LIGHTS, CAMERA, TEAMSTERS! - International …old2.teamster.org/resources/members/TeamsterMagazine/mag_may05.… · LIGHTS, CAMERA, TEAMSTERS! ... It is published monthly in February,

LIGHTS, CAMERA,TEAMSTERS!TEAMSTERS ARE DRIVING FORCE IN

MOTION PICTURES AND TELEVISION

LIGHTS, CAMERA,TEAMSTERS!

www. t e am s t e r. o r g

I N T E R N A T I O N A L B R O T H E R H O O D O F T E A M S T E R S M A Y 2 0 0 5

2 TEAMSTER NEWS2 TEAMSTER NEWS

30 COURT MATERIAL30 COURT MATERIAL

l Union Protects USFMembers’ Jobs

l Teamsters UnveilRedesigned Web Site

l Local 299 SavesCarhaul Jobs

l New Jobs At UPS

l Indiana TeamstersWin At Caesars

20 ORGANIZING20 ORGANIZING l Jay’s Drivers Join

Local 734

l NECR Workers Choose BLET

l Corporate Air Pilots Pick Teamsters

l Carhaulers Join Local 299

l Union Welcomes Waste Workers

International Brotherhood of Teamsters25 Louisiana Avenue, NW,Washington, DC 20001-2198202-624-6800

The Teamster (ISSN 1083-2394) is the officialpublication of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters,25 Louisiana Avenue, N.W., Washington, DC 20001-2198.It is published monthly in February, March/April, May,June/July, August, September/October, November andDecember/January. Periodical postage paid atWashington, D.C. and at additional mailing offices.

MAY 2005, VOLUME 102, NO. 3

© 2005 International Brotherhood of Teamsters. Allrights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in partwithout written permission is prohibited. Postmaster:Send address changes to The Teamster, AffiliatesRecords Department, 25 Louisiana Avenue, N.W.,Washington, DC 20001-2198. Subscription rates: $12per year. Single copies, $2. (All orders payable inadvance.) Members should send address changes totheir local union.

IN THIS ISSUEIN THIS ISSUE

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F E A T U R E S

14 Taking Out The TrashNew Jersey Waste Haulers Strike For Better Benefits

16 The Assault On PensionsTeamsters Fight For Pension Protection

22 Coming HomeTeamsters Protect Seniority, Employment Rights Of Returning Soldiers

26 Delivering For DHLUnion Seeks UPS And Freight Members’ Support In Organizing Campaign

28 Recruiting In The RockiesDenver’s Local 2004 Organizes Hundreds Of New Members

32 Painting The Town OrangeTeamsters Build Famed ‘Gates’ In NYC

8 Lights, Camera . . .Teamsters!Teamsters Are The Driving Force In Motion Pictures and Television

ver the last 100 years, the Americanlabor movement has transformedthe lives of working people from anexistence of despair and misery toone of hope and progress. By stand-ing as one, America’s workers havegone from struggling just to surviveto sharing in the AmericanDream—the dream of owning ahome, sending kids to college and

enjoying a secure retirement.It’s no secret that the right to a secure

retirement will be the subject of an aggres-sive assault in Congress this year. There’s aretirement crisis brewing in America, butit isn’t Social Security. It’s pensions. Anti-labor special interests and their allies inCongress don’t want to act to protect pen-sions. They call it a bailout for unions. Icall it support for the working people ofthis country. You put in an honest dayswork, you put in your hard-earned yearson the job, you deserve a good retirement.This is the American way.

10 Million AmericansThe time has come for our elected officialsto help ensure the viability and security ofour nation’s pension plans. With the polit-ical focus on Social Security, it is unac-ceptable for politicians to ignore thebroader retirement security of all Ameri-cans—and the Teamsters won’t let them.

Teamster leaders have been meetingwith key members of Congress, pressingthem to enact Pension Protection legisla-

tion that will help multi-employer pen-sion plans weather the financial storm ofthe past few years. We need to put theseplans on a more secure financial footing—as well as protect good union employersthat participate in these plans—now andfor the long term.

Last year Congress snubbed multi-employer pension plans and the 10 mil-lion Americans that benefit from them.These plans were excluded from legisla-tion that helped single-employer plans.Lawmakers know that legislation protect-ing our pensions is the top priority for theTeamsters—and we expect our friends inCongress to stand with us.

Getting InvolvedIn order to pass legislation that will pro-tect pensions and provide needed relief, itis essential for Teamster members tomobilize their fellow workers, to contacttheir senators and congressional represent-atives, to circulate and sign petitions andto become politically active in order toachieve this legislative goal. We needeveryone to get involved in the battle toprotect pensions. We must remind law-makers that retirement security doesn’tbegin and end with Social Security.

www . t e am s t e r. o r g | M AY 2 0 0 5 | T E AM S T E R 1

Protecting PensionsA M E S S A G E F R O M T H E G E N E R A L P R E S I D E N T

O

TEAMSTER NEWSTEAMSTER NEWS

Teamster leaders are leavingno stone unturned in theirefforts to make sure freight

members’ jobs and contractsare protected after YellowRoadway Corporationannounced that it was acquir-ing USF Corporation.

When the announcementwas made in February, Team-sters General President JimHoffa and Freight DivisionDirector Tyson Johnson met with Yellow Roadwaymanagement.

“Tyson and I had a prelimi-nary meeting with the leader-ship of Yellow Roadway andthe company has provided uswith their initial expectationsfrom the acquisition,” Hoffasaid. “We are monitoring thedirection of their efforts. Weexpect that this acquisition willnot only protect Teamster jobsbut will create more goodTeamster jobs.”

As the union did in 2003with the Yellow/Roadway Cor-poration combination, theTeamsters will do whatever isnecessary to protect members’

jobs and contracts. The unionis doing its own analysis of thedeal to make sure members’interests are protected now andin the future. The acquisition isexpected to close this summer.

Organizing HurdlesThe union has faced chal-lenges recently in its attemptsto organize workers at USFDugan. The company has runanti-worker, anti-union cam-paigns to challenge the union,and the company is putting upresistance in negotiating firstcontracts with the Dugan

workers at three locations.Also, 1,500 Teamsters at thefinancially-troubled USF RedStar lost their jobs last Maywhen the subsidiary abruptlyclosed in violation of theTeamster contract and withoutthe proper warning to work-ers. The shutdown was part ofRed Star’s parent company’sdecision to use the recognitionstrike by Local 107 last May asa pretext for closing Red Starand replacing it with the highly-profitable USF Holland in the Northeast. The union hasfiled a lawsuit against USF to

remedy its unlawful conduct.Union leaders have told

management of the their con-cerns and the Teamsters aremaking sure that part of thediscussions center on organiz-ing workers at USF. Organizingmore workers will help allTeamster freight members.

The company will have anestimated annual revenue ofmore than $9 billion, more than70,000 employees and 1,000service locations. The acquisi-tion deal is worth about $1.37billion in cash and stock.

If the companies’ sharehold-ers approve the deal, it would bethe second major acquisitionfor Yellow in the last year and ahalf.Yellow Corporation essen-tially doubled its size when itpurchased competitor RoadwayCorporation in late 2003.

At the Teamsters Union,the Legal, Research and Bene-fits Departments are monitor-ing progress on the deal, andmembers can stay up to dateon any developments bychecking the web site atwww.teamster.org.

GENERAL EXECUTIVE BOARD

James P. Hoffa General President 25 Louisiana Avenue,NW Washington, DC 20001

C. Thomas Keegel General Secretary-Treasurer 25 Louisiana Ave., NW Washington, DC 20001

VICE PRESIDENTS AT-LARGE Randy Cammack 845 Oak Park Road Covina, CA 91724

Fred Gegare 1546 Main Street Green Bay, WI 54302

Carroll Haynes 216 West 14th Street New York, NY 10011

Tom O’Donnell 1 Hollow Lane Suite 309 Lake Success, NY 11042

Ralph J. Taurone47 West 200 SouthSuite 300Salt Lake City, UT84101

TEAMSTERS CANADA Robert Bouvier,President Teamsters Canada 2540 Daniel Johnson Suite 804 Laval, Quebec, Canada H7T 2S3

Joseph McLean 460 Parkdale Ave. N.,Hamilton, Ontario Canada, L8H 5Y2

Garnet Zimmerman 7283 149th A StreetSurrey, B.C. CanadaV3S

CENTRAL REGION Patrick W. Flynn 4217 South HalstedStreet Chicago, IL 60609

Walter A. Lytle 2644 Cass Street Fort Wayne, IN 46808

Dotty Malinsky 9409 Yukon Avenue S.Bloomington, MN55438

Lester A. Singer 435 South HawleyStreet Toledo, OH 43609

Philip E. Young1668 N.W. 1000 RoadCredighton, MO 64739

EASTERN REGION Jack Cipriani P.O. Box 35405 Greensboro, NC 27425

Ken Hall 113 Goff MountainRoadCharleston, WV 25313

John Murphy 765 East Third Street Boston, MA 02127

Richard Volpe 6 Tuxedo Avenue New Hyde Park, NY11040

SOUTHERN REGION Tyson Johnson 1007 Jonelle Street Dallas, TX 75217

Ken Wood 5818 E. MLK Jr. Blvd.Tampa, FL 33619

WESTERN REGION J. Allen Hobart 553 John Street Seattle, WA 98109

Chuck Mack P.O. Box 2270 Oakland, CA 94621

Jim Santangelo818 Oak Park RoadCovina, CA 91724

TRUSTEES Frank Gallegos 207 North SanbornRoad Salinas, CA 93905

Ron McClain544 28th StreetWest Des Moines, IA50265

John Steger25 Louisiana Ave., N.W.Washington, DC 20001

Union Moves Quickly To Protect USF Members’ JobsTeamsters Fight for Workers in Major Freight Acquisition

When the Teamsters nego-tiated the 2002-2008national UPS contract,

they made sure they wouldcontinue pressing the compa-ny to create more full-timejobs so that part-time workerswill have the chance toadvance their careers.

The fruits of those effortsare about to be realized. Thefirst round of new full-timejobs at UPS—2,500 positionsas required under the NationalMaster Agreement—must be inplace by July 31, and a timelinehas recently been established.

“While this country has losthundreds of thousands ofgood-paying jobs in recentyears, UPS is creating 10,000full-time jobs in the comingfour years,” said Ken Hall,Director of the Teamsters Par-cel and Small Package Divi-sion. “This requirement to cre-

ate more full-time jobs is a tes-tament to the hard work of ournegotiating committee.”

A More Secure Future“These new jobs mean that theworkers who fill them will havethe opportunity to maintaintheir position in the middleclass, provide a more securefuture for their families andhave a chance to send theirkids to college,” said Jim Hoffa,Teamsters General President.The following represents thetimeline for the creation ofthese new jobs:o By March 18, 2005, the first30 percent of the employeesstarted their new jobs;o By April 5, the bid processwas scheduled to be complet-ed for the remaining 70 per-cent of the jobs—30 percentto start no later than April 29;20 percent to start no later

than May 20; and the last 20percent to start no later thanJune 17; ando By June 17, any jobs withturnover—employees whotook one of these jobs andcould not qualify or other-wise vacated the position—should be filled.

UPS is obligated to create2,500 new full-time positionsin each of the next fouryears—10,000 new full-timejobs total.


Check Us OutTeamsters Unveil Redesigned Web Site

In March, the Teamsters Union unveiled a brand new version ofTeamster.org, the union’s home page. The new look and organiza-

tion of the site, which has been months in the making, is designedto help site visitors take action and gather information about theunion more efficiently.

Some highlights of the new site include:o Resources sections that target the union’s key audiences, includ-ing members, stewards andlocal union leaders;o Easier access to informationabout critical contract cam-paigns and other union activities;o A new, more precise searchengine;o An improved take-action sys-tem that will allow visitors toparticipate in petitions andpolitical action, and easily subscribe and unsubscribe to theunion’s various email newsletters; ando Even more of the up-to-the-minute union news and informationsite visitors have come to expect.

The site is optimized for use in the latest versions of InternetExplorer and Mozilla.

New Jobs at UPSTimeline Set for Full-Time Positions

General President Jim Hoffarecently appointed John Murphy, International Vice Presi-

dent, the Director of the Rail Conference.“John’s decisive work on the mergers of both the Brotherhood

of Maintenance of Way Employes and the Brotherhood of Loco-motive Engineers and Trainmen have earned him this appoint-ment,” Hoffa said. “The solid foundation of our rail conference isdue to John’s many meetings across the country with rail mem-bers to explain the merger and how they would benefit frombeing part of our great union.”

The Teamsters Rail Conference includes more than 70,000 railemployees on all major freight rail lines and passenger lines inthe United States.

Murphy AppointedDirector of RailConference

4 T E AM S T E R | M AY 2 0 0 5 | w ww . t e am s t e r. o r g

TEAMSTER NEWS

Thanks to the efforts ofTeamster members andleaders, 200 good-paying

union carhaul jobs have beensaved.

“This is an example oflabor standing together as oneto help save good, quality jobsthat provide full health, wel-fare and pension benefits,” saidKevin Moore, Local 299 Presi-dent. “The company tried totake away these jobs but wedidn’t let it happen. The key tosaving the jobs was gettingearly warning signs—wefound out before the jobs werelost. We went to work immedi-ately, and General PresidentJim Hoffa got right on boardand assisted us.”

Hoffa said the early responsewas critical.

“We need to remain vigi-lant about any plans that willcost our members their liveli-hoods,” Hoffa said. “This is agood lesson for other carhaullocal unions who may facesimilar situations. Localsshould contact the TeamstersUnion and we will do whateverit takes to save Teamster jobs.”

The story began in May2004 at the Ford Mustangassembly plant in Dearborn,Michigan. For decades, Team-ster-represented companies,such as E&L Transportation,Cassens and Allied Trans-portation, hauled Mustangsfrom the Dearborn plant. Fordthen began producing Mus-tangs at the AutoAllianceInternational assembly plantin Flatrock, Michigan, 12 miles

away. Ford rebid the carhaulwork after the move and twononunion companies, Uni-mark and Grace Intermodal,won the bids.

Going to WorkMoore received early word ofthe future change and went towork. He contacted MarkGaffney, president of theMichigan State AFL-CIO, andDon Boggs, Metro DetroitAFL-CIO President. Moorealso enlisted the support ofUAW President Ron Gettelfin-ger, and Gerald Bantom, VicePresident of the UAW whoserves as director of the UAWNational Ford Department.Local 299 also got help from

Michigan political leaders.In early December, Local

299 made it clear that it wouldstrike over the loss of theTeamster jobs. A week later,the UAW was on board in sup-port of Local 299, telling Fordthat the Teamsters were seri-ous about striking. Ford thenasked for more time to rebidthe work, and promised that itwould rebid the work toTeamster-represented compa-nies only. Later in December,Ford contacted only Teamster-represented companies.

In early January, the prima-ry carhaul work went to E&L,with Allied and Cassens doingthe secondary work—allTeamster companies.

For the first time in twodecades, seven major rail-road unions have joined

together in the creation of theRail Labor Bargaining Coali-tion (RLBC) to coordinateupcoming contract negotia-tions with the rail carriers. Theseven unions of the coalitionrepresent nearly 85,000 railworkers from American rail-road corporations.

“This coalition is a greatexample of rail labor’s newstrength,” said Jim Hoffa,Teamsters General President.“For too long, rail employers

felt they had the upper hand innegotiating—this coalitionserves notice to them that it’sno longer business as usual.”

The RLBC will bargain col-lectively with the carriersregarding wages, rules andhealth and welfare notices. Thecoalition will develop a coordi-

nated contract negotiatingstrategy and each individualunion will not sign off on anytentative agreements with therail carriers until the coalitionmembers concur as prescribedby a coalition agreement.

“With serving notice to therail carriers to commence con-tract negotiations, this coalitionhas completed a first successfulstep toward developing a uni-fied bargaining strategy,” saidGeorge Francisco, coordinator

of the coalition and Presidentof the National Conference ofFiremen & Oilers (SEIU).

“This coalition is the reasonthe BLET and the BMWEmerged with the Teamstersunder the banner of the Team-sters Rail Conference,” saidJohn Murphy, Director of theTeamsters Rail Conference andan International Vice President.

Unified FrontBy presenting a unified frontat the bargaining table, mem-bers of the Rail Coalition havetaken an important step incombating rail management’sdivide-and-conquer bargain-ing strategy. That strategy fea-tures the coercion of individ-ual organizations into divisive

Rail Labor’s New StrengthCoalition Formed for Upcoming Negotiations

“This coalition is the reason the BLET and

the BMWE merged with the Teamsters

under the banner of the Teamsters Rail

Conference.” —JOHN MURPHY, DIRECTOR OF THE TEAMSTERS RAIL CONFERENCE

Local 299 Saves Carhaul Jobs200 Workers Keep Good-Paying Union Jobs


TEAMSTER -MADE

Eight O’Clock Coffee has been a staple ofthe American coffee drinker for more

than 86 years and has become one of themost identifiable names on the markettoday. Teamsters from Local 730 in Washington, D.C. produce this union-madecoffee in Cheverly, Maryland.

When you ask any of the 130 membersat the Eight O’Clock Coffee plant what theybelieve is the key to the success of their prod-uct, they all say the same thing—the people.

Eula M. Cleveland retired in 1994 as theRecording Secretary of Local 730 and trea-sures the 43 years she worked at EightO’Clock Coffee.

“I remember when there was nothingaround here but woods, a path and thatbuilding,” Cleveland said. “I have had thehonor of seeing so much over the years.”

The area around the building has devel-oped and that path has become a highway,but the Eight O’Clock Coffee plant stillremains. Cleveland understands the key to the longevity of the plant.

“You need good people to produce a good product,” Clevelandsaid. “Without the workers that have been through that plant over the

years, they would have never had the successthey enjoyed.”

Tradition of TeamworkJames Wiley Robertson has been a Team-ster since 1978 when he began working atthe plant.

“There was always a sense of teamworkhere,” Robertson said. “I was new but wastreated like part of the family right away by allthe older workers. We helped each other toget the job done.”

Robertson, who currently works as aroaster, has worked in every area of the plant,from the warehouse to shipping to blending.He is now one of the older workers, and hebelieves in offering the same respect andmentoring to new workers that he received.

Mark Beard remembers being immediate-ly accepted when he began working at EightO’Clock Coffee in 1995.

“When I first came here I quickly felt likeI was part of a team,” Beard said. “This plant is just like our country. Itis a melting pot of different ethnic groups working together as a teamtoward a common goal.”

Eight O’Clock Coffee—An American Tradition

contract settlements, whichthen are said to form a patternof substandard agreementsthat, in turn, are forced onother organizations throughover-long mediation, Emer-

gency Board proceedings orlegislation. A united coalitionwill restore balance to contractnegotiations.

“It would be unfortunatefor any rail union leader to not

be a part of this coalition,” saidFreddie N. Simpson, Presidentof the BMWED. “This coali-tion will prevent the carriersfrom whipsawing unions, largeand small alike, and will

strengthen all of raillabor at negotiations.”

On February 10,the RLBC met withHarry Hoglander, thechairman of theNational MediationBoard (NMB);Edward FitzmauriceJr., a member of theboard; and Larry Gibbons, the NMB’s Director ofMediation. Membersof the RLBCexplained the nature

of the RLBC, the reasons forits formation and the generalgoals of the coalition for thisround of negotiations.The coalition comprises thefollowing railroad unions:o Brotherhood of Maintenanceof Way Employes Division(BMWED);o Brotherhood of LocomotiveEngineers and Trainmen(BLET);o National Conference of Fire-men & Oilers (SEIU);o Brotherhood of Railroad Sig-nalmen (BRS);o Sheet Metal Workers Interna-tional Association (SMWIA);o International Brotherhoodof Boilermakers (IBB); ando American Train DispatchersAssociation (ATDA).

Capping an historic cam-paign, 169 casino work-ers represented by Local

89 in Louisville, Kentuckyrecently ratified their firstcontract with Caesars Indi-ana Riverboat Casino &Hotel in Elizabeth, Indiana.The contract is part of aninnovative agreementbetween the casino and localsfrom three unions.

The five-year contractguarantees annual wageincreases, features job-pro-tection language, and estab-lishes a minimum hourlywage, sick days and seniorityrights. Workers coveredinclude PBX (phone) opera-tors, valets, slots representa-tives, storeroom and ware-house workers, front deskemployees and bellpersons.

“Before, the companywould violate your seniority,choose your shift and sched-ule you without recognizingseniority,” said Ireatha Thur-mon, a PBX operator. “Mycoworkers and I are veryappreciative of Local 89 forgetting language that forcesthe company to recognizeseniority.”

Dignity and RespectThe successorship and sub-contracting language protectsworkers’ jobs and forcesfuture employers to adhere tothe language of the con-tract—Harrah’s Entertain-ment, Inc. is currently in theprocess of taking over Caesarsproperties.

“This was hard-foughtlanguage and the committeewould not leave the bargain-ing table without it,” saidCheryl Tipton, a slot repre-sentative.

“Some of these workershad been fighting for this forfour, five years,” said KevinEvans, a Local 89 businessagent. “With this, the workerswill get the dignity andrespect they deserve.”

Collaborative ApproachLocal 89 joined with UNITEHERE and the InternationalUnion of Operating Engi-neers to organize the casinoand hotel’s 800-plus employ-ees and secure their first con-tract.

“It was a great negotiatingexperience,” Evans said. “Nego-tiators from all three unionsworked out this contract.”

The resulting pact coversworkers from all three unionsand features clauses thataddress job-related issues ofthe various worker groups.The contract caps a formida-ble campaign that began witha card-check agreement lastMarch that allowed organizersto have access to the variouswork areas and lowered ten-

sion as the company agreed tostay neutral.

“When unions worktogether and employees havea voice in the workplace andbargain for fairness andequality, a strong contract will be the outcome,” saidFred Zuckerman, Local 89President.


TEAMSTER NEWS

In The CardsLocal 89 Teamsters at Caesars Win First Contract

“Before, the company would violate your seniority,

choose your shift and schedule you without

recognizing seniority. My coworkers and I are very

appreciative of Local 89 for getting language that

forces the company to recognize seniority.”

—PBX OPERATOR IREATHA THURMON, LOCAL 89


Approximately 700 con-struction workers, mem-bers of Local 631 in Las

Vegas, overwhelminglyapproved a three-year con-tract with the Nevada Con-tractor’s Association in Octo-ber. The contract, which fea-tures language solving trou-blesome jurisdictional issues,provided numerous gains forthe workers.

The new contract resolvesjurisdictional issues andincludes language that guar-antees work that has tradi-tionally gone to Teamsterswill stay Teamster work. Thelocal also now has the right totake the employers to arbitra-tion if they let anyone else butTeamsters perform those jobs.

“It is phenomenal,” said

Rickey Knight, Local 631’sPresident. Knight negotiatedthe contract with BusinessAgent Carl Hosmer.

“We couldn’t have gottena better result,” said LarryBennett, an 11-year Teamsterwho drives double-bellydump trucks. “We held ourground and we got every-thing we asked for.”

Other HighlightsVan Fleming, an 18-yearTeamster who has worked inLas Vegas for 10 years drivingheavy off-road equipment, saidseveral members asked him, astheir steward, to representthem on the contract commit-tee.“It’s a better contract thanthey’ve seen down there forquite a long time,”he said.

Other highlights of thecontract include:o An increase in the pensioncontribution;o A $1 increase for specialshifts outside workers’ nor-mal starting times;o A 25 cent per hour toolallowance;o 55 cents per hour for anapprenticeship program;o Increased vacation time;o Zone base increase of 50cents;o A $5.30 per hour payincrease over the life of thecontract;o Recall rights for laid-offworkers;o Health and welfare benefitsfor injured workers; ando A special equipment classi-fication that will result in a

minimum of 100 to 150 newTeamster jobs in the LasVegas area.

“The entire team workingon this agreement did atremendous job,” said EdBurke, Local 631’s Secretary-Treasurer. “To get this kindof money and this kind oflanguage change in a right-to-work state really makes adifference.”

Great Gains in Construction TradesLocal 631 Ratifies Historic Contract

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TEAMSTERS!TEAMSTERS ARE THE DRIVING FORCE IN MOTION PICTURES AND TELEVISION

LEANNE PLACEK held a walkie-talkie to her ear just out-

side of Stage 4 on the Walt Disney Studios lot in Burbank,

California. The stage, which resembles a small warehouse,

contains a variety of sets used on ABC’s Alias program. Placek, a

five-year Teamster and driver for Disney Studios, listened care-

fully to her transportation coordinator’s instructions, which

concerned the appearance of Alias’ star, Jennifer Garner.

“She’s in her trailer but she’ll be coming out in a couple ofminutes,” Placek explained.

Although the appearance of a Hollywood star might dazzlethe millions of people who watch Alias each week, Placek isprofessionally nonchalant. After all, Placek and her fellowTeamsters fully understand the duties involved with workingdaily with the biggest stars in television and movies, and thiswarm February morning was just another day of work forPlacek, Garner’s personal driver.

Placek explains that even with such close proximity tostars, she and her fellow drivers’ work is on just this side ofglamorous. Motioning toward one of several glistening whitetrailers parked just outside Stage 4, Placek explained her

duties. “I get Jennifer’s coffee every morning before I pick her upand bring her to the studio or, if we’re on location, to the shoot.”Throughout the day, Placek explained, “I drive, clean and main-tain her trailer, which involves fixing anything that needs to befixed, repairing things inside, keeping it clean. Also, I run errandsto pick up things she needs during the day.”

Her work has not gone unnoticed. Although the nature oftelevision and film productions demands that Teamsters work onprojects for only set amounts of time (say, during a 12-week filmshoot or a two-day commercial production). Garner is so wonover by Placek that she requested her services over the past fouryears at Alias plus as her driver for movies Garner has starred in,such as Thirteen Going on Thirty, Elektra and Daredevil.

A few moments later when Garner appears, it becomes clearwhy Placek has been Garner’s driver for so long: mutual respect.Garner pauses on her walk between her trailer and Stage 4 andtosses an arm around Placek.

“What can I say about Leanne and the Teamsters?” Garnersaid. “She’s great. I love the Teamsters!”

“Teamsters in the Motion Picture, Television and TheatricalTrades Division are highly skilled, hardworking members whocreate some of the most profitable and enjoyable products in theworld: film, television and theater productions,” said Jim Hoffa,Teamsters General President.

Rank-and-File StrengthIndeed, more than 10,000 Teamsters are the driving force behindsome of the most successful movie and television productions, dri-ving a variety of trucks and specialized vehicles to location shootsaround Hollywood, New York, Chicago and numerous states acrossthe country. In addition to film and TV, these Teamsters help createcountless commercials, Broadway productions and music videos.

“We have very strong rank-and-file members,” said Leo Reed,Local 399 Secretary-Treasurer and Director of the Motion PictureDivision. “They work long hours and work seamlessly with sisterunions. It’s hard when you’re not a permanent employee, but their


“TEAMSTERS IN THE MOTION PICTURE, TELEVISION AND

THEATRICAL TRADES DIVISION ARE HIGHLY SKILLED,HARDWORKING MEMBERS WHO CREATE SOME OF

THE MOST PROFITABLE AND ENJOYABLE PRODUCTS IN THE

WORLD: FILM, TELEVISION AND THEATER PRODUCTIONS.”— Jim Hoffa


Unparalleled ServiceNES MEMBERS EQUIP HOLLYWOOD’S HITS

Wander onto the sets of the most popular television shows andblockbuster motion pictures in Hollywood and you will see

Teamsters playing an integral role in the production. Name yourfavorite show or movie and there is a good chance that Local 399members that work for NES have been or are on the set.

This union shop is unique in its nature, as NES is the only equip-ment rental company solely dedicated to servicing the entertain-ment industry in the Los Angeles area. From boom and scissor liftsto forklifts and generators, these Teamsters provide approximately70 percent of the market share for the Hollywood studios.

Members at NES are proud to be a union shop, ratifying an out-standing four-year contract last year that secured some of the besthealth care and pension packages in the nation. Their pride is readilyapparent on all their equipment, which bears Local 399’s logo.

“Before we were union, we were just doing a job. Now we’re part ofa family,” said Bob Cope, a shop steward at NES. “There’s more interac-tion, more communication. It’s a better atmosphere altogether.”

Excited and HappyThe contract is highlighted by improvements in wages and the mem-bers’ participation in the Motion Picture Industry Health and Wel-fare Plan.

“The workers have gone from low wages and co-pays for medicalcoverage to two pensions, significant wage increases and full healthcare coverage,” said Tony Cousimano, President of Local 399. “Ourmembers at NES are excited and happy with this contract.”

The Motion Picture Industry Health and Welfare Plan is one ofthe richest in the industry—a strong and well-established plan that isdriven partially by DVD sales, providing residuals that are diverteddirectly into the fund.

“I am very excited that the employees at NES are able to partici-pate in the Motion Picture Industry Health and Welfare Plan,” saidMitch Masoner, a business agent for Local 399 “Leo (Reed) and Tony(Cousimano) were instrumental in getting this for NES members. It isgoing to make a huge difference for the families of these employeesfor the next 30 years.”

contract ensures their right to speak up and stand up for theirrights—and they do. They’re a fantastic group of workers whosupport each other.”

Based in North Hollywood, California, Local 399 representsthe most workers in the division, approximately 4,100 highlyskilled workers employed in an unexpectedly wide range oftrades, including vehicle drivers, horse wranglers, location man-agers and scouts, warehousemen and animal trainers.

Evidently the work is so good, some workers don’t want tostop. “The Teamsters are one of the greatest organizations Iknow of,” said 52-year Teamster Allan Falco during a break infilming at a CSI: Las Vegas location shoot in Hollywood.

A veteran of movies as varied as Annie, A Star Is Born and WhiteLine Fever, Falco, a semi-retired driver and transportation coordi-nator, is pleased with being able to work in the industry for morethan half a century.“I’ve always had lots of job security—I’ve neverhad to make out a resume,” he said.“Leo Reed and Local 399 do agreat job of standing up for our rights. I think being a Teamster is apretty good damn deal.”

At nearby Downey Studios, cook/driver Noel Reyes slicedasparagus for lunch. “For me, knowing that you’ll get fairly treat-ed for the work you do is a big thing,” said Reyes, a four-yearTeamster. “On nonunion jobs, I didn’t always get paid for what Idid. The Teamsters make sure I do. Plus, we all get along verywell together.”

Horse SenseSandy and J.J. have impressive resumes—particularly for horses.“They were in The Princess Diaries and Hidalgo,” said MikeBoyle, a 32-year Teamster, patting Sandy’s neck. “When you’re ona set with lots of people and loud noises, you need the horseswith the gentle dispositions. These two have it.”

Today, these quarterhorses are hitched to a wagon on Mike andShelly Boyle’s picturesque Simi Valley, California ranch, which wasin the movies even before Local 399 got its charter in 1930. Just as

Hollywood and New York City have alwaysbeen the most recognized and active areas

for television and motion picture production.However, thanks to new state-sponsored incen-tive programs, studios are bringing their busi-ness to new markets.

New Mexico and Louisiana have experienceda recent renaissance when it comes to movieand television production. New tax incentive pro-grams enacted by the two states are designed toattract studios by appealing to something theyare always watching—the bottom line.

“It started to boom in 2003 after New MexicoGov. Bill Richardson implemented the tax incentiveprogram,” said Moises Ortega, a business agent fromLocal 492 in Albuquerque. “New Mexico has alwaysbeen popular for Westerns but we are getting a wide

array of productions since this program started.”Louisiana has experienced an even greater

influx of business following the introduction ofthe state’s Motion Picture Incentive Act in 2003.The plan offers three options that studios cantake advantage of that include sales and use taxexclusion, employment and labor tax credit andan investor tax credit.

Outstanding Trend“It has been such a boom for us,” said O. P. Davis,a business agent at Local 270 in New Orleans. “Inthe past, we might do one or two movies. But nowwe have done at least 20 movies in the last twoyears and we have five movies going on right now.”

Louisiana has served as host to past filmsRay and Runaway Jury. Current projects include

feature-length films The Dukes of Hazzard, AllThe King’s Men and Lady Luck.

The success of Louisiana and New Mexico’splans has led to other states recognizing thefinancial benefits of attracting studios withincentive programs. Currently, there are morethan 30 states that offer some form of film taxincentive program. Recent states that havelaunched incentive programs include Mississippi,South Carolina and New York.

“This is an outstanding trend in the indus-try,” said Leo Reed, Secretary-Treasurer of Local399 in North Hollywood, California and Directorof the Motion Picture Division. “Not only will itbring more jobs to our members across thenation, but it will help stop studios from takingtheir projects outside the United States.”


“WE HAVE VERY STRONG RANK-AND-FILEMEMBERS. THEY WORK LONG HOURS AND WORK

SEAMLESSLY WITH SISTER UNIONS. IT’S HARD

WHEN YOU’RE NOT A PERMANENT EMPLOYEE, BUT

THEIR CONTRACT ENSURES THEIR RIGHT TOSPEAK UP AND STAND UP FOR THEIR RIGHTS—

AND THEY DO.”—Leo Reed, LOCAL 399 SECRETARY-TREASURER

AND DIRECTOR OF THE MOTION PICTURE DIVISION

Boosting BusinessINCENTIVE PROGRAMS INCREASE PRODUCTION

in generations before, the Boyles specialize in training and han-dling horses. Shelly trains the steeds and Mike is the wrangler.Their horses have appeared in countless productions, includingPlanet of the Apes television series, Budweiser commercials, CitySlickers, Back to the Future Part III and The Ring.

“Horses are just like kids, seven- or eight-year-olds,” Shelly said.“You have to get their confidence and make sure they don’t get hurt.”

The industry once relied heavily on wranglers such as Mikewhen Westerns ruled the marquee. The call for on-screen horseshas decreased since the days of John Wayne and Gene Autry,but the Teamsters stuck with these trainers and wranglers, andvice versa.

“There’s so much camaraderie in being a Teamster,” saidShelly. “It’s special to me, a group united to be successful.”

Mike agreed.“I enjoy the people I work with,” he said.“Team-ster members are some of the most skilled workers in Hollywood.”

Teamsters on BroadwayOn a chilly morning in front of the Belasco Theater in New YorkCity’s Broadway district, Teamsters unload stage lights from a 40-foot truck.

“We unload the lights before anything else,” said John Arena, a35-year member of Local 817 in Lake Success, New York. “Laterthis week, we’ll bring in the sound equipment, then unload thescenery and any props and special effects.”

“I love it here on Broadway,” Arena said. “I used to do featurefilms but those hours were much longer. This suits me.” It’s clear

that the Teamsters Union also suits him. “This union has got tobe the greatest. I can’t say enough about the union—it has givenme a great living.”

“It’s been a godsend to me,” said 25-year Teamster PatrickBentz, co-captain at the Third Watch shoot location in lowerManhattan. “The benefits and people I work with are fantastic.”

“Being a Teamster has been great,” said Robert L. Johnson, anelectrical truck driver and a 22-year member of Local 817.“I’ve beenable to make an honest living, I have security and I’ve been able to

Q&A: Leo T. Reed


T eamster magazine recently spoke with Leo T. Reed, Directorof the Teamsters Motion Picture Division, about the state of

the motion picture industry.

Q: How did the Teamstersoriginally become part of themotion picture industry?A: In 1928, a group of driversand wranglers in Hollywoodwere organized by Local 208. Ibelieve Local 817 in New Yorkwas chartered the same year.Then in 1930, Local 399 waschartered. These two locals arethe only locals in the unionwhere 100 percent of the

Teamster employees work solely in the entertainment business.

Q: What type of jobs do Teamsters that are part of the MotionPicture Division do?A: Our members do a lot of the same things other Teamsters doaround the nation. They are drivers, dispatchers, warehouseworkers and clerical workers. However, we do have positionsunique to the division like location managers, wranglers, wildanimal trainers, insert car drivers, high speed stunt drivers andChapman crane operators.

Q: Teamsters in the Motion Picture Division have some of thebest benefits in the union. What makes their benefits different?A: For the members at Local 399, most of the benefits are fromthe motion picture residuals that derive from pay television, freetelevision and DVD rentals and sales. Also, there are profits thatderive from commercial ships and airline television. The otherlocals have hourly contributions.

Q: What is the biggest challenge that the Motion Picture Division faces right now?A: Runaway productions, but there is a solution. You just have tolook to New Mexico and Louisiana’s success with their film taxincentive programs. They set the bar for such programs that aredesigned to attract studios to their areas instead of sending thework to other countries. But there is enough work for everyone.Tax incentive programs work. Competition is good as long as theplaying field is level. Everyone must change and we are preparedto shape our division with the times. However, it is important thatour legislature gets involved. Even without incentives here in Hol-lywood, we still do between 100 to 115 productions a day. If thegovernor introduces his own program in California and does whathe promised, look out!

provide for my family. Those are the most important things in life.”Formed when vaudeville shows were the entertainment of

choice, Local 817 is the oldest local in the Motion Picture Divi-sion. The local cares deeply about its members and its home: NewYork City. After the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, Local 817members drove trucks packed with vital supplies from the RedCross. Drivers also manned generator trucks and set up movie-setlighting to illuminate Ground Zero. Normally, Teamsters drivewater trucks used to produce rain-showers for television and movie productions, but from October 2001

through May 2002, Teamsters reduced airborne toxicdust generated from the site by spraying water fromthese trucks. Approximately 80 Local 817 membersworked long hours at the site.

“We were right there with the firemen, police offi-cers and construction workers,” said Jim Whalen,coordinator of Teamster drivers at Ground Zero.“Dust suppression was a big issue. We really felt likewe were contributing and making a difference.”

“We had such a great response that we couldn’t actually use allthe members who offered to help,” said 25-year member JimLeavey, who coordinated light service at the site. “That’s theTeamster way.”

Fighting to WinA single word was on Hollywood and New York Teamsters’minds in late February: Strike. “That’s the last thing we wanted,”Reed said. “But we would have if we had to. We fight to win.”

The impending strike hung upon the major studios recogniz-ing the casting directors—the people who select actors for film,

television and commercial productions—as Teamsters. “Ourgoals with joining the Teamsters are to secure a pension andhealth care plan,” said Hollywood casting director Gary Zucker-brod. “Also, right now, a producer or studio can arbitrarily with-hold payment from us. We want to change that and that’s why wewant to become Teamsters.”

Numerous stars, including George Clooney, Drew Barrymore,Cameron Diaz, Jennifer Garner, Samuel L. Jackson, Meg Ryan,Denzel Washington and Reese Witherspoon supported theTeamsters and casting directors, but the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP), the studios’bargaining body, refused to recognize the workers.

In early 2005, Reed and Thomas O’Donnell Sr., Local 817 Presi-dent and International Vice-President At-Large, established theirTeamster support network, securing pledges to honor Local 399 andLocal 817 picket lines if negotiations broke down and his memberswere forced to strike.

On February 1,O’Donnell, Reedand AMPTP offi-cials negotiated.After a strenuousday of give-and-take, a settlementwas reached.

The castingdirectors andassociates willdeclare theirintentions in aNational LaborRelations

Board-sanctioned election. “I was worried we weren’t going tomake it, but the Teamsters came through,” said casting directorCindy Tolan.

At a meeting of 400-plus casting directors the evening follow-ing the negotiations, the audience responded with a lengthystanding ovation when informed of the settlement and that therewould be no strike.

“The casting directors saw what the Teamsters would give upfor them and they appreciate that,” said Steve Dayan, a Local 399business agent who worked the past three years to bring the cast-ing directors into the union. “It’s a pretty powerful idea that peo-ple they don’t personally know would walk off the job for them.”


“RIGHT NOW, A PRODUCER OR STUDIO CAN

ARBITRARILY WITHHOLD PAYMENT FROM US.WE WANT TO CHANGE THAT AND THAT’S WHY WE WANT

TO BECOME TEAMSTERS.”—Gary Zuckerbrod, Hollywood Casting Director


hether it’s the hot and muggy sum-mers or the icy, sub-zero winters,

every minute waste haulers are exposed tothe elements while doing their job affectstheir health. And that’s not countingwhat’s in the bags of refuse they handle ona daily basis.

So it’s no surprise that when WasteManagement told its Teamster employeesin New Jersey that they wanted to cut theirhealth care and other benefits, workerswere enraged. And that’s when the mem-bers said enough is enough.

With the help of a dedicated StrikeFund, members of Local 701 in NorthBrunswick, New Jersey took to the streetsand made it known to the public and tomanagement that they didn’t like how theywere being treated—and they won.

On February 25, nearly 200 WasteManagement workers with Local 701ended their seven-week strike after ratify-ing a new five-year contract.

“Our members will now be part of adefined benefit pension plan in which theyare immediately vested,” said Ernie Soehl,President of Local 701. “The new contractalso corrects inequities in wages that wehad in certain job classifications.”

A Strong Strike FundA huge catalyst in winning the strike wasthe presence of the Teamsters Strike Fund.A dedicated Strike and Defense Fund wascreated as a result of the 2002 Special Con-

W

Ta k i n g

vention and, as a result, member benefitsincreased from $55 per week to 10 timesthe hourly rate per week. As of January2005, the Strike Fund’s balance was inexcess of $20 million.

“Our members stood together againstone of the nation’s largest employers—andwe salute them,” said Jim Hoffa, TeamstersGeneral President. “This is prime exampleof how our Strike Fund is an extremelyuseful tool whennegotiating, andfor our memberswhen they are onstrike.”

“Basically,without a strikefund, you don’tget paid whenyou’re on strike.Nobody canafford to just not get paid,” Soehl said.“Although it was tough for members tobe out on strike, we really appreciated thehelp of the Teamster Strike Fund. Theassistance from the Strike Fund is one ofthe best tools we have as Teamsters—it’s abig, big plus.”

Many ImprovementsThe strike that began on January 10affected trash pickup in Hamilton Town-ship, Hopewell Borough, Lawrence Town-ship, Princeton Borough and WashingtonTownship. Recycling pickup in Trenton

and East Windsor was also affected.Early in the strike, scabs struggled to

keep up with uncollected trash but couldn’tkeep pace with what the Teamsters hadbeen doing. In some areas, trash piled upfor days. In the end, Waste Managementcame back to the table with enoughincentives for the contract to pass by a 2-1 margin.

The contract features many improve-ments over theold one, includingan improveddefined benefitpension plan.Additionally, thenew contract corrects payinequities forworkers whothrow trash bags

onto trucks, residential truck drivers androll-off drivers. By the end of the fourthyear, all of the employees in the same jobclassification will be paid the same rate.

“Getting the equalization of wages ineach classification was important for us toget at the negotiating table,” said BobCastellano, the Local 701 business agentfor the striking workers. “The other bene-fits we got were important as well. We gotmanagement to maintain the co-pays intheir medical premiums and to enroll allthe workers in their pension plan withimmediate vesting rights.”

Helping OutAnother person who helped out during thestrike was Teamsters General Secretary-Treasurer Tom Keegel. He attended a rallyfor the striking workers, spoke to the groupand talked with individual members.

“It lifted everyone’s spirits to see Mr.Keegel out there standing side by side withus,” said James Armstrong, a Waste Management employee. “It showed thatthe Teamsters Union was looking out forus. It made us feel better about being onthe strike line.”

Armstrong said that while Keegel pro-vided a boost in spirits, Local 701 provid-ed real leadership during the strike.

“The local was great,” he said. “Notonly Ernie but Bob (Castellano). He waswith us every step of the way. Some of thebenefits our negotiating team got for usare going to make a lot of people happy—including me.”


“The assistance from theStrike Fund is one of thebest tools we have asTeamsters—it’s a big, bigplus.” – ERNIE SOEHL, PRESIDENT LOCAL 701

O u t Th e Tra s hNew Jersey Waste Haulers Win Strike, Credit Strike Fund

Teamsters Lobby Congressto Protect PensionsClockwise from top left:➤ Local 667 President Henry

Perry Jr., Rep. Lincoln Davis (D-TN), Joint Council 87Secretary-Treasurer W.C. Smith.➤ Local Union 89 President FredZuckerman, Rep. Ben Chandler(D-KY), Joint Council 94 President Jerry Vincent .➤ Ted Bilski and Carl Vonash ofTeamsters Local 142 and Rep.Peter Visclosky (D-IN)➤ International Vice PresidentJack Cipriani and Rep. BobEtheridge (D-NC).

R ETIREMENT SECURITY IN AMERICA IS UNDERATTACK. For generations,

Americans have relied on a combinationof personal savings, Social Security andpensions for their retirement incomes.These three sources make up the three-legged stool of retirement security. If youtake away any one of the legs, the stoolcollapses. Economic and political forcesare currently sawing away all three legs at once.

The combination of stagnating wagesand rising costs are making personal sav-ings a thing of the past. More than half ofall employees now live from paycheck topaycheck, according to a survey byMetLife. The figure goes up to 87 percentfor those earning less than $30,000 a year.Only 17 percent of workers put aside sav-ings for retirement in 2004, according to arecent CBS/New York Times poll.

Many working families have increasedtheir credit card spending or taken advan-tage of exceptionally low interest rates topull cash out of their homes. Total con-sumer credit outstanding is 30 percenthigher than in 1998. It is now over $2 tril-lion—a record—or about $19,000 perhousehold, excluding home mortgages.Including them adds another $7 trillion, or$66,500 per household. With the FederalReserve beginning to raise interest rates,many families are headed for bankruptcy.

Now Big Business is sawing away at thesecond leg—Social Security. They havecreated a “crisis” as a reason to privatizeSocial Security. This will reduce benefits

for retirees, increase the national debt by trillions of dollars and make billions forWall Street firms.

Unlike this fabricated Social Securitycrisis, pensions—the third leg of thestool—really are under siege. Today, themajority of Americansdon’t even have a pen-sion. Only 44 percentare covered by anemployer-sponsoredpension. The rest, over70 million, rely com-pletely on their savingsand Social Securitychecks for their retire-ment income, accordingto the U.S. Departmentof Labor.

Thanks to collectivebargaining agreements,Teamsters face muchmore secure retirementsthan nonunion workers. Fund trustees onboth the union and employer side areworking hard to make sure that the fundssurvive the national crisis. They are doingtheir best to maintain benefit levels in anincreasingly difficult environment. That iswhy the Teamsters Union is calling onCongress to provide legislative relief topension funds.

Defined Benefit Plans DecliningEmployer-sponsored pensions can bedefined benefit or defined contributionplans. Those fortunate enough to be cov-ered by a defined benefit plan have a more

certain future. Defined benefit plans guar-antee a monthly payment based on theworker’s age, years of service and earn-ings. Most Teamsters have defined benefitpensions.

Defined contribution plans, like401(k)s, place the responsibility and therisk on the individual investor. Not sur-prisingly, employers that offer pensionsare moving more and more to definedcontribution plans. There were 314,592defined contribution plans in 1978. Today,that number has gone up over two-and-a-half times to 840,301, according to theEmployee Benefit Research Institute and


Teamsters Fight forPension Protection

ASSAULT

Local 25 Trustee Colleen Brady, Joint Council 10Secretary-Treasurer David Laughton, BLETRepresentative John Tolman and Rep. RobSimmons (R-CT).

THEON PENSIONS

the Bureau of Labor Statistics.The opposite trend is true for defined

benefit plans. In 1978, there were morethan 128,000 defined benefit plans thatcovered 41 percent of the workforce. Today,there are only 26,000 such plans and theycover only 21 percent of the workforce.

Defined benefit plans, while more sta-bile than defined contribution plans, havealso been hit by the so-called perfectstorm of stock market declines, fallinginterest rates and changing demographics,leaving many of them underfunded. Alarge percentage of the workers in theseplans are union members.

Pension Rules Need to be FixedWhile the stock market is beginning torebound, pension rules require the fundsto maintain certain levels today in orderto meet future obligations. These fundingrequirements use interest rates to deter-mine how much is needed today. As aresult of the low interest rates and stockmarket declines of 2000 to 2002, manyfunds are facing funding problems. Thatis why the Teamsters Union and othergroups are calling for Congress to providerelief to multi-employer pension funds.The relief would give the funds the

breathing room they need.Failure to provide relief could force

plans to collapse. When a plan fails, thePension Benefit Guaranty Corporation(PBGC) takes over the insolvent fund andassumes financial responsibility for payingretiree pensions, most often at a reducedlevel. Currently, the PBGC provides insur-ance for the 44 million American workersin the 26,000 remaining private definedbenefit pension plans.

Moreover, with so many plans havingtrouble, the PBGC has been forced to runa deficit. There are now a record numberof underfunded pension plans. In 2000,the PBGC was 23 percent overfunded.Not anymore. The PBGC’s deficit reached$23.3 billion in 2004 for defined benefitplans.

Inaction in WashingtonEarlier this year, the administration pro-posed increasing the premiums thatPBGC-covered employers pay to bolster theagency. Unfortunately, this doesn’t addressthe systemic problems, hurts employersand does not provide enough real help tothe PBGC to bail it out anyway.

Last year, Congress stepped into thepension crisis last year and passed legisla-


➤ ➤ ➤ ➤ Union power comesfrom the solidarity of union mem-bers. For decades, union membershave stood together to fight forbetter wages, benefits and work-ing conditions. They have alsofought to create a better societyfor all. Unions have been instru-mental in the civil rights move-ment, the fight for equal rights forwomen, child labor laws and envi-ronmental protections.

Today, union pension funds are using that same power of solidarity to fight for change in corporate America.

Union pension funds are using their power as institu-tional investors to bring about corporate reforms. Thefunds control sizable blocks of stock. This means theycan wield power in the boardroom. This power has beenused to curtail union-busting policies, to foster betterlabor relations and to get employees better treatment onthe job. The funds have also used their leverage to getcompanies to stop polluting the environment. In the wake

of the scandals at Enron (which cost public pensions$300 billion), WorldCom, Marsh & McLennan and oth-ers, union pension funds are leading the fight for corpo-rate accountability.

“The Terminator”Just as union pension funds are starting to make animpact, some corporate leaders and their allies in Congressare working hard to take away that power. Governor ArnoldSchwarzenegger is attacking California’s public sector work-ers for that very reason. The California Public EmployeeRetirement System (CalPERS) is the largest union pensionfund in the country and is well known for its stockholderactivism. The CalPERS president was recently ousted for hisactivism, and Schwarzenegger suggested converting publicsector defined benefit pensions into 401(k) plans.

Replacing defined benefit pensions with 401(k)accounts takes away union power. If everyone has theirown individual account, the group purchasing power ofunion benefit funds will disappear.

Just as workers are gaining the power to fix problemsin corporate America from the top, this attack on pen-sions is working to take the legs out from under the unionpension funds.

Pension PowerUnder Attack

Retirement Security and Teamster Pensions

➤ 59 percent expect that they willbe able to make ends meet during retire-ment through a combination of their pen-sion, 401(k), savings and Social Security➤ 80 percent think that their pen-sion will be as good or better than thoseof their nonunion friends

The Assault on Pensions➤ 84 percent are more concernedtoday about their pension benefits thanthey were five years ago➤ 19 percent blame general eco-nomic conditions; 18 percent blame bigcorporations and 17 percent blamepoliticians in Washington for problemsfacing pensions today

➤ 64 percent say that Congress andthe President are not providing the neces-sary help that pension plans need

Social Security➤ 72 percent say that PresidentBush’s Social Security plan will cause bene-fit cuts➤ 78 percent say that Wall Streetinvestment firms will be the big winners ifPresident Bush’s Social Security plan goesthrough➤ 70 percent favor repealing theBush tax cut for the wealthiest and invest-ing that revenue to fix Social Security

According to the results of a recent poll of800 Teamster members across the country.

Wha

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Thin

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tion that provided some relief to single-employer pension plans. Unfortunately, thelegislation provided no help to multi-employer plans. Moreover, the relief wasonly temporary; a two-year band-aid. Con-gress will need to act again. Hopefully, itwill find a long-term solution this timearound.

Pensions are supposed to provideretirement security. They are part of thesocial contract. You participate in theworkforce and, based on that participa-tion, money that workers set aside pro-vides income during their retirement.Today, thanks to a variety of factors, thesocial contract is being torn up andAmerican workers are being left trying tofind ways to pay the rent, buy food and beable to afford medical care during their“golden” years.


➤ ➤ ➤ ➤ Any so-called “fix” to SocialSecurity that doesn’t address the problemsfacing the program will make them worse—and make retirement unaffordable for many retirees.

Social Security is a program that pro-vides guaranteed income to retirees, familymembers of workers who die and people withdisabilities. Currently, it helps more than 47 million people each year.

The program was started in 1935 byPresident Franklin Delano Roosevelt as aresponse to the stock market crash of 1929that led to the Great Depression. The crashforced 50 percent of the elderly into poverty.FDR created Social Security to provideretirees with a defined benefit to keep themout of poverty.

Futures at RiskWhy would anyone want to reverse the entire program and have Americans risk thesecurity of their retirements in the volatilestock market?

Big Business says that Social Security isfacing a crisis and will soon be unable to

pay out benefits. Economists disagree.They say that the program will contin-ue to run a surplus until 2018 andwill be able to meet its obligationsuntil at least 2042. If no changesare made, the program will still beable to pay out 70 percent of its

promised benefits after 2042. Withsome small adjustments, however, the

program will remain healthy for decadesand decades.

It is also interesting that privitizationplans do nothing to address this so-called cri-sis. In fact, private accounts will make itworse. These accounts will pull money out ofSocial Security as people invest in the stock

market. In the short-term, that withdraw-al will actually make the funding prob-

lem worse and will saddle future gen-erations with $4.9 trillion in debt inthe first 20 years alone.

Benefits Will DropAnd then there is the effects on

retirement income. Privatization willchange Social Security from a defined

benefit plan to a defined contributionplan. Workers will have no idea of what

they’re monthly benefits will be under theproposal.

But there is one thing that will be cer-tain: monthly benefits will go down. The aver-age worker will lose out on $152,000 over a20-year retirement, according to the Centerfor Economic Policy Research. The govern-ment will take away 70 cents in benefits onevery dollar in a private account—after reduc-ing benefits by 40 percent to start with.

According to calculations by Sen. ChuckSchumer (D-NY), workers born in 1967 earn-ing $55,000 a year would get $23,500 ayear under the current system and only$18,899 under the Bush plan; a 23-year-oldearning $24,000 would get $16,581 underSocial Security and $11,211 under the Bushproposal. (Visit www.schumer.senate.gov touse his pension calculator.)

Wall Street BoondoggleSocial Security has been very successful atreducing the poverty rate among the elderly.By 1960, the rate was down from 50 percentto 35 percent. Today, the rate has dropped to10 percent. The reduction in benefits willreverse this trend and make worse the prob-lem that Social Security was created to fix.

Privatization advocates say that their pro-gram will be an improvement because bene-fits can be passed on to the next generation.What they don’t say is that because of thereductions in benefits under their plan, therewill likely be nothing left to pass on anyway.

Where is all the money going? Start bylooking at the Wall Street firms that areadministering the accounts. The firms thatBush and Congress select to control theaccounts stand to make billions. For starters,they will charge administrative fees of 12 to14 percent. Today, administrative costs areless than one cent per dollar paid out.

Social Security does have its problems,but some relatively minor changes can solidi-fy the system. Repealing just one percent ofBush’s tax breaks for the wealthy would allowthe program to provide guaranteed monthlybenefits for generations of retirees.

The Myths of SocialSecurity Reform

7.5 million survivors

7.8 million people with disabilities

32.1 million retirees

47 million total

How important is Social Security?

Who does Social Security help?

of recipients count onSocial Security for 50 percent ormore of their retirement income

65%

count on Social Securityfor 100 percent or more of their retirement income

count on Social Securityfor 90 percent or more of theirretirement income

33%

Source: Social Security Administration

20%

When Patrick Maddy, aChicago-area driver forJay’s Potato Chips, saw

Teamsters rallying outside theplant in support of him andother Jay’s drivers recently, itgave the weary Maddy a majorboost.

“It made me feel greatbecause I knew we weren’t byourselves,” said Maddy, whoalong with 40 other driversrecently voted to becomeTeamsters. “Management triedto block us from talking to theTeamsters. When I was donewith my shift, I stood out inthe cold with those guys.”

Maddy is weary because heoften works 60 hours per week.He works on a straight com-mission so those extra hoursdon’t pay overtime, and thatalso means being away fromhis family. Maddy would like tosee a system where the driversget a base pay, commission anda sliding overtime scale similarto Frito-Lay drivers.

‘Worked to Death’“I joined the Teamstersbecause I don’t want to beworked to death,” said Maddy,who has worked at Jay’s forthree years. “The Teamsters are

my salvation. They are thelight at the end of the tunnel.”

The Jay’s Potato Chipsworkers in South Holland, Illi-nois now belong to Local 734in Chicago.

“This election shows thatthe Jay’s Potato Chips workerswant a strong voice in theworkplace,” said Brian Meidel,Local 734’s President.

Health care is a primaryconcern for the Jay’s drivers.“Joining the Teamsters Unionputs these drivers on track forthe affordable health care cov-erage they are seeking,” saidScott Kunz, a Local 734 busi-ness agent.

Teamsters Turn OutDuring the rally Maddyattended, more than 20 Team-sters from across the

Chicagoland area gathered tosupport the workers. A Team-ster tractor-trailer rig was alsoparked nearby. The organizingcommittee listened to workers’concerns, educating them onthe benefits of union member-ship and developing strategiesto bring needed changes to theworkplace.

“The rally was a veryimportant event because wewere trying to move the orga-nizing process forward andshow a united front to Jay’smanagement,” Meidel said.

Maddy is looking forwardto working under a Teamstercontract.

“I’m tired of the companydragging everything out of usand not giving us any dignityin return,” he said

ORGANIZINGORGANIZING

20 TEAMS T E R | M AY 2 0 0 5 | w ww . t e am s t e r. o r g

Chipping InTeamsters Rally for Potato Chip Drivers

B L E T

N.E. Central Railroad

Train and engine workers atthe New England CentralRailroad (NECR) selected

the Brotherhood of Locomo-tive Engineers and Trainmen(BLET)/Teamsters as their des-ignated collective bargainingrepresentative.

The shortline organizingvictory marks the second timein recent months that operat-ing employees have voted infavor of superior representa-tion from the AFL-CIO-affili-ated BLET/Teamsters Unioninstead of the non-affiliatedUnited Transportation Union.Last July, 60 trainmen at theWheeling & Lake Erie Railwayalso voted to join theBLET/Teamsters Unioninstead of the non-affiliate.

It was the BLET’s 11th suc-cessful shortline organizingvictory in the past three years.

“I welcome our new brothersand sisters into the House ofLabor and thank them for vot-ing for the BLET,” said DonHahs, BLET President.“We willnow begin the process of negoti-ating a new contract to improvethe wages, benefits and standardof living for these workers.”

L O C A L S 3 3 2 , 3 3 9

Richfield Management

Workers at Richfield Man-agement LLC, a Michi-gan solid waste hauling

company, voted by more thana 2-1 margin to join Locals 332and 339.

The drivers, loaders,jumpers and shop mechanics atthe company’s three locationsvoted 49-23 to join the Team-sters. There are a total of 82

workers at the three locations.Workers are seeking respect

and fair treatment at work,more affordable health insur-ance coverage and competitivepay, said Marian Novak, anorganizer with Joint Council43 in Detroit.

Workers at Richfield’s BadAxe and Port Huron centerswill become members of Local339 in Port Huron, whileworkers at the Flint center willjoin Local 332 in Flint. Novakassisted Local 339 PresidentRon Hreha and Local 339Business Agent Dale Taylor, aswell as Local 332 BusinessAgent Rick Hodgeson, withthe 2.5-month organizingcampaign.

L O C A L 7 4 7

Corporate Air

Pilots at Corporate Air,based in Smyrna, Ten-nessee, resoundingly voted

to join Local 747, the Houston,Texas-based local that repre-sents workers from severalregional airlines.

By a 36-17 tally, the nearly70 pilots—who are based nearSt. Louis and Nashville, Ten-nessee—voted in favor ofTeamster representation. Thequest for unity, job securityand a stronger voice in theworkplace were the majorissues of the campaign.

“We were looking for aunion to bring us together,”said Corporate Air pilot JohnStevens. “Lots of our friendswho are pilots at ChautauquaAirlines, an airline that’s simi-lar to Corporate Air, spokehighly of their representationby the Teamsters Union. Thatmade it easier for us to selectthe Teamsters.”

L O C A L 2 9 9

Cordin Transport

Workers at Cordin Trans-port in Dearborn, Michi-gan, a carhaul company,

have voted to join Local 299 inDetroit.

The workers, who voted 7-1to join the Teamsters, are con-cerned about fair wages andbenefits.

“Organizing is our top pri-ority here at Local 299. During2004—my first year in office—we organized 350 members,and this is a great way to startthe new year,” said KevinMoore, Local 299 President. “Iam committed to growing ourmembership.”

L O C A L 7 2 8

BFI/Allied Waste

Sixteen workers atBFI/Allied Waste transferstations in Marble Mill,

Smyrna and East Point,Georgia unanimously voted to form a union with Local 728 in Atlanta.

“I know that voting for theTeamsters will bring us a loudvoice on the job. Our employerhears us now,” said CarolynLovett, a scale house worker inMarble Mill.

“I voted for the Teamstersbecause I need job security formy family,”said Michael Samuels,a loader at Marble Mill.

The Atlanta-area workersjoin more than 1,275 BFI/AlliedWaste workers across the coun-try who have voted for Teamsterrepresentation. As a result of acampaign that has been inprogress since last year, there arenow 500 Teamsters at BFI/Allied Waste facilities in Alaba-ma, Florida and Georgia.

L O C A L 9 9 1

BFI/Allied Waste

Ten workers at an AlliedWaste/BFI landfill in Tim-berlands, Alabama voted by

a majority to form a unionwith Local 991 in Mobile.

“This is a great victory. AsTeamster members, we canfinally get the dignity andrespect we deserve,” said Lavon“Rooster” Lindsey, an equip-ment operator.

Workers at these facilitieswant improvements in theirwage scales, job rules and inworkplace safety.

L O C A L 7 2 7

Doubletree Guest Suites

Bellpersons and doorper-sons at downtown Chica-go’s Doubletree Guest

Suites now have a strongervoice after voting to join Local727 in Chicago.

The seven workers voted 2-1 in favor of Teamster repre-sentation.

After influence from thecompany, the workers decerti-fied the Teamsters Union in2002. After nearly two yearswithout union representation,the workers contacted Local727 to rejoin the union.

“The workers were subject-ed to a complete imbalance ofpower once the Teamsters didnot represent them,” said BenAffetto, a Local 727 organizer.“When that happened, theworkers felt that they neededto have a stronger voice wherethey work.”



When Paul Engel returns from serving in theArmy in Iraq, he knows what will be waiting forhim at work: his job, seniority, benefits and,most important, his Teamster contract.

Soldiers returning from the armed services overseas have cer-tain rights that protect them when they go back to their old job,but only union contracts can guarantee certain things upontheir return.

“When I get back home, I’ll be able to keep my senioritywith my peers in construction,” Engel said. “The local hasalways supported me every time I have had to go away withthe Army. No company I have ever worked for has given mea hard time about going away like this because of the con-tracts the Teamsters have won for us.”

First Lt. Paul Engel has been a Teamster for 11 years andworked for many different union companies. He workedfor UPS as a casual driver for three years and, before hewas deployed, he was a shop steward at a construction

company. Engel is a member of Local 294 in Albany, New York.For the Army, he is a UH-60 Blackhawk helicopter pilot who is

the Headquarters Company Commander for the 42nd AviationBrigade out of New York. Engel was placed on active duty in May2004 and landed in Iraq in January after training at Fort Dix inNew Jersey.

ComingComingTeamsters Protect Seniority, Employment Rights of Returning Soldiers


“American men and women put their lives at risk serving inthe armed forces, whether they enlist or are called up through theNational Guard,” said Jim Hoffa, Teamsters General President.“When they return to the country, they should be able to go backto work with all the same benefits as when they left. That’s whyTeamster contracts are so valuable to many of these men andwomen. It protects their job and their seniority.”

Helmets to Hardhats The Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment RightsAct of 1994 (USERRA) is the law protecting men and womenserving overseas. It protects the service member’s right to obtainpost-service civilian employment, or return to pre-serviceemployment, without paying any penalty for time in the military.

But the law doesn’t protect seniority. The Teamsters do.Another important way the Teamsters are helping is by partici-pating in a program called Helmets to Hardhats. This is an orga-nization that eases the passage from military life back to civilianlife and provides the best career opportunities to those workingin the building and construction trades.

Helmets to Hardhats collects information about the bestcareer opportunities in those fields and provides former militarypersonnel with that information. Candidates can access informa-tion about those careers or apprenticeships at their web site at

www.helmetstohardhats.org. Theorganization has already helped countless military per-sonnel transition to union jobs.

“When I was getting ready to leave Iraq, I just wanted to find agood job that would enable me to support my family,” said BrianVitale. He was with the Army in the Middle East before movingback Idaho. When he got back he heard about Helmets to Hard-hats and the service they provided to veterans. It wasn’t longbefore he had a union job and was a member of Local 670 inBoise, Idaho.

“As a Teamster now, I receive excellent medical benefits, greatemployee representation and excellent pay,” he said. “I am veryhappy that I was able to find such a great career with the help ofHelmets to Hardhats and the Teamsters Union. It is nice to knowthat unions look out for working Americans like myself that haveserved our country.”

No Seniority LossSome Teamsters who have already returned from active duty inIraq have seen firsthand the benefits of a Teamster contract afterbeing stationed overseas. Sgt. Anthony Floyd, a Teamster fromLocal 661 in Cincinnati, returned from active duty last year.

“I didn’t have any trouble getting back to work or getting myseniority back,” Floyd said. “In fact, on my first day back, every-

HomeHome


It started out as a simple wish by some retired Teamsters to senda Christmas tree to soldiers deployed in Iraq. It turned into muchmore. Les Lippencott, 70, President of the Retired Teamsters of

New Jersey, was at a dental office when he started talking to a nurseworking there.

“She looked kind of sad and told me her husband was in Iraq. Ithit me like a ton of bricks,” he said. “I asked what the Teamsterscould do for her.”

It hit so close to home for Lippencott because he not only foughtin Korea but he was with the National Guard for 23 years. He knowswhat it’s like to be deployed overseas and he knows what it’s like tobe away from family during the holidays.

Lippencott asked her for the name of her husband, the informa-tion about where in the country he was deployed and what he mightneed in Iraq that the Teamsters could get for him.

“She said, ‘He needs a Christmas tree.’ I said, ‘Uh oh,’” Lippen-cott said.

Community ServiceThe Retired Teamsters of New Jersey has a long his-tory of community service, so the members con-tributed to the cause when Lippencott told themabout the soldier needing a Christmas tree. It didn’ttake long for him to raise $220 for it.

“We went to a vendor that one of our Teamsterdrivers goes to who manufactures artificial Christ-mas trees that are already decorated,” he said. “Thetrees are about $270 and I was going to cover thedifference. Well, once he found out what it was forhe said it was on him. So now what do we do withthis money we raised?”

He went to the National Guard Armory in hisarea and told them the situation, then asked for thenames of some families who had parents deployedto Iraq. The armory gave him the names and ages ofchildren who had parents over there and Lippencott

and other members of the retired Teamsters club went shopping forChristmas gifts for them. The tree was sent to the troops through theTeaneck Armory, the home of the Army National Guard’s 50th MainSupport Battalion.

Delivering JoyAlong with Peter Mancuso, 71, the Vice President of the club, Lip-pencott donned a Santa suit and delivered the gifts to kids rangingin age from 8 months to 4 years old in Bergen and Passaic counties.

“This was just a chance to show that the Teamsters are goodpeople and we know what family support is about,” Lippencott said.“I’ll tell you, money could not pay for the feeling you get when you dothis. It’s the most amazing thing.”

As a Teamster, Lippencott was a driver for Wilson Freight for 30years. He was one of the youngest to retire, he said, because of hisTeamster pension.

“You can retire from your job but your heart and soul always staywith the Teamsters,” he said.

Retirees Give Gifts to Children of Deployed Troops

Santa Is A TeamsterSanta

one was happy to see me. They had a ‘Sgt.Floyd Day’ dedicated to my safe returnand gave me a luncheon and presented mewith a plaque.”

Floyd was in Iraq for 13 months with the705th Transportation Company and wasstationed in Balad, about 50 miles north ofBaghdad. His unit hauled jet fuel in a con-voy and delivered it wherever it was need-ed—including many dangerous areas.Floyd said that during his time in Iraq, hisconvoy was ambushed 38 times.

“While Sgt. Floyd was in Iraq, hisTeamster buddies at Zenith Logistics inCincinnati collected money and puttogether care packages for him with vari-ous things he needed,” said Dan Kindle,Vice President of Local 661. “They’re allrelieved he’s returned safely and we’re allproud of him here at the local. He’s a greatguy, a hard worker and a proud Teamster.”

Other Teamsters in IraqSome members in Iraq are not serving inthe armed services but are there for theirTeamster jobs. Jack V. Pihl is a member ofLocal 512 as a mechanic for the Naval AirDepot (NADEP) in Jacksonville, Florida.

“Pihl is there working on Navy jets,”said Mark Andrews, Recording Secretaryfor Local 512 in Jacksonville and businessagent for the NADEP Teamsters. “We’reall very proud of the work he’s doing over there.”

There are 120 different occupations forTeamsters at NADEP—most of them aredifferent types of aircraft mechanics orsheet metal mechanics, though there aredozens of other classifications.

Often, these Teamsters have to travel toother parts of the world to repair Navy air-craft and Pihl happens to be one of thoseright now, working side by side with hisTeamster brothers and sisters serving inthe armed forces.

“As a Teamster, a lot of the time there isan ‘us against them’ situation with man-agement on the job,” Engel said. “Here, asa commissioned officer, I am ‘them.’ I have105 people under me. Since I have dealtwith hostile employers in the past, I knowhow an employer should treat theircharges. I credit the good working rela-tionship I have with my soldiers to myexperiences with the Teamsters Union.”


Roy Gillespie of Local 600 in St. Louis waslistening to a local radio talk show whena woman called in to talk about her son.

He was in the Army and stationed in the Middle East and shetalked about what the troops there needed and she and the talk show hostbemoaned that they didn’t know how to get it done. So Gillespie called in.

“I told them I was a Human Rights Commissioner with the Teamsters Union andsaid we can get a drive organized and moved overseas,” he said. “The broadcast wason a Thursday. One week later, we were doing a live broadcast and people were con-tributing.”

Gillespie, the Teamsters and the radio station, KMOX, started out with a goal ofraising money and supplies. They got more than 43 tons of material then raisedmore than $50,000 for more supplies and for shipping the goods.

Dan McKay, President of Local 600 and Joint Council 13, was instrumental inrounding up supplies and support for the endeavor, as was Fred Gegare, Internation-al Vice President and Secretary-Treasurer of Local 75 in Green Bay, Wisconsin.

Gillespie’s local is one of many that have done good deeds for the troops overseas.

Other LocalsRick Thompson, Secretary-Treasurer of Local 325 in Rockford, Illinois, got his localinvolved with a group called Freedom Packages, a group of volunteers that collectand send care packages to troops in the Middle East. To date, they have shippedapproximately 1,000 cases of packages overseas.

At Local 251 in Providence, Rhode Island, members of the community donatedshaving cream, razors, socks and other personal items. The local’s members andother volunteers then prepared about 2,000 individual boxes for members of theRhode Island National Guard serving in the Gulf.

“We filled three tractor trailers,” said Steve Labrie, a Local 251 business agent.Members of Local 41 in Kansas City, Missouri have worked with the local and

Yellow Transportation to collect and ship supplies overseas. Jeanne Ishikawa of Local996 in Honolulu, Hawaii said her local helped put on a farewell luncheon for troopsbeing deployed. More than 1,500 people attended.

Ishikawa said it’s important for the union to participate in events like thisbecause they are a part of the community. And in a community as small as theirs,everyone knows someone or is related to someone in the Hawaii Army NationalGuard, including many Teamsters.

“This is what the Teamsters stand for,” she said. “We treat people fairly anddecently, whether it’s people’s wages or comforting those going off to war.”

Lending A HandLocals do Their Part for the Troops

Union SeeksUPS and FreightMembers’ Support inOrganizing Campaign


rlando Diaz workshard delivering pack-ages for DHL, but thecompany doesn’tdeliver for him.

For all his sweatand dedication, Diaz gets low wages andno health insurance.

Diaz, a native of Cuba, hopes to changethat soon. Diaz and his coworkers atClark, Inc., a DHL independent cartagecontractor (ICC), voted recently to joinLocal 150 in Sacramento, California.

“Now we can speak as a group. I nowfeel I have a voice and I can talk to myboss without being afraid,” Diaz said. “It’snot only for me, it’s for all of my cowork-ers. They were really afraid to speak out.”

The workers’ victory in Sacramento isjust one example of the Teamsters’ orga-nizing success at the ICCs. As of earlyMarch, 950 workers at 36 ICCs had votedto join the Teamsters.

UPS Drivers HelpThe campaign will soon be getting aboost. In the coming months, UPS andfreight Teamsters will have the chance toplay a critical role in helping to organizedrivers at rival DHL.

Because UPS and freight drivers oftencross paths with the DHL drivers, theunion is asking for the Teamster drivers’help. The union is asking UPS and freightdrivers who are on their breaks to stopand talk with the employees of the ICCs.UPS and freight drivers will ask DHL dri-vers to sign up for information about theunion’s organizing campaign.

“Our UPS and freight members canplay a key role in the organizing campaign,”said Ken Hall, Director of the Parcel andSmall Package Division. “We have negoti-ated the best contracts in the industry atUPS, and we should spread the word tothese underpaid, non-represented workersabout the benefits of joining the Teamsters.”

Some UPS members have alreadyhelped. Mary Anne Hicks, a UPS workerand member of Local 413 in Columbus,

Ohio, attended an organizer-trainingworkshop recently. Later, Hicks visited thehomes of DHL independent cartage con-tractors to talk about the Teamsters.

“I answered questions and addressedtheir concerns. I opened their eyes to therights they would have as a union mem-ber,” Hicks said.

Potential MembersDeutsche Post owns DHL and the Ger-man government is a majority owner.With 2002 revenues of $47.3 billion, com-pared to $31.3 billion for UPS, the compa-ny is spending more than $1 billion tocompete directly with UPS and FedEx inthe United States.

“We want to give these DHL workers astrong voice,” said Tyson Johnson, Direc-tor of the Teamsters Freight Division.“FedEx is nonunion and we don’t wantDHL to head in that direction. Havingtwo of the three major package-deliverycompanies unionized will help our mem-bers at both companies and help us nego-tiate the strongest contracts.”

The union estimates that upwards of9,000 workers at the ICCs can be organized.In addition, the Teamsters represent morethan 9,000 separate DHL workers who hadworked at Airborne Express, which DHLbought in 2003. This number includesabout 800 pilots employed by ABX Airthroughout the United States, representedby Local 1224 in Wilmington, Ohio, andabout 8,000 drivers, dockworkers and cler-ical workers under the National MasterFreight Agreement (NMFA) and whitepaper contracts with Airborne Express.

‘American Dream’Diaz and other workers at the ICCs arehappy to have a voice on the job.

“I’m living the American Dream,” saidWayne Jackson, an employee of S Cargo, aDHL ICC in Corpus Christi, Texas, whereworkers voted last fall to join Local 657 inSan Antonio. “The way to live the Ameri-can dream is to stand up for your rights.Our Teamsters Union lets us do that by

coming together and standing as one.”Geronimo Ruiz Jr., an employee at

JMK, Inc. in Laredo, Texas, agreed.“I’m supporting our union because we

need more respect and better treatmentfrom management,”Ruiz said.“We also needbetter pay, job security and benefits.These are things we would never get frommanagement without the Teamsters.”

Contract RatifiedWorkers at North Coast Express, Inc., anICC in the state of Washington, ratified acontract that provides wage increases andimproved benefits across the board. Theworkers belong to Local 252 in Centraliaand Local 58 in Vancouver.

The contract, which runs until April2006, includes pay raises ranging from$1.50 to $2.50 per hour. It also includesfull medical coverage, paid time off forjury duty, sick leave, vacations, funeralleave and six paid holidays—all firsts forthe workers.

The contract also provides for pensioncontributions by the company, guaranteedwork weeks, overtime after 40 hoursworked, and an impartial procedure toaddress and settle workers’ grievances withmanagement. In addition, the contract hasa card-check recognition procedure thatwill give workers at the company’s thirdlocation an easier way to join the union.

A Huge ImpactOne of the dozen or so recent victories atthe ICCs included drivers at ServiceAmerica Corp. who overwhelminglyvoted to join Local 633 in Manchester,New Hampshire.

“Wages, accessibility to health care, jobsecurity and overall working conditions werethe workers’ big issues,” said Kevin Foley, aLocal 633 business agent.“The company wasputting the shaft to these workers.”

“UPS drivers at a nearby facility had ahuge impact,” Foley said. “UPS stewardsand drivers encouraged these employeesto join the Teamsters—our members areour best organizers.”


In a few short years, Ron Hackett’s family has turned into a Teamster stronghold. Hackett, four of his six children, his wife,nieces, nephews and cousins have all joined the union in Denver.Hackett has been an electrician for the city of Denver for six

years. Prior to that, he was a union member and a police officer inthe city for 20 years, so he has perspective when it comes to thebenefits of representation.

“One of the main reasons we wanted the Teamsters wasbecause of their reputation,” Hackett said. “I’ve got cousins thatare truck drivers who belong to the Teamsters and they say noth-ing but good things. Also, I worked for UPS a long time ago andwas a Teamster then and was always impressed with their work.”

It all started in 2003 when the Denver city charter was changedgiving elected leaders the power to set city workers’ salaries. That’swhen the Teamsters Union stepped in and started organizingworkers in the city and county of Denver. It didn’t take long for anew local union to get a charter and Local 2004 was born. Sincethen, more than 750 workers have signed on to the local.

“What we truly want to get for these workers is a seat at thetable,” said Ed Bagwell, Trustee of Local 2004.“We have to be ableto take control of their wages and benefits from the city council and

the mayor and put it back in their hands.”

Righting WrongsRight now, Local 2004 represents a diverse array of

public services employees, including wasteworkers, electricians, mechanics, 911 dispatch-ers and even coroners.

RecruitingIn TheRockies

RecruitingIn TheRockies


“Much of last year’s

surge in unionism can

be attributed to the

Teamsters’ organizing

drive” – THE DENVER POST

DENVER’S LOCAL 2004ORGANIZES HUNDREDSOF NEW MEMBERS

“The workers approached the Teamsters because they wanteda union that can help right some wrongs,” Bagwell said. “Whencontrol of their wages and benefits was taken away, they all real-ized how politically charged this was. The mayor will do what hethinks is best for the city and the employees are just an after-thought.”

Bagwell said the public services workers in Denver wanted toput a system in place that would protect them and that they knewthe only true system that works is collective bargaining.

There are approximately 8,000 city and county workers inDenver that can be organized and the Teamsters Union is work-ing closely with AFSCME on the substantial undertaking.

“AFSCME and the Teamsters are fighting for these workerstogether,” Bagwell said.

The short-term plan is to increase the membership to wherethey can force collective bargaining through a ballot initiative orthrough a city council ordinance that will allow for bargaining.The plan may take a few years but those who have joined theTeamsters in the meantime are patient.

Boosting Morale“Morale among cityworkers has been low for awhile,” said Anna Valdez, asix-year city inspector inDenver who does zoningand housing inspections,among other things. “It’sgoing to take time to buildmorale back up but peo-ple are happy with whatthe Teamsters are doing.We know it’s going to taketime but we’re definitelygetting stronger as a unit.”

The Teamster nameand the leadership ofLocal 2004 and JointCouncil 3 in Denver have

also strengthened the resolve of the workers, Valdez said.“Knowing that the International Brotherhood of Teamsters is

behind this effort is always in the back of my mind—and mycoworkers—and it’s a powerful idea,” she said.

The creation of a new local is no easy task but thanks to theperseverance of Bagwell, the Joint Council and the workersinvolved in the drive, everything is coming together.

City workers, local politicians and even the major metropoli-tan newspaper in Denver have acknowledged the hard work ofthe Teamsters. According to The Denver Post, “Much of last year’ssurge in unionism can be attributed to the Teamsters’ organizingdrive,” the story said.

More Hurdles“It has becoming apparent for a long time that if we don’t orga-nize and do something to help ourselves, we’ll have no protec-tion,” said Harris Neil, a coroner’s investigator who’s been doingthat job for eight years and has been with the city for 14. “Withthe Teamsters, we don’t have to explain who we are to manage-ment. The city administration has taken them seriously from dayone. People know who the Teamsters are and that they’re there toprotect us.”

“It’s all very exciting,” Valdez said. “Many of us have been withthis from the beginning and watching it all come together fromscratch has been gratifying. I feel that I really have a stake in thisand that we’re accomplishing something.”

As for Hackett, his whole family has a stake in the endeavor.He knows that not only is his livelihood at stake, but the liveli-hoods of his extended family are as well.

“We’re a close family. Everybody understands what this fight isall about,” he said. “We want there to be a stable place for ournext generation to work. The Teamsters are accomplishing that.”


I R B R E P O R T 8 5

REPORT 85 TO ALL MEMBERS OF THE INTERNATIONALBROTHERHOOD OF TEAMSTERS

FROM: Independent Review BoardBenjamin R. CivilettiJoseph E. diGenovaWilliam H. Webster

DATED: March 8, 2005

I. INTRODUCTIONThis is the Independent Review Board's ("IRB") Eighty-fifth

Report to you on its activities conducted pursuant to the Con-sent Order. In this Report, we will discuss matters that have cur-rently come before us, including the Agreement obtained priorto IRB recommending charges and the status of pending chargesabout which we have previously informed you.

II. MEMBER ACTION PRIOR TO IRB PRO-POSED CHARGES During a review of IBT records the IRB learned that Car-

low Scalf, a member of the IBT and the Executive Assistant toGeneral President Hoffa, had forms on file which declared thathe was a Michigan resident. As a Michigan resident he wouldbe eligible for a housing allowance and expenses relating to hisduties in the Washington, DC, office. Mr. Scalf stated to theIRB that he continued to vote, pay taxes, use a Michigan dri-ver's license and a Michigan credit union account and, untilSeptember 2004, owned a motor home registered in Michigan.As such, he continued to believe he was entitled to the housingallowance and expenses.

Mr. Scalf separated from his wife in March 2001 and thedivorce was final March 6, 2002. Two weeks before thedivorce was final Mr. Scalf filed a quit claim deed giving theproperty in Michigan to his wife. A week before that he sub-mitted an IBT "Data Change Form" changing his address fromthe deeded property in Mancelona, Michigan, to St. Clair,Michigan. In November 2002 he signed another data-changeform changing his address from St. Clair to Warren, Michigan.From about March 2001 through January 2004 Mr. Scalfreceived over $65,000 in housing expenses. In February 2004he reimbursed the IBT $69,500 in connection with the housingexpenses the IBT paid on his behalf.

Before charges could be recommended by the IRB to theIBT, Mr. Scalf submitted a compromise agreement to the IRB.While not admitting or denying wrongdoing, Mr. Scalf agreedto serve a sixty day suspension from all IBT-affiliated positions,including the Executive Assistant position, except IBT member-ship. He further agreed not to take or accept any compensation,remuneration or things of value and not to participate in anymanner in any of the activities or affairs of the IBT or any otherIBT entities during the sixty day suspension, which wouldbecome effective January 12, 2005. The IRB found the agree-ment served to resolve the matter. The agreement is with UnitedStates District Judge Preska for review.

III. STATUS OF PREVIOUS IRB CHARGES

A. SCOTT DOYLE - Local 456, Elmsford, New YorkWe have previously informed you that Local 456 Member

Scott Doyle failed to cooperate with the IRB by refusing toanswer approximately thirty questions during his in-personsworn examination. Charges were filed, an Article XIX panel

was appointed to hold a hearing, and a hearing was held onOctober 27, 2004. The hearing panel found that the chargeswere proved. On December 17, 2004, Mr. Hoffa accepted thehearing panel recommendation and permanently barred Mr.Doyle from Local 456, the IBT and all IBT entities. On January11, 2005, the IRB notified Mr. Hoffa that his decision was notinadequate. In a January 25, 2005, letter to the IRB, Mr. Doyleappealed the recommendation of the hearing panel, the Gener-al President's decision, and the IRB's determination that hisdecision was not inadequate and asked the IRB to submit thematter to the United States District Court. On February 23,2005, the IRB submitted the documents to Judge Preska.

B. JOSEPH L. BERNSTEIN - Local 781, Des Plaines,IllinoisWe have previously informed you that Local 781 President

and Joint Council 25 Vice President Joseph L. Bernsteinallegedly brought reproach upon the IBT and violated hismembership oath when, subsequent to William T. Hogan, Jr.'spermanent bar from the IBT, he had knowing and purposefulcontact with him. The IBT filed the charges, appointed a hear-ing panel and a hearing was held on January 6, 2005. Thehearing panel found Mr. Bernstein guilty as charged.

On January 13, 2005, General President Hoffa adopted thehearing panel's recommendation and prohibited Mr. Bernsteinfrom ever reclaiming membership in the IBT; permanentlybarred him from participating in the affairs of the Union, hold-ing office, and contracting with Local 781, the IBT, or anyother IBT affiliates; and prohibited him from having any con-tributions made on his behalf to any IBT-affiliated benefitfunds by Local 781 or any other IBT-affiliated entities. Mr.Bernstein is not prohibited from contact and association withIBT officers, members, employees, representatives and agentswith respect to matters that do not involve union business. OnMarch 8, 2005, the IRB notified Mr. Hoffa that given Mr.Bernstein's conduct, the IRB finds the sanction imposed uponhim is inadequate.

C. JOSEPH VITTA - Local 812, Scarsdale, New YorkWe have previously informed you that Local 812 Recording

Secretary Joseph Vitta allegedly discussed ongoing contractnegotiations with Anthony Rumore, a prohibited person at thetime. Further, during his September 26, 2003, sworn examina-tion, Mr. Vitta allegedly testified falsely about his contacts withMr. Rumore during his suspension by stating that no unionbusiness was ever discussed. Charges were filed by Joint Coun-cil 16 against Mr. Vitta. On January 6, 2005, Joint Council 16agreed to Mr. Vitta's agreement to serve a one-year suspensionfrom holding office, employment and membership with Local812 and any other IBT entities, and to serve a one-year suspen-sion from the two Local trust funds of which he was a Trustee.The IRB found the agreement served to resolve the matter. OnJanuary 27, 2005, Judge Preska approved the agreement.

D. CHUCK CRAWLEY, DENNIS BANKHEAD ANDMARIE ESPINOSA - Local 988, Houston, Texas We have previously informed you that in its September 9,

2004 decision, the IRB found Mr. Crawley guilty of embezzle-ments involving the telephone installation at the union hall andthe purchases of t-shirts and stickers. Mr. Crawley was perma-nently barred from holding membership in or any position withthe IBT or any IBT-affiliated entity and may not hereafter obtainemployment, consulting or other work, directly or indirectly,with the IBT or any IBT-affiliated entity. On charges of embezzle-


I R B R E P O R T 8 5

ments by Mr. Crawley, Mr. Bankhead and Ms. Espinosa involv-ing barbecue pits, aiding and abetting Ms. Espinosa to embezzlemoney from the union, and by the payment of legal fees for Ms.Espinosa, the charges were not proved.

On September 9, 2004, the IRB decision was forwarded toJudge Preska. Counsel for Mr. Crawley presented oral argu-ments before Judge Preska on January 13, 2005, at which timeJudge Preska affirmed the IRB decision of September 9, 2004.By order of March 5, 2005, Judge Preska approved the IRB’sapplication to the Court.

IV. OTHER MATTERSThe IRB followed closely IBT actions on two officers of

Local 25, as detailed below, which were initiated after the U. S.Department of Justice, through the U. S. Attorney’s office forthe District of Massachusetts, indicted and subsequentlyobtained plea agreements from each of the defendants.

A. GEORGE W. CASHMANAs far back as 2000, the Chief Investigator planned to

examine records at Local 25 in Boston, Massachusetts. How-ever, federal law enforcement officials requested that no actionbe taken because of their ongoing criminal investigation. Inearly 2002, after being advised that a books and records exam-ination at Local 25 would not interfere, members of the ChiefInvestigator’s staff conducted a records examination. Soonthereafter, law enforcement officials requested that swornexaminations and additional work not be conducted.

In January 2002, Local 25 principal officer George W.Cashman (“Cashman”) and Local 25 Vice President WilliamCarnes were indicted for, among other things, conspiracy tosteal and embezzle from an employee benefit plan and to filefalse statements under ERISA in a scheme to allow approxi-mately nineteen individuals to obtain benefits from IBT-affiliat-ed benefit funds who were ineligible for such benefits. Cash-man was a Trustee of the Local 25 Health Services and Insur-ance Plan and of the New England Teamsters and TruckingIndustry Pension Fund. He was also the Director of the Inter-national’s Port Division, an International Representative, andthe principal officer of Joint Council 10 in Boston. Althoughunder the IBT Constitution Cashman could have been sus-pended by the IBT from his IBT positions while the criminalcharges against him were pending, he was not.

In March 2003 a second indictment was filed against Cash-man. It alleged that he extorted $100,000 from CardinalHealth Care in order to settle a dispute concerning pensioncontributions owed to the New England Teamsters and Truck-ing Industry Pension Fund.

On April 25, 2003, Cashman signed a plea agreementwherein he admitted that he in fact knowingly, intentionallyand willfully committed the crimes of extortion and conspiracyto steal and embezzle from the employee benefit plan, to filefalse documents with ERISA plans, to commit mail fraud, andto violate the Taft-Hartley Act. On October 17, 2003, Cash-man started serving 34 months in prison and was fined$30,000. Cashman automatically lost his union presidency inApril 2003 but not his membership.

On several occasions the Chief Investigator advised the IBTconcerning Cashman continuing his membership and thenecessity for IBT to file charges against him or obtain an agree-ment. In an agreement signed by Cashman on October 15,2004, which was over one year after starting his prison sen-tence, and effective on October 26, 2004, he permanentlyresigned his IBT membership and all IBT-affiliated positions.

On November 19, 2004, by electronic means, the IBT notifiedall Local Unions affiliated with Joint Council 10 that the for-mer Joint Council Secretary-Treasurer Cashman had resolvedcharges against him by agreeing to a permanent bar frommembership and from holding any office or position in anyLocal Union or other IBT-affiliated entity.

B. WILLIAM CARNES In January 2002, as part of the indictment with George W.

Cashman, William Carnes (“Carnes”) was also indicted for,among other things, conspiracy to steal and embezzle. OnApril 25, 2003, he pled guilty to two counts of theft or embez-zlement from an employee benefit plan and two counts of mailfraud. He was sentenced on August 7, 2003, to five years ofprobation, the first year of which was to be served in homeconfinement, and a $5,000 fine.

As with Cashman, the Chief Investigator also advised theIBT that the IRB would recommend that charges be filedagainst Carnes. The IBT indicated it would resolve the matterpossibly with an agreement. In an agreement signed by Carneson December 21, 2004, which is over sixteen months afterstarting his sentence, and effective January 3, 2005, Carnesresigned his membership for five years and was permanentlybarred from holding office, employment or any position withthe IBT or any IBT-affiliate or any employment, consulting orsimilar relationship, whether paid or unpaid, with the IBT,Local 25, Joint Council 10, or other IBT entities.

V. TOLL-FREE HOTLINE Since our last report to you, the hotline has received approx-

imately 65 calls reporting alleged improprieties. As in the past,all calls which appeared to fall within IRB jurisdiction werereferred for investigation. Activities which should be reportedfor investigation include, but are not limited to, association withorganized crime, corruption, racketeering, embezzlement,extortion, assault, or failure to investigate any of these.

To assure that all calls are treated confidentially, the systemrecording hotline calls is located in a cipher-locked IRB roomon a dedicated line and accessed by IRB staff only. It is notmanned by an investigator; however, the recorded informationif complete is forwarded directly to the Investigations Office.

Please continue to use the toll-free hotline to report impro-prieties which fall within IRB jurisdiction by calling 1-800-CALL-IRB (1-800-225-5472). If you are calling from withinWashington, DC, dial 202-434-8085.

VI.CONCLUSIONAs always, our task is to ensure that the goals of the Con-

sent Order are fulfilled. In doing so, it is our desire to keep theIBT membership fully informed about our activities. If youhave any information concerning allegations of wrongdoing orcorruption, you may call the toll-free hotline noted above, youmay use the IRB facsimile number 202-434-8084, or you maywrite to either the IRB Chief Investigator or the IRB office:

Charles M. Carberry, Chief Investigator17 Battery Place, Suite 331New York, NY 10004

Independent Review Board444 North Capitol Street, N.W.Suite 528Washington, DC 20001



When shipments oforange powder began

arriving at his windowextrusion plant in upstateNew York last year, EdWilliams scratched hishead. This wasn’t the usualmaterial used to createwindow frames.

“I was standing therethinking, ‘what the heck arewe going to do with thisstuff?’” he said.

Soon thereafter Ed and fellowmembers of Local 522 in Jamaica, NewYork, were helping construct one ofthe first great public art projects of thiscentury—Christo’s “The Gates” inNew York City’s Central Park. About40 Teamsters based at the windowextrusion plant in Holmes, New Yorkfabricated each of the 7,500 frames forthe installation, which remained inCentral Park from February 12-28.

World-RenownedThe Teamsters’ work on the projectbegan at the end of 2003 when the plantentered into an agreement with the

artists, Bulgarian-born Christo and hisBelgian wife Jeanne-Claude. “TheGates” is the most recent of a series oflarge-scale public works by the artistsinstalled around the world.

Teamsters constructed the frames,which held up 7,500 separate orangevinyl cloths. Suspended from the 16-foot rectangular arches, the pieces offabric reached down to about sevenfeet off the ground. The gates werelined up like dominoes to form pedes-trian passageways extending some 23miles throughout the park.

“The Gates” caused a stir in NewYork City and beyond. It receivednational and international media atten-tion, and attracted thousands of visitorsfrom around the U.S. and the worldeach day of the installation.

Making HistoryWilliams, who is the shop steward at theplant, took a trip to New York City on asnowy Friday to see the piece.

“It’s great to see something like thisin our fast-paced world. It makes youslow down as you stand still and lookup. It’s awesome,” Williams said. “I’mnot an especially artsy guy, but I love it.”

“It’s something no one has ever doneand it will never happen again,” saidJohn Fortuno, a maintenance technicianat the plant. “To help make it a reality, tobe a part of it is amazing. Out of all theextrusion plants they picked us, and wemade a part of history. It’s a real honor.”

OrangeTeamsters Build Famed ‘Gates’ In NYC

Painting The Town Painting The Town

I N T E R N A T I O N A L B R O T H E R H O O D O F T E A M S T E R S N O V E M B E R / D E C E MB E R 2 0 0 3

ELECTION SUPERVISOR’S REPORTAPPOINTMENT OF THE ELECTION SUPERVISOR AND NOTICE OF DISSEMINATION OF THE PROPOSED

RULES FOR THE 2005-2006 IBT INTERNATIONAL UNION DELEGATE AND OFFICER ELECTION

The IBT and the United States Government haveselected an Election Supervisor for the 2005-2006

IBT International Union Delegate and Officer Elec-tion. The Election Supervisor is responsible for insur-ing that the 2005-2006 IBT international officer elec-tion, including all delegate elections, are conducted ina free, fair, and democratic manner.

The Election Supervisor is Richard W. Mark. Thetemporary address of the Election Supervisor’s Office is:

Richard W. Mark Office of the Election Supervisor for the International Brotherhood of Teamsters c/o Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP 3050 K Street, N. W. Washington, D.C. 20007-5135 Phone: 1-202-339-8683

1-888-428-2006 (888-IBT-2006) (Toll Free)Facsimile: 202-339-8500. The Election Supervisor can be contacted at the

address listed above. We anticipate moving to a newlocation in the Washington D.C. area in June 2005.Our permanent address and telephone contact infor-mation for the election cycle will be published in aforthcoming issue of the Teamster.

Copies of the proposed Rules for the 2005-2006 IBTInternational Union Delegate and Officer Election (the“2006 Rules”) have been transmitted to each IBT localunion and to interested independent committees. TheIBT and the Government have provided for a thirty(30) day period, starting May 3, 2005, in which anyinterested parties, including IBT members, may com-ment on the proposed 2006 Rules. The 2006 Rules willbe finalized and submitted to the United States Dis-trict Court for the Southern District of New York forapproval after June 3, 2005. You may obtain a copyof the proposed 2006 Rules in pdf form by visiting ourwebsite at www.ibtvote.org or by calling or writing theElection Supervisor’s Office to request a copy.

The proposed 2006 Rules differ from the 2001Rules in four important respects. First, the proposed2006 Rules require each local union to establish a lit-erature table or bulletin board in the local union hallwhere candidates may place campaign literature. Sec-ond, the proposed 2006 Rules allow for two addition-

al at-large vice president positions, for a total numberof seven (7) at-large vice-presidents rather than five(5). Third, the proposed 2006 Rules provide votingand enfranchisement procedures for newly mergedIBT members from the Brotherhood of LocomotiveEngineers and Trainmen Division, the Brotherhood ofMaintenance of Way Employes Division and theGraphic Communications International Union. Lastly,the proposed 2006 Rules require independent commit-tees to file financial disclosure forms filled out in twoways: one form containing all required informationand a second form that does not include references tothe identity of contributors, their local unions, oramounts contributed.

You are invited to comment on the proposed 2006Rules. Comments must be in writing and must be sub-mitted to the Election Supervisor, either at the addresslisted above or via our website at www.ibtvote.org. The

deadline for submitting written comments concerning the pro-

posed 2006 Rules is June 3, 2005. Comments will be con-sidered by the IBT, the Government and the ElectionSupervisor before the rules are issued in final form.

The Government and the IBT will ask the U.S. Dis-trict Court for the Southern District of New York toapprove the 2006 Rules, retroactive to May 1, 2005,with any changes agreed to by the parties followingthe comment period. As of May 1, 2005, the Election

Supervisor will begin administering the 2006 Rules as pub-

lished for comment. Members, potential candidates, indepen-

dent committees and all affiliates must abide by the 2006

Rules as published for comment, including compliance with all

provisions concerning campaign activities, fundraising, report-

ing and other requirements and obligations. Appropriateprovision will be made in the final 2006 Rules withrespect to the application of any changes from the2006 Rules as published for comment

We will provide updates on our work for the 2005-2006 IBT International Union Delegate and OfficerElection in upcoming issues of the Teamster.

New and Improved!

Visit the brand new version of Teamster.org—theunion’s home page—for the latest in news andways to take action on Teamster issues.

Highlights of the new site include:• Opportunities to take action on issues that mat-

ter to Teamsters• Even more of the up-to-the minute news

Teamsters expect• Resources sections for members, stewards, and

other key audiences• A new and improved search engine• Easier access to information about critical cam-

paigns and activities

Visit www.Teamster.orgnow to find out the latestabout the world’s most powerful labor union.

www.Teamster.org:

New and Improved!

Documents

LIGHTS, CAMERA, TEAMSTERS! - International …old2.teamster.org/resources/members/TeamsterMagazine/mag_may05.… · LIGHTS, CAMERA, TEAMSTERS! ... It is published monthly in February,