General President Hoffa Says Employees Need Information About Their Rights

(WASHINGTON) – Teamsters General President Jim Hoffa today applauded the National Labor Relations Board for requiring large employers to tell their workers of their basic fundamental legal right to join a union.

The new rule, which takes effect Nov. 14, requires large companies to post an 11” by 17” poster that notifies workers of their rights under the National Labor Relations Act. Employers must already inform workers about health, safety, wage and discrimination rights.

“This is a reasonable reform that gives workers clear guidelines about their basic rights under federal labor law,” Hoffa said. “Employers have only one reason to oppose this rule: they don’t want their workers to know about their legal protections and fundamental right to organize into union.”

The requirement doesn’t apply to small mom-and-pop businesses, and it excludes agricultural, railroad and airline employers. The notice must be posted in a second language if at least 20 percent of the employees speak a language other than English.

“These days, American workers are under ferocious attack as corporations cut jobs, cut pay and cut benefits to fatten their CEOs’ compensation,” Hoffa said. “Now more than ever, workers need to know they have the right to join together to improve their working conditions.”

Founded in 1903, the Teamsters Union represents 1.4 million hardworking men and women throughout the United States, Canada and Puerto Rico. Visit www.teamster.org for more information.

Press Contact:

Galen Munroe
gmunroe@teamster.org
202-624-6911

(WASHINGTON) – Teamsters overwhelmingly approved the first-ever national agreement with the largest private provider of school bus transportation in North America, First Student Inc. This historic agreement improves working conditions and job protections for more than 20,000 Teamsters who work at First Student. The contract was ratified by 91 percent.

“This national agreement is the result of the hard work and dedication of our Local Unions and Teamsters at First Student, and is a testament to the Union’s strong commitment to organizing workers who deserve fairness on the job,” said General President Jim Hoffa, Chairman of the Teamsters First Student National Negotiating Committee (TFSNNC). “By banding together as Teamsters, these workers have secured better job protections and working conditions for themselves and their families.”

This four-year national agreement improves workplace protections, creates a national grievance procedure and provides strong language to raise standards for Teamster members at First Student.

“This groundbreaking contract represents a positive step forward for Teamsters at First Student and all workers in the school bus industry,” said Rick Middleton, TFSNNC Co-Chair and International Vice President. “The gains made in this agreement will immediately benefit First Student Teamsters and their families and ensure a cooperative working relationship with the company for years to come.”

Founded in 1903, the International Brotherhood of Teamsters represents more than 1.4 million hardworking men and women in the United States, Canada and Puerto Rico. Visit www.teamster.org for more information.

Press Contact
Leigh Strope
lstrope@teamster.org
202-624-6911

December 8, 2010
Columbus First Student Workers Join Teamsters Local 773

(Washington, DC) – School bus workers with First Student in Allentown, Pa., have voted to become members of Teamsters Local 773 in Allentown. There are 204 drivers and monitors in the bargaining unit.

“I wanted to become a Teamster so my coworkers and I will be treated fairly and treated with respect,” said Hector Rivera, a driver since 2006. “We also deserve fair wages for the hard work we do everyday taking children to and from school.”

“The main concern with the drivers and monitors was fairness,” said Dennis Hower, Vice President of Local 773 and also a business agent. “The workers want an end to the favoritism that has been going on.”

The victory is the latest in an effort to organize private school bus and transit workers across the country. Drive Up Standards is a national campaign to improve safety, service and work standards in the private school bus and transit industry.

Since the campaign began in 2006, more than 29,400 drivers, monitors, aides, mechanics and attendants have become Teamsters.

For more information on the Drive Up Standards campaign, go to: www.schoolbusworkersunited.org
Founded in 1903, the Teamsters Union represents more than 1.4 million hardworking men and women in the United States, Canada and Puerto Rico.

Press Contact
Galen Munroe
gmunroe@teamster.org
202-624-6904

Bryan Brensinger, son of UPS Driver Don Brensinger. Bryan is currently attending
Johns Hopkins University.

Don & Robin Brensinger accepting for Don and Bryan

Darci Wolf, daughter of PCA member John Wolf. Darci is currently attending Kutztown University.

John and Paula Wolf accepting for Darci

Joe Abbattista, son of First Student Bus Driver Joe Abbattista. Joe is currently attending Lackawanna College.

Joe and Janet Abbattista with Joe

Paige Morris, daughter of Northampton School District member Tim Morris. Paige is currently attending Temple University.

Tim Morris accepting for Paige

Lisa Palmer, daughter of Canteen member Al Palmer. Lisa is currently attending Millersville University.

Al Palmer accepting for Lisa

Natasha Seese, daughter of Easton School District Bus Driver Karen Reeser. Natasha is currently attending Penn State.

Karen Reeser and Natasha Seese

Don Brensinger, son of UPS Driver Don Brensinger. Don is currently attending East Stroudsburg University.

Don & Robin Brensinger accepting for Don and Bryan

Teamster Local 773 would like to congratulate all of our scholarship winners!

Politicians and media pundits have joined the conservative effort to demonize unions, pensions, and public employees. In fact, if you landed on the planet today, you would think that the global financial meltdown was caused by greedy unionized public employees. Instead of blaming the super-wealthy for their huge gambling losses, there is a growing consensus claiming that the working poor and the downsized middle class are the cause of all of our problems.

In the case of pensions for public employees, the popular sentiment is that these benefits will starve local and state governments, and so they should be eliminated or at least severely reduced. Leading the media frenzy against pensions is the misunderstanding of the cause and effects of unfunded pension liabilities. What no one seems to be saying is that due to the unethical and possibly illegal activities of Wall Street, most pension funds lost close to a third of their value in 2007 and 2008. While the banks and financial institutions were bailed out, no relief came to these pension funds, and new accounting rules forced public pensions to declare all of their present and future pension liabilities. However, we should remember that these liabilities do not have to be paid for today; in, fact, the pension liabilities cover the present and future retirement costs of all people in the system.

Since reporters and the general public do not understand how pensions work, they are easily scared by what looks to be giant deficits. Furthermore, employers are using these huge numbers to get employees to accept reduced benefits, and the side effect of this scare tactic is that the public has turned on pensions, public employees, and unions. Unintentionally, the media, public employers, and the general public are playing into the hands of the wealthiest people in America who do not want to pay middle-class workers a decent wage with acceptable benefits.

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Also, the Emmaus Borough secretaries joined their fellow members of the Emmaus Borough Public Works by voting for union representation. On Wednesday, July 14th, the nine (9) full-time secretaries of Emmaus Borough voted unanimously to be represented by Teamster Local 773.

Not this time. I left the restaurant unsettled. Something didn’t add up. Bay Area unemployment is even higher than the 9.7 percent national average. Clearly, the great Silicon Valley innovation machine hasn’t been creating many jobs of late — unless you are counting Asia, where American technology companies have been adding jobs like mad for years.

The underlying problem isn’t simply lower Asian costs. It’s our own misplaced faith in the power of startups to create U.S. jobs. Americans love the idea of the guys in the garage inventing something that changes the world. New York Times columnist Thomas L. Friedman recently encapsulated this view in a piece called “Start-Ups, Not Bailouts.” His argument: Let tired old companies that do commodity manufacturing die if they have to. If Washington really wants to create jobs, he wrote, it should back startups.

Read the entire article here

Plant manager Richard Zimmel said the cement maker in Stockertown and Teamsters Local 773 agreed to a new, four-year contract Saturday.

Zimmel said workers agreed to the new deal after the company clarified a transfer policy that led to the strike. The company also agreed to pay for the health benefits that covered workers as they picketed.

“Everybody’s back to work. We’re trying to get back to business. We welcomed everybody back today,” Zimmel said. “We’re certainly glad it’s over.”

The workers went on strike June 14, concerned that the transfer policy would let the company move workers from job to job at any time and for any amount of time.

But the transfer policy was clarified, Zimmel said.

The cement maker and 34 salaried employees continued shipping and other operations during the strike.

A message left with union Chief Steward Tim Groller was not immediately returned.

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