Wisconsin Teamsters continue the fight against right to work

Local 344 President Bill Carroll.

Wisconsin's indefatigable Teamsters were out in the cold wind in the state capital on Saturday, Sunday and today to protest the probable passage of a right-to-work (RTW) bill. That's not all they're doing, though. They are giving speeches, training stewards, holding craft meetings, testifying before the Senate and the Assembly and contributing to DRIVE.

Rob Moss, Business Agent for Teamsters Local 695 in LaCrosse, was at all the rallies. He tells us Bill Carroll, President of Teamsters Local 344 in Milwaukee, member of Joint Council 39, revved up the crowd on Saturday: 

Brother Bill Carroll gave a very inspiring speech on behalf of all Teamsters. He was very well received by the entire crowd. He was spot-on with his accuracy in regards to the right-to-work legislation. Brother Bill is one of Joint Council 39's political liaisons. Brother Carroll was very informative about the needs of all of the unions to keep their members informed and most of all to keep up the members' involvement in the union efforts in the political arena.  

It's important that everybody understands -- especially our members -- this is not the end of the world. We have to deal with the results of next week's vote if it comes to pass and is negative. We are holding steward seminars and craft meetings in our Joint Council 39 effort to enlighten our members as to the effects of RTW. Locals 695, 200 and 662 held those steward seminars the last two weeks with the help of our legal counsel. 

It's our hope that some of the Republicans would come to their senses and realize the harm Governor Walker is imposing on American working men and women.

Mike Westphal (l) and Tom Millonzi. 

Here's the kind of effort Wisconsin Teamsters are putting into the fight: Tom Millonzi, Secretary-Treasurer of Teamsters Local 200 in Milwaukee, told us the subject of DRIVE came up during Saturday's stewards' training. And then:

Mike Westphal, who has been out on a workers' comp back surgery issue -- and who will not be returning to the job -- pulled out his checkbook and made a one-time $100 donation to DRIVE. 

The Center for Media and Democracy reported something we all know: The right-to-work bill is being pushed by special interests linked to the Koch brothers:

As the Wisconsin legislature gets ready to ram through a union-busting bill that will significantly impact the economy of the entire state, Wisconsin's newest member of the Senate asked perhaps the most pertinent question of her Republican colleagues: "what beating hearts are for this bill?" 

The question was posed by Janet Bewley (D-Ashland) who was elected to the Wisconsin Senate in November 2014. She represents the far north where bitter winds and waves make spectacular ice caves that bring thousands to the frozen shores of Lake Superior. 

Bewley noted that the bill, which harms unions by allowing workers to opt out of paying their fair share for union representation, was moving so fast that most of her constituents, who get their news from weekly newspapers that come on Thursday, would not even learn about it before the Senate vote. 

While Democratic senators read letter after letter from workers and business leaders objecting to the measure that will lower wages and up-end critical training programs for builders and laborers, Brewley highlighted something the average observer might not notice: "I have not heard one person in the outer ring [of Republicans] speak of a single beating heart that is for this bill." 

But that matters little to the array of special interests that have arrived in Wisconsin to provide "experts" and astroturf cover for the anti-worker measure.

Good advice.

We'll try to post Brother Bill Carroll's speech soon. Keep an eye out!

Today's Teamster News 02.22.11

Thousands take Wisconsin labor protest into its eighth day  Detroit Free Press   ...Thousands of people descended on the Wisconsin state Capitol in Madison today to chant and sing, hoist signs and denounce Gov. Scott Walker for what they view as a direct assault on organized labor...
Unions See Political Financial Motive in Governor's Bill  WBAY   ...Leaders at the local Teamsters 662 chapter accuse the governor of trying to bust unions for political reasons.
Billionaire Brothers’ Money Plays Role in Wisconsin Budget Dispute  New York Times   ...Even before the new governor was sworn in last month, executives from the Koch-backed group had worked behind the scenes to try to encourage a union showdown...
New York's Teamsters Local 237 to bus in support to union protesters in Wisconsin  Daily News   ...Local 237, which represents various city workers, intends to "bus a couple hundred" members to Madison - possibly this week...
'Right to work' bill sparks clash at the Statehouse   Journal and Courier   ...Over the protests of thousands of union workers, Indiana Republicans are pushing ahead with a bill that could incite the same kind of legislative stalemate that has frozen Wisconsin's state government...
Ohio, Indiana See Protests Against Anti-Union Bills  firedoglake   ... In Ohio, Gov. John Kasich is pushing pretty much the exact same bill as Scott Walker in Wisconsin...
ABF seeks appeal in Teamsters, YRC suit  The City Wire   ...Fort Smith-based ABF filed Friday (Feb. 18) an appeal as part of its effort to sue YRC and the International Brotherhood of Teamsters for violations of a wage agreement...
Teamsters, UAW on opposite sides of trade pact  The Oakland Press   ...The Teamsters have attacked the South Korean Free Trade Agreement supported by the United Auto Workers... 

Teamsters join swelling protests in IN, WI, OR, NV



Tomorrow there'll be two of these in Madison.


As the protest continued today in Wisconsin, Teamsters joined a crowd of 7,000 in Indianapolis to protest a right-to-work (for LESS) bill expected to pass out of committee today. indystar.com reports

The thousands of union supporters that packed the Statehouse this morning and spilled out onto Downtown sidewalks hoped their show of solidarity would be enough to dilute legislative support of a proposed right to work bill.

Ohio Teamsters prepared for a massive rally tomorrow at the Statehouse in Columbus. Forums and rallies were held today in other Ohio cities, including Dayton, Toledo, Youngstown and Cincinnati.

In Wisconsin, Green Bay got more than a foot of snow last night, so Teamsters from Local 662 were stuck up north today. Teamsters from Milwaukee locals 200 and 344, closer to Madison, were expected to be at today's protest.

Brother Danny McGowan from Local 662 tells us the Minnesota Teamsters will bring down their semi tomorrow, so there'll be two parked across from the capitol. We're hoping for a big Teamster presence in Madison on Tuesday and Wednesday, so those would be the days for out-of-state locals to head for Wisconsin. The Teamsters will gather at about 10 o'clock.

Brother Rick Smith from Harrisburg, Penn., is in Madison today looking for space to broadcast his radio show from. He writes on his Facebook page,

Everyone here has been ULTRA helpful! But at the same time revolutions tend to lack space...

Here's a photo Smith just took of the protesters singing the Star-Spangled  Rotunda.

McGowan said the Teamsters' presence sends a message that the protests aren't just about government workers -- they're about all workers (even though the Teamsters do represent public sector workers such as corrections officers and truck drivers). Said McGowan

When people see Teamsters, they say "We know this is important now, the Teamsters are here." They say, "Can we take pictures of the back of your jacket?" They wanted pictures of the truck, pictures of the guys in front of the truck.

The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports

The demonstrations at the state Capitol entered their second week Monday morning to the pounding of drums in the rotunda.
With Madison covered in ice from Sunday's winter storm, the crowd in the statehouse was smaller at 9 a.m. than it had been in protests last week. But Madison schools are shut down for another day Monday and many state workers also have a previously scheduled furlough - leaving many public workers with the chance to head to the isthmus.

Add in a rally scheduled for noon and a concert at 5 p.m., and protesters seeking to keep their momentum from last week could still turn out a large crowd.

Sister Fran Almarez, business agent for Local 631, is telling members to watch out for Tea Partiers today at rallies in Las Vegas and Carson City. Local 324 will be participating in a noon rally today in Salem, Ore.

More updates to come.

Saturday: Teamsters protest like Egyptians

Teamsters from all over the country drove to Madison to hold the line in the war against the middle class on Saturday. It was the biggest protest yet. Brother Steven Nelson from Local 200 said the crowd is estimated at 70,000, of which only about a thousand were from the Tea Party.

We understand the Tea Partiers didn't try to provoke the Teamsters. According to a twitterer, @SAndrewDKos:

You shoulda seen the tea buggers shut up & look inconspicuous whenever teamsters or pipe-fitters walked by.

UPDATE: Local 344 posted a short video of the protest inside the Rotunda on its Facebook page. Amid the din, one of our brothers tells the camera:

You're now seeing the most sacred of all rights in a democracty: dissesnt. Isn't it a beautiful thing? The working people of this state are coming back to life again. It's high time. It's happeneing and it's happening now.

Our brothers and sisters vow to carry on until lawmakers kill the bill to eliminate collective bargaining rights, even as rallies and vigils are being planned in nearly every state in the country for Monday and Tuesday. As our favorite sign in Madison said, "Just Practicing."

These Teamsters drove from Missouri.

Union member parades into the Rotunda were led by firefighters, who were exempt from Koch whore Gov. Scott Walker's bill. (UPATE: Watch this incredible video of the parade here.) Mahlon Mitchell, president of the Professional Firefighters of Wisconsin said,

When firefighters see an emergency, one thing we do is respond. And we see an emergency in the house of labor, so that's why we're here.

Here's a great first-person account from The Nation

Day after day, I saw the crowds swell as people arrived on buses from across the state and even across the country. I saw feeder marches of 5,000 high school students chanting with an unguarded, proud fury you’d never know today’s teenagers possessed. I saw people dressed like King Tut with a banner saying they would “protest like Egyptians.” I spoke to nurses choking with rage that they would have to take second jobs or go onto food stamps if business as usual took place in the Capitol Building. I saw thousands sing the Wisconsin Badger football fight song, ending with “Fight Fight Fight and We’ll WIN THE DAY!” and they weren’t talking about football.

The Wisconsin 14 -- Democratic state senators who left the state rather than vote on the bill -- stayed away.  One of them, Dave Hansen, is a former Teamster from Local 662. His old local was out in force:



Here are a few more photos, thanks to Locals 344 and 200. You can see more on the "Stop the War on Workers" web page.

More photos from Wisconsin

Our brothers and sisters who joined the protest in Madison today sent us some more pictures which we thought you'd enjoy.

We are also putting together a photo gallery on the new "Stop the War on Workers" page, which will also update you about rallies, protests and vigils that are being planned in other states. Photos are also being posted on our new "Stop the War on Workers" Facebook page (formerly "Stop Right to Work (for LESS) page. So go to the page and hit "Like."

There's lots more news coming, so stay tuned!

Wisco Teamsters take to the streets

Our Teamster brothers and sisters behind the cheese curtain have been in the thick of things. Brother Tom Bennett, president of Local 200 in Milwaukee, tells us hundreds of Teamsters from his local have driven to Madison every day. They've been inside the Rotunda and outside the building.  "I'm telling all my members to make the trek to Madison," he said.

Brother Danny McGowan sent us this report:

The Capital was packed today inside and out. We had our semi there and the crowd went crazy when they saw it pull up.

Green Bay Teamsters staged their own rally at the Brown County Courthouse. WBAY reports

For the second afternoon in a row, the Brown County courthouse was the backdrop for a protest against the state budget repair bill...They received a permit late Thursday to park a semi on Jefferson Street.

About 100 union members took part in the protest.
Local 662's Eau Claire office also got 200 people on short notice to protest Gov. Scott Walker on Tuesday. He was visiting McDonough Manufacturing, but got a surprise before he made it to the plant. Reports WEAU,

Before Walker arrived at McDonough Manufacturing in Eau Claire Tuesday afternoon, hundreds of protesters started lining Melby Street.

“I'm here today to support my brothers and sisters in the labor movement that includes those who are teaching as I am a retired teacher,” Tom Zahorik tells us amid anti-Walker chants.

Protesters Tuesday say they feel like their voices have been ignored, they all asked Governor Walker to sit down with union and public workers and discuss the issue together.

“We just want to be here to support all those people and say this is wrong and we just want the Governor to talk to us and that's one thing he hasn't been willing to do so far,” Joseph Kearney a Chippewa Valley Treatment Facility worker tells us.

Local 344 from Milwaukee has also been part of the swelling crowds in Madison. They're doing a great job updating everybody on ther Facebook page. Here's their most recent message:

The Dems have bought us some time. We all have the opportunity to continue to lobby our legislators relentlessly and we urge you to do so. Contact info can be found on our website: www.local344.org. Officers and Business Agents of this Local Union will once again be in Madison tomorrow to join the ever increasing throng of people who are opposed to this bill! If you're available, join us! Pictures and video soon!

And a few pictures of the Teamsters presence in Madison. More to come!

Today's Teamster News 01.27.11

Lebanon employees seek to unionize (Local 340)  Journal Tribune   ...Town hall employees are considering joining Teamsters Union 340 after cutbacks in hours and a staff layoff last year...
Firefighters OK pact that saves Appleton money (Local 662)  Post Crescent   ...Fourteen other contracts must still come before the council...Teamsters Local 662 represents 264 workers in 10 different units...
N.J. toll collectors prepared to offer millions in concessions to avoid privatization  (Local 97)  The Record   ...Turnpike toll collectors may ...make as much as $14 million or more in concessions – including $2.4 million in salary rollbacks...
Railroads trim payrolls in December  Journal of Commerce   ...The seven largest freight railroads trimmed 642 positions from their combined U.S. workforce in December, for the first reduction since August...
Railroads Post Big Profit Increases, Resume Hiring   Wall Street Journal ...The largest North American railroads hauled more of most everything in the fourth quarter, spurring new hiring...
Montana Files Lawsuit Over Video Late Fees  Associated Press   ...People who didn't return movies to Hollywood Video and Movie Gallery before they closed their doors for good last year may run into credit trouble when looking to take out a mortgage or finance a car...
Illinois Plan for Pensions Questioned  New York Times   ...The Securities and Exchange Commission has said it has a special team devoted to investigating public pensions, and last year it brought its first case ever against a state, accusing New Jersey of securities fraud for claiming to have pension assets that did not really exist...
UPS to close billing center in Des Moines  Des Moines Register   ...The shutdowns are part of a UPS plan ... to reduce U.S. billing centers from 10 to eight...
Keystone link to Gulf finds enough producers  The Globe and Mail   ...TransCanada Corp. has signed up enough customers to proceed with its 150,000 barrel-per-day pipeline from Oklahoma to the Gulf Coast...
Illinois manufacturers have high hopes after Obama promises access to high-speed rail, infrastructure repair  The Medill Report   ...With a goal of putting 35 million people within a three-hour trip to Chicago, the Midwest High Speed Rail Association advocates building four bullet train routes...
Senate GOP proposing NH public pension reforms  Associated Press   ...Republicans are proposing raising the retirement age for public safety workers...
A Reservist in a New War, Against Foreclosure  New York Times   ...In violation of a law intended to protect active military personnel from creditors, agents of Deutsche Bank foreclosed on his small Michigan house, forcing Sergeant Hurley’s wife, Brandie, and her two young children to move out...