year. Information about how the provisions apply is complicated and, in some cases, may conflict with provisions of current plans. Continue reading here.
A new contract is in place at Amports
Jan. 13, 2015 | At a ratification meeting held last night, members employed at auto processor, Amports, located in Baltimore, approved a successor contract that provides significant wage increases, improved funeral leave language, and adds a new retirement savings plan, the GCC-IBT Inter Local Pension Plan, a 501c plan funded solely through tax-deductible participant payroll deductions. In a addition, the agreement calls for a streamlined process by which employees classified as "casual" can move to permanent employee status after working 125 shifts within a six-month period. Continue reading here.
Hoffa to members: A new day for our great union
Jan. 14, 2015 | "Today, the Teamsters Union and the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York filled an application with Chief Judge Loretta Preska requesting that she approve an agreement to end decades of government oversight over the Teamsters Union. We anticipate that she will approve the agreememt. This is an historic day for our Teamsters. After decades of hard work and millions of dollars spent, we can finally say that corrupt elements have been driven from the Teamsters and that the government oversight can come to an end." Read General President Jim Hoffa's entire statement on the agreement to end the consent decree, or watch his video statement.
Matheson Gas workers in Jessup, Md. vote to join Local 355
Jan. 15, 2015 | Following a two-month organizing campaign, drivers and fillers employed at Matheson Gas in Jessup, Md., voted yesterday to be represented by Local 355. Their Yes votes were for dignity and respect in the workplace. "The primary issue for the twelve employees is the way they are treated," said Business Agent Chip Elgert. "They had to fight for vacation and paid days off that they were already entitled to. Patterns of unjust discipline was also an issue that sent these workers to us." Local 355 also represents Matheson employees on the Eastern Shore. Drivers deliver compressed gases and propane to various industries including construction and hospitals.
Sign our petition in support of amendment to overturn Citizens United
Jan. 19, 2015 | Wednesday, January 21st marks the 5-year anniversary of Citizens United. In the five years since the decision was handed down, spending by outside groups has increased by over 500%. Most of the new outside money, over 70% of it, goes to support anti-worker candidates backed by big corporations and billionaire plutocrats like the Koch Brothers. The only way the law can now be changed is through a constitutional amendment. Please sign our petition today in support of an amendment to overturn this anti-democratic ruling that has shifted control of our elections from the will of the people to the wallets of the super rich.
No time to waste in letting public, lawmakers know about Fast Track
Jan. 27, 2015 | The Teamsters and our fair-trade friends have seen the damage fast track and bad trade deals like the TPP can do… With Congress set to consider fast track soon, there is no time to waste in letting both the public and elected officials know about the dangers of unfair trade. Less jobs, lower pay, less worker protection and unsafe food and products isn't good for anyone – except big business. Read General President Jim Hoffa's guest column here.
Leaked memo: YRC seeks to outsource unprofitable runs
Jan. 29, 2015 | YRC Freight is looking to increase its use of purchased transportation to increase its profitability, according to a leaked internal memo. A Dec. 18, 2014, memo obtained by the Kansas City Business Journal, details a change-of-operations request to the Teamsters that would allow the company to increase its use of interline carriers – third-party transportation providers – in areas currently served by YRW employees. …No YRC employees will be laid off as a direct result of the change of operations. Full story here.
|