Teamsters got your goat?

You know times are tough for unions when they’re willing to take union dues from farm animals.

The Teamsters in Oakland, California filed a grievance against Mills College, complaining that the school had violated its collective bargaining agreement by hiring non-union workers to clear brush.


The Teamsters demanded that the college either (1) award backpay to the union members who lost out on the work or (2) require the 500 non-union workers to join the union.


The only problem? The 500 non-union workers were — and we’re not making this up — goats.


“If the college opts to have the goats become members,” said a Teamsters spokesperson, “we intend to represent them in the same aggressive manner as we do every member.” [Emphasis added, though not really needed.]

This sort of gives new meaning to George Orwell’s Animal Farm, doesn’t it?
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“I bring reason to your ears, and, in language as plain as ABC, hold up truth to your eyes.” Thomas Paine, December 23, 1776

For more news and views on today’s unions, go to LaborUnionReport.com.

ABF Freight Teamsters Reject Plan to Protect Jobs, Benefits

Apparently, according to a Teamsters press release, Teamsters at trucking company ABF rejected a plan to protect their jobs and and benefits.

Teamsters employed at ABF Freight System have rejected a Wage Reduction-Job Security plan aimed at protecting the jobs of more than 7,000 workers and securing their health, welfare and pension benefits for the remainder of the National Master Freight Agreement.

[snip]

Mail ballots were sent out April 30 and counted today with the process being overseen by an independent election officer. With a final count of 3764-2936, the workers voted no on the plan with about 80 percent of the members affected participating in the vote. The plan had called for a reduction in gross wages and mileage rates of 15 percent effective next pay period and running through March 31, 2013. Negotiated wage increases (less 15 percent) and cost of living adjustments, if any, would have remained in effect for the life the plan.

Teamsters at ABF may soon be joining this illustrious list of other Teamster-represented freight companies.
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“I bring reason to your ears, and, in language as plain as ABC, hold up truth to your eyes.” Thomas Paine, December 23, 1776

For more news and views on today’s unions, go to LaborUnionReport.com.

Unions Throw a Fit, Taxpayers Take the Hit…

In a union city like Philadelphia, it really shouldn’t come as a shock that when unions pitch fits, politicians’ knees buckle, and taxpayers end up paying the price.

A few months ago, we posted on Philadelphia’s proposed soda tax that drew union protests by the Teamsters.  To be clear, we also believe the soda tax idea is a stupid idea–sort of like tea taxes were in 1773–as are most taxes today that go to pay for bloated governments.

However, instead of curbing the gorging at the public trough that has caused municipal budgets nationwide to collapse and prompting public workers’ demands to raise taxes, the Philadelphia City Council has capitulated to union demands once again.  Now, in yet another union shakedown, the residents of Philadelphia will be seeing their property taxes go up.

If you live in Philadelphia, higher property taxes and a fee for trash pickup may be two things you’ll pay for next year.

Philadelphia City Council approved Mayor Michael Nutter’s $3.9 billion budget for 2011 with a vote Thursday evening.

To fill in a $150 million budget gap, officials made several tax increases, the most notable being a 9.9-percent jump in property taxes, officials told NBC Philadelphia. That increase will only last for two years.

The 9.9 percent temporary tax hike has to get final approval from council next week.

Council also passed measures that will institute a new, yearly $300 fee for trash pickup from small businesses, duplexes and apartment buildings and a tax on cigars and smokeless tobacco.

One high-profile tax that wasn’t included in the approved budget was the proposed soda tax.

The measure — which would have put a tax of 2-cent per ounce on all soda and sugary drinks sold within the city limits — was both lauded and detested by residents.

Once again, taxpayers take a hit all because unions threw a fit.
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“I bring reason to your ears, and, in language as plain as ABC, hold up truth to your eyes.” Thomas Paine, December 23, 1776

For more news and views on today’s unions, go to LaborUnionReport.com.

Teamsters accused of threatening FL mayor with smear campaign

Is a union’s political threat considered free speech? That seems to be the issue in Panama City, Florida where the Teamsters union represents the city’s police officers and now stands accused of threatening Panama City’s mayor, Scott Clemmons, over the City’s bargaining position.

A letter sent by an Alabama Teamsters Union member, Jim Gookins to Mayor Scott Clemons and Commission Billy Rader outlined a proposed benefits package. The plan he claimed could save $40 thousand a year for Panama City’s 62 union officers, was never discussed during negotiations.


Griffin responded with a lengthy letter emphasizing proper procedure, stating, “it is unlawful for an employer to engage in direct dealing with employees who have a certified bargaining agent.”


A month later Mayor Clemons received a letter from Teamsters Washington D.C representative, with negative campaign ads against an unrelated politician attached.


“There’s no doubt in my mind that he was threatening me that if I did not meet with him… that they would launch this campaign,” said Clemons.


Union Council Cecil Gardner says the letters were not a threat, but free speech.


“It’s not a smear campaign at all; it’s a campaign of public education. It might very well be a campaign which indicates that the police officers union is not satisfied with what the mayor has done,” he said, “We believe that the city is trying to intimidate the police officer’s union and chill their exercise of first amendment rights.”

Yes, it’s the Teamsters union. And, yes, it represents police officers.

Go figure.
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“I bring reason to your ears, and, in language as plain as ABC, hold up truth to your eyes.” Thomas Paine, December 23, 1776

For more news and views on today’s unions, go to LaborUnionReport.com.

Ridiculous Teamsters End Trash Strike

There is just no other word for this, except ridiculous…

Striking garbage workers in King and Snohomish counties said Thursday afternoon they’d return to their jobs at midnight to prevent a “public health crisis.”

Um…yeah, okay… We know the real reason but...if you say so...
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“I bring reason to your ears, and, in language as plain as ABC, hold up truth to your eyes.” Thomas Paine, December 23, 1776

Follow LaborUnionReport on Twitter.

For more news and views on today’s unions, go to LaborUnionReport.com.

Teamsters end Seattle garbage strike faster than you can say “that stinks!”

Almost as soon as it started, they’re throwing in the towel…raising the white flag…calling it quits.  The Teamsters gave an unconditional offer to return to work thereby calling off their Seattle-are strike against Waste Management only a day and a half after they walked off the job.

Union garbage haulers who service King and Snohomish counties have offered to return to work unconditionally at midnight Thursday, and their employer, Waste Management, said it weclomes the workers back.

The union and the company are also slated to return to the negotiation table on Monday, according to a Waste Management news release.

“We are glad the Teamsters have announced that they will return to work tomorrow, but feel that this unfortunate situation could have been avoided entirely had the union simply responded to our earlier request to meet,” said Jackie Lang of Waste Management in the news release. “We look forward to our drivers returning to work tomorrow to provide Friday collection services as scheduled.”

Union representantives said they plan to have about 700 sanitation workers resume normal operations Friday morning to catch up on the backlog from Wednesday’s work stoppage.

In a statement, Rick Hicks, secretary-treasurer of Teamsters Local 174 said the union was concerned that a continued strike could induce the company to lock out members.

Since they were already on strike, there would be no point to locking them out.  However, permanently replacing them has always been a possibility.

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“I bring reason to your ears, and, in language as plain as ABC, hold up truth to your eyes.” Thomas Paine, December 23, 1776

Follow LaborUnionReport on Twitter.

For more news and views on today’s unions, go to LaborUnionReport.com.

Labor Shorts: Exposing Union Bosses One Skid Mark at a Time

This week, to give break to the weightier milieu of the union agenda we wanted to lighten things up a bit by bringing back our ever-popular Labor Shorts and share some of the usual (and not-so-usual) shenanigans of today’s union bosses:

First things first:

• The NLRB Scorecard: With the new, union-controlled National Labor Relations Board finally seated, we introduced the NLRB Scoreboard on the LaborUnionReport blog over the weekend to keep an unofficial tally of NRLB decisions, as well as general NLRB “stuff” (blogs and other souvenirs from the Land of Liebman and Becker).  If you have suggestions, blogs you’d like to see posted, tips, or see a case we haven’t posted, please give us a shout here.
• NLRB Blowback: The business community is on edge, as Politico notes this morning, over President Obama’s appointment of Craig Becker to the NLRB, as well as the prospect of appointing the NLRB’s General Counsel in the Fall.  We blogged about it here.

All About Andy…

• His ‘time to leave’…Ever since SEIU top boss Andy Stern’s announced “retirement” from the SEIU last week, the pundits (from yours truly to Glenn Beck) have been trying to figure out why.  Then, on Thursday, like a post-bean dip epiphany, everything became eye-wateringly clear with a story that summed it all up:  Andy changed America forever, lost interest in the day-to-day running of the SEIU and got bored.  In fact, in his pontificating-on-all-things-union interview with a fawning Ezra Klein, Stern ends the speculation (and interview) by stating that he’s going to the beach (…we’ll see).
• Good Riddance… says former friend and current arch rival Sal Roselli.
• A Purple Palace Coup challenges the Queen of Labor… Instead of ensuring a smooth transition for his presumed successor, Anna Burger, Andy has left Anna flailing without as much as a simple nod or endorsement. The Queen of Labor’s throne very is much in play, with a challenge from inside the purple palace.  Now, in an internal letter to the SEIU Executive Board, four out of nine executive vice presidents have endorsed one of their own, Mary Kay Henry, in her bid to replace Andy Stern.
• AFSCME and I’ll tell ya… Loud, foul-mouth AFSCME boss Gerry McEntee threw a splash of cold water on the hopes of a family reunion in the House of Labor, stating the SEIU’s rumored re-entry into the AFL-CIO is not likely.
• Now, that’s what friends are for… As Andy looked on last Friday, actor-turned-union-activist Danny Glover received a pair of shiny silver bracelets at one of the Sodexho protests.
• A most Dangerous Place… Between Andy Stern and a microphone, notes Bret Jacobson on Breitbart’s Big Government.com, as Andy asserts unions don’t cost taxpayers a dime…(!)

When Hypocrisy Strikes…

• Shock! Not All Unions Like Card-Check…? After hundreds of millions spent and years of hard work to pass the job-destroying and hallucinogenically-named Employee Free Choice Act, it’s hard to believe (well, maybe not) that when a union’s own employees want to unionize, the union-employer wouldn’t just voluntarily succumb agree to recognize the union based on card-check.  Such is the case here.
• Shhh!… Don’t tell the UFCW you saw this, ’cause this is not your normal UFCW strike and they’d rather not have it talked about.
• Oh Hilda! You’ve got picketers at your door!  Will you or won’t you cross?
• An Injury to One?… AFSCME throws Solidarity Under the Bus…  (again…)

Strike That!…

• Eee Gads! That Stinks! New Yorkers may soon discover the joys of hailing their own taxis, hauling their own garbage to the curb and opening their own doors if SEIU’s 32BJ pulls 30,000 doormen (and women) out on strike tomorrow.  [Factoid: NYC produces 11,000 tons of garbage every day…who knew?]
• A juicy one…? The UFCW’s RWDSU might be walking out on strike at Mott’s NY applesauce and juice plant.
• Week Four… The Machinists at Merrill Manufacturing Corp. have been on the lines for four weeks.  Problem is, the company is operating at full capacity with replacement workers.
• Schools Out… Teachers in the North Penn School District walked out on their students Monday, causing classes to be cancelled.
• No Contract, No Talks, but No Strike either… The Teamster still don’t have a contract with Waste Management in WaSta, but they’re not striking either.  (Here’s why.)

And then there’s this…

• The bigger they are… On the same day President Obama rewarded his union buddies with a federal PLA on construction projects, a union-owned and built high rise was condemned for shoddy construction.

If you can’t do the time…

• Stealing $50,000 earns this union boss no time served ever
• Stealing $110,000 netted this CWA boss five years probation, six months home detention and 200 hours of community service

• Allegedly stealing $46,000, draining the union’s bank account, a firefighter from Norwell, CT earned himself a pair of shiny new bracelets

And this…

• Dumb & Dumber? Rep. Alan Grayson (D-FL) call unions strongest proponent of good government.
• In space DC, no one can hear you scream…  Where are the investigations (and media)??? A week ago, it was revealed that the SEIU paid the White House Political Director (former SEIU boss Patrick Gaspard) $37,000 in 2009 and, so far, there is only…silence.

And, that, dear readers, wraps up this week’s edition of LaborUnionReport.com’s LaborShorts.

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“I bring reason to your ears, and, in language as plain as ABC, hold up truth to your eyes.” Thomas Paine, December 23, 1776

Follow LaborUnionReport on Twitter.

For more news and views on today’s unions, go to LaborUnionReport.com.

Campaign for Teamster Presidency Begins: What will it take to dump Hoffa?

The Teamsters are beginning to gear up for the presidential election…for the presidency of the Teamsters, that is.

The ever-present thorn in James P. Hoffa’s side, the Teamsters for a Democratic Union has posted a timeline for the 2011 election, as well as posts this:

What Will It Take to Dump Hoffa? 

The election to Dump Hoffa begins sooner than you think.

What will it take to win—and how can we get started now?

Hoffa’s support has never been lower among working Teamsters:

• He negotiated the worst concessions to UPS in decades, even though the company was making more than $4 billion in annual profits.

• Under his watch, our union has been reduced to a shadow of its former self in freight, carhaul, and other industries. Employers are calling the shots and dictating concessions

• He raised Teamster dues, then used it to pay multiple salaries to his political allies. In 2007, the IBT paid out $9.9 million in multiple salaries to 196 officials—up from just 16 when Hoffa took office.

Hundreds of thousands of Teamsters are angry—including many local officers. The Hoffa camp has never been more divided

But anger alone won’t be enough to get rid of Hoffa. It will take organization.

More here

As is usually the case, the Teamsters’ internal campaign for president is something to watch.

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“I bring reason to your ears, and, in language as plain as ABC, hold up truth to your eyes.” Thomas Paine, December 23, 1776

Follow LaborUnionReport on Twitter.

For more news and views on today’s unions, go to LaborUnionReport.com.

Labor Shorts: Obamacare to cost Caterpillar $100 million year one & other union news…

Labor Shorts: Exposing Union Bosses One Skid Mark at a Time…

The latest (and largest) pile of labor news from around the country, given to you in short form from LaborUnionReport.com:

• Cat may become Obamacare road kill… Heavy-equipment maker Caterpillar said Thursday that the health care legislation being considered by Congress would increase its health care costs by more than $100 million in the first year alone. [The sucking sound that will be heard will be more UAW jobs.]
• Moonbeam Brown urges unions to “attack”… In California’s gubernatorial race, former governor and current Attorney General, as well as gubernatorial candidate Jerry “Moonbeam” Brown urged union honchos to “attack” for him during his campaign for the governor’s mansion.
• Union Intransigence May Doom Amnesty Immigration Reform…Unions don’t want a guest worker program. Businesses do. Compromise may be impossible despite the administration’s efforts to do a deal by November.
• SEIU boss Andy Stern sends Glenn Beck a purple package…It’s doubtful that Fox superstar Glenn Beck and his on-air nemesis SEIU’s Andy Stern will become bosom buddies following Stern’s attempts at détente.
• Firefighters’ Union ‘Sticks it’ to City of Portland…The City of Portland and the Firefighters union are ‘going to war’ over the union’s desire to have the city continue paying a con artist’s disability payments.
• Communications Workers are cranky at Christie’s Cuts…Public workers marched all across New Jersey yesterday at newly-elected governor Chris Christie’s attempt to address a huge-budget gap left to him by his predecessor, Democrat John Corzine.
• $18 billion for jobs bill not enough, says lefty laborites…Trying to figure out how to add more to the already overwhelming federal debt, lefty bloggers at In These Times note that the $18 billion jobs bill that the House sent to President Obama isn’t enough to “create or save” the 11 million jobs needed to return to pre-recession unemployment levels.
• Hungry unionists protesting for jobs… Approximately 600 Seattle/King County Building and Construction Trades Council members protested for jobs on Wednesday while 35 unemployed steelworkers protested being unemployed for more that a year in Northern Ohio.
• Shameful…Why are family members who are taking care of their own children being forced to be in a union? [Read more at our blog here.]
• Those Unfriendly Skies:
• The Teamsters to add to worldwide turbulence by vowing to mobilize support for a possible strike of British Airways flight attendants, while Germany’s Ver.di pledged its support as well.
• Air France flight attendants may also be disembarking for a four-day strike on March 28th.
• Back in the U.S. of A...
• United Airlines’ pilots were joined by pilots of five other airlines on the picket line to protest an outsourcing deal between UAL and Ireland’s Aer Lingus.
• American Airlines’ flight attendants are the second union at the Texas-based carrier to ask the National Mediation Board for a release in order to begin the countdown to strike.
• Blanche Lincoln Bites Back at Unions. Following the abandonment of Arkansas Democrat Senator Blanche Lincoln by her former union friends, the outgoing Senator put out a surpisingly in-your-union-face ad.
• Teamsters and Tea Party Activists: Kindred Spirits? Both groups don’t like taxes that costs jobs but somehow we think the similarities may end there even though the Teamster fight against Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter’s proposed soda tax sounds surprisingly like something one would hear at a Tea Party rally.
• Vale Inco CEO strikes back at striking steelworkers’ union…After enduring an eight-month strike by the United Steelworkers, Vale Inco CEO Tito Martins posted a letter on the company’s website accusing the USW of engaging in a “a global campaign of misinformation, racism, intolerance and xenophobia” while being content to “keep its members on strike so long as it supports the USW strike in Ontario.”
• Labor’s Back Door… A business owner explains how media hype over the ‘failure’ of labor’s agenda is more hyperbole than reality as union bosses are still getting their sweetheart deals in mutated form.
• UPS: The Tonya Harding of Cargo Shipping…? By trying to “level the playing field” by hitting its competitor in the proverbial knees with a Teamster-made baseball bat, UPS is disingeniously still trying to saddle rival FedEx with the Teamsters by fighting in Congress to put RLA-covered FedEx under the National Labor Relations Act. [For more on the Brown Bailout, go here and video here.]
• Speaking of Bailouts…Are unions the primary beneficiary of President Obama’s “Green Jobs” economy?  It certainly appears so, but you can read this and decide for yourself.
• Eee Gads! A Soccer Strike Looms… Soccer fans the world over (not really) may be put in limbo if negotiations fail this weekend between Major League Soccer players and team owners and the players strike next week.  Here’s an update. [Zzzz!]

That’s a wrap for LaborUnionReport.com’s Labor Shorts and End of Week Report.

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“I bring reason to your ears, and, in language as plain as ABC, hold up truth to your eyes.” Thomas Paine, December 23, 1776

Follow LaborUnionReport on Twitter.

For more news and views on today’s unions, go to LaborUnionReport.com.

Cross-posted.

Teamsters and Tea Party Activists: Kindred Spirits?

For a moment, let’s ignore Teamster president James Hoffa’s attack on Tea Party activists last week.  It seems as though at least one Teamster local has something in common with the American Tea Party movement: It doesn’t like dumb taxes either.


In this case, it’s a soda tax that Philadelphia’s mayor, Michael Nutter, is proposing that has Teamsters local 830 popping mad.  You see, IBT 830 represents workers and drivers at the Coca-Cola bottling plant in Philadelphia and the mayor’s new soda tax may be taking some fizz out of the members’ jobs.


This had the Teamsters out protesting during the St. Patrick’s Day this weekend.

“We understand that the city is broke. We get it. But it can’t just be on the backs of my members. He’s got to figure something else out,” said Dan Grace, of the Teamsters.

Geez, Dan.  You’re really not that different than a lot Tea Party activists.  You seem to understand that high taxes means few jobs.

Perhaps you can take your message to Washington, as well, Dan.

We hear there’s a big rally coming up real soon and there will be a lot of people there who you might actually agree with.

Perhaps there’s hope after all.

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“I bring reason to your ears, and, in language as plain as ABC, hold up truth to your eyes.” Thomas Paine, December 23, 1776

Follow LaborUnionReport on Twitter.

For more news and views on today’s unions, go to LaborUnionReport.com.