Today's Teamster News 10.30.12

Leaner government storm response one year after Irene  New York World   ...New York greets Hurricane Sandy with fewer shelters and state troopers — and a shorter timeline for evacuation...
As the Frankenstorm Arrives Romney/ Ryan Go Silent on Their Plan to Cut FEMA and Disaster Relief  Politicususa   ...As the East Coast braces for a massive storm, Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan are trying to cover up the fact that if elected they intend to cut funding for both FEMA and disaster relief...
Sensata outsourcing rattles Illinois community: 'Jobs need to stay here'  Guardian   ...Workers residents have held protests to prevent vehicles shipping parts destined for China from Bain-owned company...
Privatizing prisons is a scam (opinion)  Youngstown Vindicator   ... when you have to cut costs to save money to meet the profit margin of a private company shortcuts are the only way to operate. When you create shortcuts, security is the first casualty...
Digital Debate: Teamster’s Hoffa & Amway Heir DeVos: Clash Over Unions!  CBS News   ...Teamsters President James P. Hoffa is associated with the labor movement as few others, having been weaned on it by his late father, storied union boss Jimmy Hoffa who ran the powerful organization decades earlier...
Illinois School Bus Workers Vote To Join Teamsters Local 777  IBT   ...School bus drivers and monitors with Illinois Central School Bus in Waukegan, Ill., have voted to join Teamsters Local 777 in Lyons, Ill., standing strong throughout a hard-fought campaign for respect and justice from the employer. There are 220 workers in the bargaining unit...

E. Coast Teamsters in the eye of the Superstorm

New York City sanitation trucks. Teamsters ready for battle.

Some East Coast Teamsters are lucky enough to be hunkered down at home while others are keeping citizens safe and provisioned as Hurricane Sandy bears down on the Northeast.

President Obama declared a state of emergency in New York and Massachusetts as the monster storm gained strength and threatened millions of people along the coast. New York City and Long Island are in the danger zone as a violent tidal surge is expected.

Department of Sanitation Teamsters battened down New York City before the storm hit, driving convoys of trucks to staging areas around the city and emptying and turning over garbage bins. They continued to collect trash and recycling during the storm today, and they'll be on 12-hour shifts tomorrow to clean up debris.

To the left is one mess they're already cleaning up. The Department of Sanitation salt storage building near the Hudson River is flooded.

Teamster produce market warehousemen, drivers and sales representatives are hard at work through the storm today at the Hunts Point Produce Market. Kristine Panico Memoli posts on the Teamsters Facebook page:

Local 202 Hunts Point Market workers are out in these unsafe conditions as well. It is sad.

Tony Chipelo from Local 210 in New York says he's off today and possibly tomorrow. He posts:

Company I work for is pro safety:)

Just north of New York City,  M‪anny Areizaga tells us on Facebook:

Yonkers DPW is working and local 456 oil men are out in this.‬

Grand Central Station, empty.

Amtrak service is cancelled along the Northeast Corridor and so are thousands of commercial flights. We hope none of our brothers and sisters in the Airline Division or the Rail Conference got stranded (though we think some probably they were).

Andrew O'Derry from Local 929 tells us he's "Hunkered down in South Philly."

Michael Trudeau, a member of Local 251 in East Providence, R.I., is a Budweiser driver. He tells us he had no work today but he got the call for 8 a.m. tomorrow.

Jeff Cottrell posts from New Jersey,

USFoods in NJ sent out their drivers today locals 107/628 to make deliveries claiming us as essential personnel. God forbid a bar doesn't get their chicken tenders and onion rings. Corporate profits over people. Please be safe out there everyone!

Some UPS Teamsters worked through the hurricane:

Craig Posner Local 804 is working. People need their amazon and VS underwear. What happened to safety is top priority? Ridiculous!!!! 

But UPS customers appreciated their deliveries. @700MHz took the photo of the brown truck (right) that delivered to his door and tweeted:

Wow this is what I call service and commitment

Other UPS Teamsters got to stay home with their families:

Tony Hughes Local 331 pleasantville nj ups off today. On standby for tomorrow. 

John Lambropoulos UPS member 331...got call not to report @ 630, preload did work though...my delivery area (Wildwood) under water 

CabbaGe Dbmc Local 355. UPS made a good call and let us park our brown trucks and be with our family's today 

Mitch Mummert UPS canceled Feeder runs and Delivery in Maryland.

We'll keep you posted. And we'll leave you with this reminder from our good friend, Teamster retiree George Corneliusson:

The best recovery work will be done by union workers including Teamsters!