Teamsters Turn Attention To FedEx Freight

The following is a letter written to the organizers at FedEx Freight:

After Half-century of struggle, former Overnite workers have their contract. And next the Teamsters are turning our attentions onto FedEx Freight.

Workers at UPS Freight (formerly Overnite Transportation) in Indianapolis overwhelmingly ratified their first contract ever on October 7, by a 107-1 vote. This agreement will improve wages, benefits and working conditions and will serve as a model to organize thousands of other UPS Freight employees nationwide, Teamsters General President Jim Hoffa announced.

"For more than 50 years, workers at UPS Freight's predecessor, Overnite, fought to win a Teamster contract," Hoffa said. "Today the union fulfilled its promise that we would not quit until workers achieved economic justice. Now we will help thousands of other UPS Freight employees win the same protections and guarantees on the job that the Indianapolis workers have. After UPS Freight workers join the Teamster family, we will focus our future organizing efforts at FedEx Freight."

The Teamsters and UPS Freight reached a tentative agreement on September 30. The contract, which covers 125 dockworkers and drivers who belong to Teamsters Local 135 in Indianapolis, also provides employees the protections of a grievance procedure to fight unfair management decisions, something workers have fought hard to achieve.

"This is a historic day," said Ken Hall, Director of the Teamsters Parcel and Small Package Division who was lead negotiator. "Thousands of Overnite workers fought so hard for this day to happen. We won't stop until all UPS Freight workers have the secure future that they deserve by working under a Teamster contract."

"In Indianapolis, we have been fighting to join the Teamsters since the mid-1990s, and it feels great to finally have the backing of the strongest union in North America," said Jesse Nicholson, a road driver and 20-year employee. "We look forward to our brothers and sisters at other company terminals joining us so that they too will have the same security."

UPS Freight Workers in Indianapolis Ratify Historic, First Ever Contract

After More Than A Half-Century Struggle, Former Overnite Workers Prevail

Contact: Galen Munroe, (202) 624-6911

October 7, 2007

(Indianapolis) -- Workers at UPS Freight (formerly Overnite Transportation) in Indianapolis overwhelmingly ratified their first contract earlier today, by a 107-1 vote. This agreement will improve wages, benefits and working conditions and will serve as a model to organize thousands of other UPS Freight employees nationwide, Teamsters General President Jim Hoffa announced.

Read More At: Teamster.org

Double Standards in Fontana Service Center…

A driver was in the Operation managers office talking to the Head of the DT’s when a dispatcher walked in the same office looked at the driver and said “your “F” ing me with your productivity performance!” Now the driver was taken back at what he said especially in front of a higher-ranking officer. The Head of driver trainers apologized to this driver for the dispatcher.

The assistant terminal manager of the service center said there would be an internal investigation into what had happened that day. After a week of investigating, the company has said there was nothing they would do to reprimand the dispatcher. What a surprise!

Let me tell you my fellow Fontana FedEx employees. If circumstances were reversed and you would drop the “F” bomb to any manager the way the dispatcher did to this driver. You would be suspended without pay do to an investigation. In addition, you would be terminated for sexual harassment!

THE TIME TO ORGANIZE IS NOW!

BE WISE AND ORGANIZE1

Showdown for California SVCs On October 9 - October 05, 2007

The bad press for FedEx just keeps coming and coming. Now the story is on CNBC.

But the big showdown over the mass firing of all single-vehicle contractors in California is the thing on everyone's mind. The lawyers for the California drivers in the national class action lawsuit have filed a motion for a temporary restraining order before the MDL judge - they are asking the court to block the termination letters, the waiver of claims and freeze the Oct. 26 deadline for drivers to make the huge decision to give up their rights and their livelihoods.

Every FedEx Ground and Home Delivery driver should read all these October 2007 documents carefully. FedEx offers no loyalty to any driver who dares fight for his or her rights. Today it is California drivers that are on the chopping block. Tomorrow it could be anyone, anywhere.

If you have not already, register with FedExWatch by entering your email address in the form at the top of this page. The Teamsters want to work with all FedEx drivers and employees to secure their rights.

Original Post On FedEx Watch.com

Taking the fight to the union busters

by Shai Sachs, Sun Sep 30, 2007 at 08:18:17 PM EST

This week, In These Times published a fascinating piece on the ugly inner workings of the union busting industry. Assuming the identity of a small New York City business owner, Art Levine went undercover to an anti-union seminar held by Jackson Lewis, an infamous law firm which helps other companies bust unions.

Levine's piece gives us a good look at the early stages of union-busting: a hush-hush seminar which starts out by frightening business owners and managers about the alleged dangers of unionization, and follows up with some basic anti-union legal advice. There's no surprise there; indeed, labor law is replete with loopholes which can be exploited to thwart unionization.

What is surprising is the expense and difficulty which is imposed on the union-buster's client - i.e., the manager or business owner who wishes to avoid unionization. After all, to go to the seminar, Levine had to chip in travel expenses plus a $1,500 entrance fee, as well as two solid days of time. That amounts to a pretty serious cash outlay. What's more, participating in the seminar and doing business with Jackson Lewis don't sound like remotely pleasant activities. The seminar and follow-up free half-hour phone consultation which Levine describes both sound like fairly high-pressure ordeals meant to persuade participants to pay the firm exorbitant fees to solve what may be an imaginary problem. The Jackson Lewis attorneys sound like textbook cases of predatory salespeople.

Read More Click Here

Teamsters Reach Tentative Agreement Covering More Than 230,000 Workers at UPS

Contract Improves Wages and Significantly Increases Pension and Health and Welfare Contributions to Benefit Funds

Contact: Bret Caldwell, Leigh Strope, (202) 624-6911

September 30, 2007

(Chicago) -- The Teamsters Union and UPS have reached a tentative agreement for a new five-year national contract for parcel workers that raises wages and will significantly increase the company's contributions to funds that provide pension and health and welfare benefits to Teamster members, Teamsters General President Jim Hoffa said today.

The agreement was negotiated during the past year, and is reached in advance of an October 1 deadline set by the union to reach an early agreement. The current contract does not expire until July 31, 2008. Upon ratification, most provisions of the new agreement will take effect on August 1, 2008.

Read More At Teamster.org