'Safe Rates' is goal for truckers worldwide

Urata, Sterle and Sheldon (l. to r.) met with Teamsters' Hoffa today.

Australia's Transport Workers' Union (TWU) pushed through legislation several years ago in that country that placed retailers whose goods are hailed by truck drivers on the hook for safety and wage standards. Now it's taking that message abroad.

TWU Federal Secretary Tony Sheldon came to IBT headquarters in Washington today to explain the "Safe Rates" approach approved Down Under in 2012 and how it could improve the lives of truck drivers and motorists globally if it was instituted more broadly. He was joined by Australian Senator Glenn Sterle and Mac Urata of the International Transport Worker's Federation who are strong supporters of the measure.

Sheldon explained the approach as a way to improve not only the pay of professional drivers, but the profits of trucking companies they work for as well:

The concept is who is the economic employer and how do we hold then into account. ... It's about how you change people's consciousness on this.

He noted that giant retailers today largely create the conditions and wage scale that truck drivers are forced to worker under. In Australia, for example, the top two grocery companies make up 72 percent of market and thus if trucking firms want to compete, they need to adhere to their standards.The result is less safe roadways and lower pay for drivers, he said.

But under changes made in the Safe Rates legislation, driver safety and the safety of all road users became the starting point when rates were determined for transporting goods. The result in Australia was the raising of standards for truckers and the strengthening of transportation unions. It's a model he and others want to take worldwide.

Lamont Byrd, director of the IBT's Safety and Health Department, said he was impressed by the TWU's work on the issue:

I see this bringing the solution to the problem we have, not only in crash rates and fatalities, but in reducing the churn rates of drivers.

Sheldon, Sterle and Urata will be further discussing the idea at a global labor conference Sunday.

Today's Teamster News 10.29.14

Teamster News
Second Con-way Terminal Joins Teamsters; Two Vote No  Truckinginfo   ...The Teamsters Union has gotten the go-ahead from workers at a second Con-way Freight terminal to represent them in talks with company management, but were turned back at two other locations in votes all supervised by the National Labor Relations Board...
Republic Waste Workers Approve 3-Year Contract  Massillon Independent   ...Members of Teamsters Local 92 employed by Republic Waste Services voted Sunday to ratify a three-year agreement with the company ... by a vote of 100 to 26...
UVM Maintenance Workers Ratify Contract  Vermont Digger   ...In August, the school agreed to a two-year contract with the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, which represents police officers, service officers and dispatchers on campus. The Teamsters FY15 increase also will be adjusted to 2.25 percent...
Avalon Truck Drivers Close To Contract  Massillon Independent   ...the union will meet with the company Friday with some proposals he believes may lead to a tentative agreement. Truck drivers of refrigerated tractor-trailers at Avalon Foodservice have been negotiating their first contract for a year. Drivers organized in August 2013...
D.C. Taxi Drivers Demonstrate As Council Votes On Bill To Regulate Ride Services  teamster.org   ...Hundreds of D.C. taxi drivers circled Freedom Plaza and packed a D.C. City Council hearing room today to protest a bill to regulate private sedan services that drivers say continues to give the services a huge competitive edge...
PaRR: Sysco/US Foods Divestitures Not Clear Solution, Industry Sources Say  teamster.org   ..It will be challenging for Sysco (NYSE:SSY) and US Foods to craft an antitrust remedy package that creates a new national competitor, industry sources said...
First Student drivers protest at bus yard  WTOC   ...First student bus drivers rallying today to protest what they call income insecurity during sommer months...
Nicholas Lanzilli Receives Teamster Endorsement  Medford Transcript   ..."It is with much pleasure that I announce that I have received the endorsement of the Teamsters Local 25 Union...
Trade
APEC next stop for TPP talks — Fast-track to move in lame duck?  Politico   ...Labor groups are waging a four-week ad campaign in the Washington metro system aimed at discouraging a vote on “fast-track” trade legislation during the upcoming lame-duck session of Congress. The legislation, also known as trade promotion authority, would allow the White House to submit trade agreements like the proposed TPP pact to Congress for a straight up-or-down vote without amendments...
H&M Blacklists Spinning Mill In India After Reports Of Child Labour And ‘Appalling’ Work Conditions  Financial Post   ...Hennes & Mauritz AB will blacklist a spinning mill in southern India after a report claimed five manufacturers there use child labour and subjected workers, mostly women and girls, to “appalling” working conditions...
State Battles
Power Players Behind the Corporate Takeover of Pennsylvania Schools  Center for Media and Democracy   ...at least 31 Pennsylvania legislators are still ALEC dues-paying members and many more appear to use the ALEC library of bills when shopping around for corporate education policy. Bills to institute school vouchers, take away local control for authorizing charter schools, expand tax credits to fund charter schools, or enact so-called “parent trigger legislation” can be traced back to ALEC and member groups like the American Federation of Children and the Cato Institute...
Arkansas Court Lets Minimum Wage Issue Stay On Ballot  Huffington Post   ...Arkansas' highest court ruled Monday that a proposal to gradually raise the state's minimum wage can remain on the November ballot. ...Arkansas is one of the few states with a minimum wage below the federal level of $7.25 an hour...
Will Conservative Kansas Vote Out Its Conservative Governor, Sam Brownback?  Washington Post   ...Sam Brownback ... is at risk of becoming an object lesson in the limits of conservative governance in a conservative state...
For-profit company’s role scaled back in plan for Maine second virtual charter school  Portland Press Herald   ...Officials trying to open a virtual charter school in Maine have significantly changed their business model, agreeing to staff the school with Mainers after critics and state officials said their original plan left too much power in the hands of a national for-profit company...
War on Workers
U.S. Homeownership Rate Falls to Lowest Since Early 1995  Bloomberg   ...Entry-level buyers have been held back by stringent mortgage standards and slow wage growth. The share of first-time buyers was 29 percent in September for the third straight month, compared with about 40 percent historically...
Feds set to destroy H-1B records  Computerworld   ...The U.S. has changed its H-1B record retention policy to the concern of people who study the visa's impact on the workforce and economy...
AT&T Sued By Feds For Throttling “Unlimited” Wireless Customers  Consumerist   ...AT&T ticked off a lot of wireless customers with so-called “unlimited” plans byannouncing that it would throttle data speeds for users who passed certain monthly thresholds. Though customers tried to sue in response, AT&T’s terms of service generally prevent class action suits from customers and force users into private, binding arbitration. But even though millions of customers can’t sue, the federal government can...
Worker Killed in Explosion at Ammunition Factory  jobs.aol.com   ...Federal investigators are returning to the scene of a deadly explosion at an ammunition factory in Tennessee. One worker was killed and three others were injured in the blast...
Construction worker dies after falling off roof  GreenvilleNews.com   ...James Irby, a commercial painter, was securing a ladder on top of an apartment at 114 Asteria St. on Oct. 22 when he fell from the roof onto the concrete walkway about 25 feet below...  
Miscellaneous
Report Reveals Wider Tracking Of Mail In U.S.  New York Times   ...the United States Postal Service reported that it approved nearly 50,000 requests last year from law enforcement agencies and its own internal inspection unit to secretly monitor the mail of Americans for use in criminal and national security investigations. ... the surveillance program is more extensive than previously disclosed and that oversight protecting Americans from potential abuses is lax...

Teamsters celebrate Truck Driver Appreciation Week -- again!

It's that time of year again when the Teamsters celebrate Truck Driver Appreciation Week. Last year, we asked Teamsters to submit photos of themselves and their trucks to the Teamsters Facebook page. The response was overwhelming. Hundreds of Teamsters sent in photos, along with comments like the ones below. 

This year, we're again asking Teamsters to send us photos of themselves and their trucks -- either by posting on the Teamsters Facebook page or by sending a direct message to the page. 

We're looking forward to seeing more great photos and comments like the ones below: 

James F. Giles Everything everyone in America owns, eats, or uses got here on a truck - thanks, Teamsters. 

Richard LapointeMade the seniority list in Feb 1971 in Cambridge, MA and retired last year with an awesome pension after 42 years of service with several companies. God bless the Teamster's Union. It's always been the working class that made this country great. 

Nunzio Santuccio Keepem rolling !!!! 

Ray Roehrig Retired Local #500, Philadelphia, PA. Proud to be a Teamster! 

Greggjodi Gomes I am proud to be a part of Local 407 Truck Drivers Union Cleveland ,Ohio--- thank you for all you do for me and my family !! 

Mike Porchiazzo Truckers make the world go around! It's a long lonesome road in the lifetime of a trucker! 

Jennifer Young proud daughter of a Teamster Driver!! 

Larry Katra My stepdad was a union steward and saw him save many guys jobs over the years.The Teamsters was a great union and still is. 

Frank Milatzo In '62 I was just learning how to drive big rigs, joined the Teamsters 25 years ago after freight: got deregulated and couldn't make any money as an independent trucker. Best move I ever made 

Lenore Lopez I appreciate truck drivers, I wish more employers would respect the physical and mental demands of the job. 

Wayne Robertson Funny how when I'm on 2 wheels I worry less about them than I do the soccer mom in the grocery-getter. But I'm not invisible to them, and the living they make depends on their safety and courtesy!

Sandie Hawley where would we be without truckers, God bless em. 

Jennifer Mansfield My Daddy, Oklie J Huggins, 1928-2008. Teamster Truck Driver for 44 yrs.

Today's Teamster News 08.11.14

Teamsters
Teamsters reject contract with Washoe RTC operator  Reno Gazette-Journal   ...Public transit workers in Washoe County turned down a contract Sunday afternoon with MV Transportation, which manages the county's transit system for the Regional Transportation Commission...
Trade
Critical Moment to Stop The TPP & Other Rigged Trade Agreements (opinion)  The Real News   ...It is time to declare the TPP, TAFTA and the Services agreements as dead, develop a new approach to trade and begin to renegotiate past trade agreements like NAFTA that are doing ongoing damage to the economy, planet and people...
State Battles
The 'P3' dilemma: How effective are public-private partnerships?  Pittsburgh Post-Gazette   ...Six months after Chicago inked the deal, the city’s inspector general conservatively estimated the city received $974 million less from the 75-year lease than it would have received by keeping the meters and operating them under the same terms it gave to the investors...
The War on Workers
Are Wages Really Rising?  Global Economic Intersection   ...The standard of living of most Americans continues to decline. Just as a house divided against itself cannot stand, neither can an economy where nearly half of its actors are losing purchasing power. It steadily becomes a house more divided. It’s bad economically and bad for society...
The Trucking Industry Needs More Drivers. Maybe It Needs to Pay More.  New York Times   ...The industry complains of shortages of truck drivers, but in real terms tractor-trailer drivers made less in 2013 than they did a decade earlier...
Texas Energy Company Worker Killed in Egypt  Associated Press   ...An American employee of Texas-based energy company Apache Corp was killed last week in an apparent carjacking in the western Egyptian desert, officials said Sunday...
Pollsters: 'Everything is terrible'  Politico   ...Americans are also bummed out about the future in general, especially the economy. Things are so low that even an old favorite, sugar, polled poorly...
In the Future We'll All Be Renters: America's Disappearing Middle Class  new geography   ...Homeownership, which peaked in 2002 at nearly 70 percent, has dropped, according to the U.S. Census, to 65 percent in 2013, the lowest in almost two decade...
Why a $16 Billion Fine Is Chicken Scratch for a Big Bank  Alternet   ...Bankers fraudulently inflated a housing bubble. They became extremely wealthy as a result, but the U.S. housing market lost $6.3 trillion in value when the bubble burst. It had only recovered 44 percent of that lost value by of the end of 2013...
Miscellaneous
Want to meet a millionaire? Here's where to go  CNN Money   ...Looking to meet a millionaire? Head to Europe, where in some places nearly three in every ten people is one...
Personal Consumption Expenditures by State, 1997-2012 (Prototype Estimates)  Bureau of Economic Analysis   ...The prototype statistics show that total PCE rose in all states in 2012, but generally at a slower rate than in 2011. Growth was fastest in North Dakota at 11.5%, after growing 11.6% in 2011. PCE grew faster in 2012 compared with 2011 in Arizona, the District of Columbia, North Carolina, Nevada, and Utah...

Connoisseur, bon vivant, raconteur, patron of the arts, Teamster?

An After Six tuxedo can do nice things to a guy, whether he drives a truck or pushes a pencil.  

It kind of makes him feel part of the upper crust. He goes to better restaurants. He tries expensive wines. Gets adventuresome with menus. Takes cabs instead of buses. Sees the biggest Broadway hits.  

Why, under the influence of a tuxedo, men have even been known to open doors for their wives. 

That's the ad copy on this vintage 1969 After Six tuxedo ad. We found it in our files, and we've been told he's a Teamster by some of our retirees.

The ad ran five years after Jimmy Hoffa's greatest achievement: The National Master Freight Agreement. The NMFA covered 400,000 union members and 16,000 carriers.  It raised wages, improved working conditions and increased pension and health care benefits. The New York Times called it “one of the most significant labor developments of the post-war period.”

It's a lot harder now for workers to feel part of the upper crust. Today, American workers just want to feel part of the middle class.

As the New York Times pointed out in April:

The American middle class, long the most affluent in the world, has lost that distinction... 

While the wealthiest Americans are outpacing many of their global peers, a New York Times analysis shows that across the lower- and middle-income tiers, citizens of other advanced countries have received considerably larger raises over the last three decades. 

After-tax middle-class incomes in Canada — substantially behind in 2000 — now appear to be higher than in the United States. The poor in much of Europe earn more than poor Americans...

One big reason for our declining middle class: Companies are giving more of their wealth to CEOs and much less of it to their workers.

And, deregulation...

Today's Teamster News 02.03.14

Rethinking Economics: From the UK, a Global Student Movement Takes Shape  truthout   ...When the financial crisis hit in 2007, economics students at respected institutions around the world found that theories handed down in classrooms failed to explain the reality outside, and an international movement began to demand a change in the way economics is taught...
Maryland Joins Continent-Wide Protests Against the Trans-Pacific Partnership and Unjust Trade  The Real News   ...More than 50 cities across the U.S., Mexico and Canada participated...
Globalists Panic; New Details on 'One World' Trade Deal  American Free Press   ...In a clear sign that populist nationalism is a growing force in the western world, United Kingdom (UK) Chancellor George Osborne gave an important address in mid-January in which he called for major European Union (EU) reforms to safeguard member nations’ sovereignty and revive their lackluster economies...
Fast track stopped, but is it dead?  Trade Reform   ...Since 1992, imported goods have been growing three times faster than exports...
Tariff disagreement with U.S. stands in way of TPP  The Japan Times   ...Amari admitted Friday the two allies remain at odds over Japan’s tariffs on five “sacred” farm product categories, including rice. The U.S. is pushing for full removal...
Hated on the Left, the TPP Draws Conservative Foes  In These Times   ...the American Jobs Alliance and the United States Business and Industry Council—pro-business groups wary of trade’s impact on America’s national interests—joined with Tea Party Nation and the socially conservative Eagle Forum to rail against the TPP...
Coming to a Post Office Near You: Loans You Can Trust? (opinion)  The Huffington Post   ...In the same remarkable report this week, the OIG explored the possibility of the USPS offering basic banking services -- bill paying, check cashing, small loans -- to its customers. With post offices and postal workers already on the ground, USPS could partner with banks to make a critical difference for millions of Americans who don't have basic banking services because there are almost no banks or bank branches in their neighborhoods....
After crash, call for closer oversight of truckers  Associated Press   ...A deadly crash in Illinois involving a truck driver accused of staying at the wheel for more than 35 hours without a long enough break prompted a call Thursday for tougher oversight of drivers and trucking companies...
Old idea for new rail safety problem: slow down trains carrying crude  McClatchy   ...The Federal Railroad Administration proposed in October 1970 that trains carrying flammable cargo in tank cars slow to 25 mph through incorporated communities. The proposal was never adopted as a rule...
The "Skills Gap" Is a Convenient Myth  truthout   ...“If there’s a skills shortage, there has to be rises in wages [for skilled workers]. It’s basic economics.” Yet wages in manufacturing—even for skilled workers—are stagnant at best...
The Rise of 'Insourcing' Gives Internet Companies a New Way to Exploit Workers  The Next New Deal   ...These new “insourced” workers are individuals who contract with large Internet-based companies like Uber and Taskrabbit to perform services here in the United States, either at a rate set by the larger company or in a free-for-all bidding war. As contractors, these workers receive very little protection in terms of minimum wage laws or unions, let alone benefits or insurance for the work they do. And their ranks are growing fast...
How Putin's cronies seized control of Russia's Facebook  The Verge   ... In 2011, the oligarch fired two senior managers for publishing anti-Putin photos in an online newspaper that he owns...
Corruption across EU 'breathtaking' - EU Commission  BBC News   ... in some countries public procurement procedures were vulnerable to fraud, while in others party financing was the main problem, or municipal bodies were badly affected. And in some countries patients have to pay bribes in order to get adequate medical care...
Right to Work bad for state  Springfield News-Leader   ...It is not hard to figure out, however, who would benefit from these efforts. The answer is Republican politicians, who believe that unions provide too much support to Democrats, and their own bankrolling supporters — business interests...

Today's Teamster News 04.21.13

Conservative Koch Brothers Turning Focus to Newspapers  New York Times   ...Koch Industries, the sprawling private company of which Charles G. Koch serves as chairman and chief executive, is exploring a bid to buy the Tribune Company’s eight regional newspapers, including The Los Angeles Times, The Chicago Tribune, The Baltimore Sun, The Orlando Sentinel and The Hartford Courant...
Obama's Pacific Trade Deal Is No Deal At All (opinion)  U.S. News   ...Question: When is a Trade Pact not a Trade Pact? Answer: When it protects legacy industries from competition and strips from governments the means to manage their own economies...
Maine trucking companies in quandary over new hours-of-service rules  Bangor Daily News   ...Legal challenges over federal regulations governing hours-of-service for long-haul truck drivers have put Maine trucking companies in a bind: Do they wait for a favorable court ruling on their national trade group’s challenge of those rules before the July 1 compliance date? Or, do they take on training and implementation costs that could be negated if the regulations are overturned?...
Arizona set to OK gold, silver currency  The Arizona Republic   ...Arizona is on track to become the second state in the nation to recognize gold and silver coins as legal tender. It would join Utah as part of a conservative movement arising out of a lack of confidence in the Federal Reserve and a fear that paper money could become virtually worthless as U.S. debt deflates the value of the dollar...
Jack McElroy: Bill sneers at the First Amendment (opinion)  KnoxNews.com   ...Ag Gag bills are being promoted all across the country by the American Legislative Exchange Council, which pushes corporation-friendly legislation at the state level...
Plain Talk: How to help real farmers, not JP Morgan  The Cap Times   ...other provisions that worry Farmers Union members. The lifting of the cap on land ownership by foreigners, for instance. Current law limits ownership by foreigners to 640 acres. Von Ruden fears that if outside interests can gobble up land, it will drive land prices so high that family farmers won’t be able to buy a neighbor’s farm should it come up for sale...
Court turns down lawsuits against Mexican trucks  Associated Press   ...The three-judge panel Friday denied challenges by the International Brotherhood of Teamsters and the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association...
Teamsters approves new contract  Hernando Today   ...Teamsters Local 79 members Thursday night ratified a new contract which now goes to county commissioners for approval...

Today's Teamster News 02.23.13

Court Scoffs at Light Sentence for CEO's Fraud  Courthouse News Service   ...The seven-day sentence given to a former CEO whose money-laundering scheme cost investors more $18 million was as "unreasonably low," the 6th Circuit ruled...
New Jersey sues Sandy relief fund  USA Today   ...Operators of a Sandy relief group diverted more than $17,000 in donated money to eat out, pay credit card bills and shop online while storm victims received just $1,650 in aid, an ongoing state investigation has found...
Detroit Anti-Eviction Campaign Keeping Families in Their Homes  The Real News   ...In Detroit, Michigan, the city many consider the epicenter of the nation's subprime and foreclosure crisis, banks continue to evict residents from their homes at an alarming pace. But over the past year, a growing grassroots movement has blocked evictions and kept families in their homes...
The American Trucking Industry Had Its Best January Ever  Business Insider   ...The American Trucking Associations’ advanced seasonally adjusted (SA) For-Hire Truck Tonnage Index increased 2.9% in January after jumping 2.4% in December. ... Tonnage has surged at least 2.4% every month since November, gaining a total of 9.1% over that period...
Ford announces re-shoring of engine manufacturing jobs  manufacture this   ...Ford announced this week that it would begin manufacturing EcoBoost engines for the North American market in Ohio. Previously workers in Spain built these engines. This move means 450 new manufacturing jobs for Cleveland...
UK loses top AAA credit rating for first time since 1978   BBC News   ...The ratings agency Moody's became the first to cut the UK from its highest rating, to Aa1. Moody's said the government's debt reduction programme faced significant "challenges" ahead. Chancellor George Osborne said the decision was "a stark reminder of the debt problems facing our country"... 
Right to work, prevailing wage debate for nought  The Daily Independent   ...The House Committee on Labor and Industry Thursday heard discussion on bills sponsored by Rep. Jim DeCesare, R-Bowling Green, which would make Kentucky a right-to-work state and repeal the prevailing wage law for public projects ...But at DeCesare’s request, there was no vote on either of the bills...
State Lawmakers Move to Restrict Living Wages, Sick Leave Ordinances  Florida Center for Investigative Reporting   ...This week, a bill that would remove local ordinances requiring companies to pay living wages passed through a committee in the Florida Legislature. The bill is aimed at cracking down on local laws in Orlando, Miami Beach and Gainesville that ask certain employers to pay employees slightly more than the minimum wage...
Bullock jobs bill tabled in legislative committee  Associated Press   ...A Republican-led committee is rejecting Gov. Steve Bullock's plan to increase the mandatory hiring percentage of Montana workers on public-works projects in the state...
Corbett: Challenge on lottery rejection is coming  The Morning Call   ... Corbett likely will file his challenge directly with the state Supreme Court...
Lawmakers make step toward privatization at MARTA  The Atlanta Journal-Constitution   ...Legislation was passed by state representatives that required the Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority to privatize major functions — from payroll and cleaning to paratransit services. The reform also requires moving new employees from a pension to a 401(k) retirement plan and capping the heavily indebted agency’s bond debt at 35 percent of sales tax collections...
Aberdeen Man Among UPS Drivers Honored for 25 Accident-Free Years  Matawan-Aberdeen Patch   ...An Aberdeen man is one of 50 United Parcel Service drivers from New Jersey being honored for 25 years or more of accident-free driving...
Some Teamsters get pay raises during state contract negotiations  Gatehouse News Service   ...About 1,500 unionized workers at the Illinois Department of Transportation and other agencies received raises last month, even though their union is still negotiating a new contract with the state...

Today's Teamster News 02.06.13

Obama seeks $5T European trade deal  The Hill  ...The Obama administration is poised to launch trade talks with the European Union that would form a $5 trillion trans-Atlantic free-trade zone...
No Evidence of U.S. Manufacturing Revival  Wall Street Journal   ...For the past 13 years, the rate of factory closings in the U.S. has been declining. The bad news is that over that time the rate of ribbon cuttings on new operations have consistently fallen even more...
Homes Sell in Two Weeks With Low Supply for Spring Buyers  Bloomberg   ...A plunge in U.S. home listings to a 12-year low is driving up prices and preventing transactions from returning to historically normal levels. Many potential sellers are holding off until values rise more, while investors are snatching up distressed properties before they reach the market. Builders, reporting their best orders in years, can’t increase production fast enough...
Banks No Match for Trucks Where Rigs Pay Twice as Much  Bloomberg   ...(There is) a wave of job growth at trucking companies as they post payroll increases at more than double the pace of the nation’s workforce since the end of 2010. Demand is being driven by the economic expansion, new regulations that cap driver hours and rising turnover caused by long days and time away from home...
Study Says States Lose Billions in Offshore Tax Avoidance  Bloomberg   ...State governments in the U.S. lost $39.8 billion in 2011 because of offshore tax avoidance...
E-mails show plotting by lawmakers, GOP on Florida redistricting  Tampa Bay Times   ...The emails show that a month after voters in 2010 approved an amendment banning coordination between the party and lawmakers, GOP consultant and Gaetz adviser Rich Heffley called a redistricting "brainstorming" meeting at the chairman's conference room at party headquarters in Tallahassee...
Virginia GOP no longer even trying to hide true purpose of voter ID laws  Salon   ...Concealed carry permits, but not utility bills, now accepted at Virginia polling places...
Unions protest ahead of governor's budget  Herald-Standard   ...John Rzodkiewicz, business representative for the UFWU, said the governor’s plan to privatize state-owned liquor stores will destroy 5,000 jobs...
Colorado Senate gives first OK to bill making it easier for firefighters to unionize  Denver Post   ...The Colorado Senate gave initial approval Monday to a Democratic bill expanding unionization rights for firefighters – legislation virtually the same as a bill vetoed four years earlier under a Democratic governor...
Negotiations Between Teamsters, Durham Falter  Summerville Patch  ...Negotiations between a school bus contractor and its union employees have deteriorated, putting school transportation for three Lowcountry school districts into question...The contractor's representatives allegedly walked out of a meeting with its employees during negotiations Tuesday morning...
Teamsters Local 332 president is named health care adviser for union's Michigan council  Michigan Live  ...The president of Teamsters Local 332 in Flint has been named health care adviser for Michigan Teamsters Joint Council 43...

Top 10 Teamster trucking stories of 2012??

We were inspired by Truckinginfo, which came up with a list of the Top 10 trucking stories of the year.  Since Truckinginfo takes a management point of view, we decided to come up with our own list, borrowing from the publication.

We'll post this on the Teamsters Facebook page and read the responses. Depending on what our readers tell us, we may just come up with a revised list.

You can read Truckinginfo's choices here, here, here and here.

And here we go:

10. The highway bill: Congress continues current levels of spending on the transportation infrastructure and requires EOBRs on trucks. 

9. FMCSA cracks down: The agency is putting more carriers out of service. 

8. CSA: FMCSA's Compliance, Safety, Accountability program has shortcomings but is increasing the emphasis on safety, reports Truckinginfo. 

7. Natural gas: Engine makers say there will be a larger variety of natural gas engines available, and natural gas suppliers have made major investments in creating a natural gas fueling infrastructure. 

6. Hours of Service: The new Hours of Service regulation was challenged by the trucking industry and by safety advocates, who object to the 34-hour restart provision and the daily limit of 11 hours. Oral arguments will be heard March 15. 

5. Hurricane Sandy: The Superstorm disrupted fuel supplies, closed tunnels and bridges, destroyed thousands of trucks, trailers and intermodal containers. Thousands of Teamsters are helping the New York region get back on its feet, as sanitation workers remove debris, UPS employees help Occupy Sandy's relief efforts and Teamsters from all over the country partnered with the Red Cross in delivering supplies to damaged communities. 

4. The economy: It's recovering, but slowly. You all know what that means. 

3. YRC survives: YRC reports its first quarterly profit in nearly two years, with earnings of $3 million. 

2. Mexican trucks: Truckinginfo didn't even consider this a story, which is a good thing. The pilot program allowing cross-border trucking continues to struggle, with only a half dozen trucks making a handful of trips over the border. Meanwhile, the Teamsters are fighting the program in court, arguing that it breaks the law. 

1. Right-to-work for less: Indiana and Michigan joined the assault on workers with anti-union laws that will lower wages for non-union and union workers -- if they aren't repealed.

Today's Teamster News 11.24.12

Protests greet shoppers at Wal-Marts nationwide  Associated Press   ...Wal-Mart workers and supporters marched in protest at stores nationwide Thursday and Friday, blasting the wages, benefits and treatment of employees at the world's largest retailer...
Saxby Chambliss takes aim at Grover Norquist  Politico   ...Sen. Saxby Chambliss took aim at Americans for Tax Reform head Grover Norquist on Wednesday, telling a local television station he’s not worried about a potential primary challenge if he votes to raise taxes...
ATA Trucking Index declines sharply in October, Impacted by Hurricane Sandy  Calculated Risk   ...Clearly truck tonnage was impacted by Hurricane Sandy in October, and we will probably see a bounce back in November and December...
New push is on for right-to-work bill  Detroit News   ...Pressure is mounting for the Legislature to pass a right-to-work bill with one group circulating a video it claims proves Gov. Rick Snyder would sign such legislation...
Possible lease of Ohio Turnpike raises questions for taxpayers, consumer group says  Plain Dealer   ...The state must balance whether a big lease payment from a private toll road operator outweighs the benefits from a turnpike that remains under state control, says a report from the Ohio Public Interest Research Group...
Teamsters donate to Adopt a Family fund  The News-Herald   ...City employees represented by Teamsters Local 214 donated $1,000 to the city's "Adopt a Family" fund...

Today's Teamster News 10.20.12

Unemployment rate drops in 41 states, including most swing states  Washington Post   ...the state-based unemployment numbers can actually be a better indication of how the voters that matter in the 2012 election (i.e. swing state voters) are viewing the economy than the national unemployment figures...
Unions shift political muscle to state and local races to limit anti-labor measures  Associated Press   ...In New Hampshire, unions want to keep the governor’s seat in Democratic hands to prevent a right-to-work measure. In Maine and Minnesota, labor leaders hope to overturn Republican majorities in state legislatures. And in Michigan, unions are trying to enshrine collective bargaining rights in the state constitution...
Can Apple start making their product in the U.S. again? The answer is YES.  manufacture this   ... labor is a small part (probably less than 10 percent) of Apple’s cost of manufacturing, far less than capital equipment and components.  With wages rising in China and U.S. manufacturing workers actually being far more productive, the labor cost differential become very small...
Does the Romney Family Now Own Your e-Vote?  truthout   ...Through a closely held equity fund called Solamere, Mitt Romney and his wife, son and brother are major investors in an investment firm called H.I.G. Capital. H.I.G. in turn holds a majority share and three out of five board members in Hart Intercivic, a company that owns the notoriously faulty electronic voting machines that will count the ballots in swing state Ohio November 7...
Teamsters Applaud Signing Of Military Commercial Drivers' License Act  iBT   ...The demand for qualified, safe truck drivers has risen over the past few years and the new law will make it easier for veterans and service men and women to obtain Commercial Drivers Licenses (CDL), making them more employable once they leave active-duty...
Atlas Air / Polar Air Cargo Teamsters Reach Tentative Agreement By International Brotherhood of Teamsters  IBT   ...Flight Dispatchers to Vote on a First Contract, Securing Strong Job Improvements...

Today's Teamster News 10.11.12

Workers Threaten To 'Take Action' On Retailer's Busiest Day [UPDATE]  Huffington Post   ...Employees at 28 Walmarts in 12 different cities walked out of work Tuesday, but things may get a whole lot worse for the biggest retailer in the U.S. come Black Friday...
Judges say South Carolina law doesn’t discriminate, but must wait until 2013 to take effect  Associated Press   ...A three-judge panel has upheld South Carolina’s law requiring voters to show photo identification but has delayed enforcement until next year — adding to the list of states that have had to postpone or drop strict ID or voting laws they wanted in place for the Nov. 6 elections...
Former Walker aide takes plea deal in politicking case  Associated Press   ...One of Republican Gov. Scott Walker's former top aides has agreed to plead to one felony misconduct charge in a deal with Milwaukee County prosecutors that would keep the governor off the witness stand...
Unions looking for boost in Michigan  Journal Gazette   ...Organized labor in Michigan seems to have taken a look at its neighbors and decided a pre-emptive strike on union-busting is in order. A referendum on Michigan ballots next month – Proposal 2 – would write collective bargaining rights into the state constitution and invalidate all laws restricting those rights.
Live From Battleground Ohio: One Door at a Time  In These Times   ... The plan is to have the parking lot shipshape for Thursday evening’s rally, which will feature Teamster President Jim Hoffa and AFSCME President Lee Saunders...
Arkansas Best, Teamsters agree on contract talks  City Wire   ...The dealing is set to begin Dec. 18 on a contract that will expire March 31, according to a statement issued Wednesday (Oct. 10) by Fort Smith-based Arkansas Best...
Union makes 'last best offer' to South Berwick  Seacoastonline   ...The Town Council next week will discuss the "last best offer" of the Teamsters union for two new contracts for the town's professional and public works employees...

Today's Teamster News 07.08.12

Con Ed Lockout Heads Into Second Week  Hastings Daily Voice   ...John Melia, spokesman for the Local 1-2 Utility Workers Union, which represents about 8,500 employees, said management was trying to bust the union by refusing to bargain in good faith...
Attack of the Central Banks Points to Impending Recession  Economic Populist   ... for the United States, our problem is the trade deficit, it has been negatively impacting U.S. economic growth for over 30 years. That said, so much production has been offshore outsourced to China, raw materials and intermediate components for finished products and other interdependencies could negatively impact the U.S...
Experts think reshoring is not yet a trend  manufacture this   ...for every company that brings jobs back to the United States, there’s a company shipping its jobs away. It’s this insight, coupled with the fact that some American companies are pulling jobs out of China only to send them to other foreign countries that leads people like Professor Leunig to make predictions like the one above....
Debt crisis: Spain poised for further spending cuts  The Telegraph   ...Spain steels itself for further austerity as Greece seeks more time on cuts...
High trucking costs reviving short-line rail industry  Delaware online   ...A railroad company is renovating rusty, overgrown tracks to get at millions of tons of waste rock at an abandoned iron and titanium mine near the source of New York’s Hudson River and the highest peaks of the Adirondacks, part of a widespread resurgence of short line and regional freight lines...
Readers weigh in on debate over public unions (opinion)  Duluth News Tribune   ...Minnesotans and citizens of other states who face similar, fanatically and politically motivated purges of their public unions should understand what they really are — an eventual blow against all unions, which are all workers’ last bastion against the unrestrained and under-regulated wielding of massive corporate power....

Today's Teamster News 07.05.12

Hallandale Beach lifeguard fired after participating in beach rescue  Sun-Sentinel   ...Hallandale Beach lifeguard fired after participating in beach rescueTomas Lopez rushed down the beach to rescue a drowning man — and then got fired for it. The problem: Lopez stepped out of the beach zone his company is paid to patrol, a supervisor said Tuesday...
US apartment rents rise at highest rate since '07 -Reis  Reuters   ...The surge in rental prices stems from a growing number of people who are looking for places to live, but are not willing or able to buy a home because of the ongoing slump in the housing market and tight lending conditions...
JPMorgan’s Role in Power Market Comes Under Scrutiny  New York Times   ...JPMorgan Chase is being investigated over whether it manipulated power markets in California and the Midwest, according to a filing from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission...
Mystery Bermuda-based company and other undisclosed Romney assets hint at larger wealth  Associated Press   ...Based in Bermuda, Sankaty High Yield Asset Investors Ltd. was not listed on any of Romney’s state or federal financial reports. The company is among several Romney holdings that have not been fully disclosed, including one that recently posted a $1.9 million earning — suggesting he could be wealthier than the nearly $250 million estimated by his campaign...
Help wanted: truck drivers  ArgusLeader.com   ...The long-haul trucking sector is short about 20,000 drivers, according to the American Trucking Associations. The shortage could hit 111,000 by 2014 if current demographic and market conditions remain the same, the organization added...
Teamsters Oppose DOC's Implementation to Eliminate Special Compensatory Leave  FDOCTeamsters.org   ...Teamsters Local 2011 received hundreds of calls from across the State of Florida in response to the DOC's new policy concerning the use of special compensatory leave and are moving quickly to address the concerns of its members...

Today's Teamster News 06.25.12

The Ohio House unanimously passes a resolution urging Washington to act on China's currency manipulation  manufacture this   ...China has “significantly intervened in foreign exchange markets in order to hold the value of their currency within its tight and artificial trading band, resulting in enormous grown in China’s dollar reserves.”...
Koch brothers hope to raise even more funds at secretive right-wing gathering  The Guardian   ...If they meet their target of $400m for this year's presidential election cycle, the Kochs will have surpassed the $370m that John McCain had at his disposal as his entire campaign funding in 2008...
The Scam Wall Street Learned From the Mafia  Rolling Stone   ...How America's biggest banks took part in a nationwide bid-rigging conspiracy - until they were caught on tape...
Mitt and the junk bond king  Boston Globe   ...“Mitt, I think, spent his life balanced between fear and greed,” Wolpow said. “He knew that he had to make a lot of money to launch his political career...
Trucker jobs go unfilled, leading to delayed deliveries  USA Today   ...A worsening shortage of truck drivers is pushing up freight rates and delaying some deliveries, defying the weak economy, high unemployment and falling gasoline prices...
Teamsters to help Seattle-area cabdrivers voice their concerns  Seattle Times   ... the Western Washington Taxi Cab Operators Association, formally launched by drivers at a meeting at the Teamsters Building in Tukwila on Saturday, will contract with Teamsters Local 117 to lobby governments on its behalf. The new alliance will address continuing complaints about competition from "flat-rate" drivers who operate under a different set of rules, new workers' compensation premiums and other business costs...

Massive automatic job rejections create "skills gap" fantasy

Yeah, right.

American employers are using computers to reject job applicants because they don't want to hire Americans, Economic Populist reported in a great post this morning. A Wharton Business School professor analyzed why employers claim there's a "skills shortage" when 27 million people in the U.S. need a job.

The trucking industry is a classic example of employers whining they can't find qualified people. Here's a typical story from a few months ago:

Trucking companies, including Indianapolis-based Celadon Group Inc., are struggling to find qualified drivers even as the U.S. unemployment rate remains at the highest level in almost 30 years. 

Driver turnover rose to 89 percent in the third quarter of 2011, the highest since 2008 and the fourth consecutive quarter of increases, according to data from the American Trucking Associations. That’s mostly because new regulations and job prospects in other industries are creating a “quality shortage” of available workers... 

Writes the Economic Populist:

There is no skills shortage, none. In fact employers are being absolutely ridiculous in their hiring practices. It's so bad, employers use software and third party rejection job application websites, which pretty much guarantee a candidate will be rejected. These websites and software are like virtual wastebaskets for your resume. No human involved, it's automatic, guaranteed rejection. It's so bad, an HR executive applied for his own job and was rejected.

The professor, Peter Cappelli, interviewed the HR executive who anonymously applied for a job at his company and was rejected. Cappelli found:

Another factor that contributes to the perception of a skills gap is that most employers now use software to handle job applications, adding rigidity to the process that screens out all but the theoretically perfect candidate. Most systems, for example, now ask potential applicants what wage they are seeking — and toss out those who put down a figure higher than the employer wants. That’s hardly a skill problem. Meanwhile, applicants are typically assessed almost entirely on prior experience and credentials, and a failure to meet any one of the requirements leads to elimination. One manager told me that in his company 25,000 applicants had applied for a standard engineering job, yet none were rated as qualified. 

There ought be a law...

Today's Teamster News 06.04.12

The politics of the underwater homeowner.  zero hedge   ...A recent report shows that 1 out of 3 Americans with a mortgage is still underwater owing $1.2 trillion more on their home than it is currently worth...
Center for Public Integrity makes a strong case for more regulation and better enforcement  Economic Policy Institute   ...the federal government regulates too little, not too much. Most of the 4,500 workplace fatalities and 50,000 occupational disease deaths each year could be prevented with better rules, more diligent employers, and better enforcement by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration...
CAFTA Ruling Continues Corporate Attack on Environmental Protection  Public Citizen   ...The Pacific Rim CAFTA case also spotlights how a U.S. “trade” agreement can be exploited by a multinational mining firm to attack El Salvador’s fragile democracy, which emerged from 12 years of civil war, and to undermine the laws enacted by its elected leaders to regulate mining and safeguard the environment...
Germany's Neighbors Were Not More Profligate  Beat the Press   ...Italy's debt to GDP ratio had been falling before the crisis. Ireland and Spain had large budget surpluses. So the issue is not these countries were profligate, the issue is that these countries got hit badly by the collapse of housing bubbles across Europe...
Wisconsin recall election is an epic battle  Chicago Tribune   ...Wisconsin's erstwhile bland politics have been transformed into such a hotbed of nastiness and hyperbole that Tuesday's recall election against Gov. Scott Walker has all but framed itself as a battle of superhero vs. super-villain...
Trucking Adds 7,300 Jobs in May, National Job Growth Stalls  Truckinginfo   ...an increase from 1.3 million jobs in April and a 3.4% increase from a year ago...

Today's Teamster News 05.19.12

Bill 78: Quebec Student Protest Legislation 'Worst Law' Since War Measures Act, Law Professor Says  Huffington Post   ...The emergency legislation lays out stern regulations governing demonstrations and contains provisions for heavy fines for students and their federations...

Facebook’s Saverin May Save $67 Million On U.S. Tax Bill  Bloomberg   ...Facebook Inc. (FB) co-founder Eduardo Saverin will save at least $67 million in federal income taxes by dropping U.S. citizenship, according to a Bloomberg analysis of the company’s stock price...

Wages of young college graduates have failed to grow over the last decade  Economic Policy Institute   ...Young graduates who enter the labor market during periods of strength (e.g. 1995–2000) face much stronger wage prospects than young graduates who enter the labor market during periods of weakness (e.g. 2001 to the present)....

Donations to Scott Walker Flagged as Potential Fraud  Pro Publica   ...Capital One appears to be flagging donations to Friends of Scott Walker as potentially fraudulent...

[Breaking] Andrew Manning’s attorney confirms FBI investigating Kasich, allies  Plunderbund   ...“FBI agents interviewed Andrew Manning last week. He answered questions about the statements in his affidavit, which he sent to the Justice Department in March of this year, that top allies of Gov. John Kasich offered him special influence over gubernatorial appointments if he agreed not to run for the state GOP central committee.”...

FMCSA Provides Glimpse of What Trucker Sleep Apnea Regulations May Look Like  Law & Moran Attorneys at Law   ...Some of the factors that contribute to sleep apnea that the FMCSA is considering include: drivers with a small or recessed jaw, a BMI of 35 or greater, small airway, neck sizes greater that 17 inches for males and 15.5 inches for females, Hypertension (treated or untreated), Type 2 diabetes (treated or untreated), Hypothyroidism (untreated)....

Today's Teamster News 05.17.12

Biden launches Bain attack on Romney in Rust Belt speech  MSNBC.com   ..."Romney made sure the guys on top got to play by a separate set of rules, he ran massive debts, and the middle class lost," he  "And folks, he thinks this experience will help our economy? Where I come from, past is prologue, man. So what do you think he’ll do as president?"...
China continues to be a hot-button issue in Texas race for Senate  Manufacture This   ...In a Lone Star state battle for the Republican Party's Senate nomination, Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst is promoting new ads that attack his opponent, state Solicitor General Ted Cruz, for representing a Chinese company that stole American blueprints and copyrights...
U.S. Loses WTO Appeal in Dolphin-Safe Tuna Case  Economy In Crisis   ... the WTO has ruled that the “dolphin-safe” labels that adorn tuna cans in the United States represent a barrier to trade. The U.S. appealed this ruling, but it should come as no surprise that the WTO has upheld its previous ruling on the case, leaving the United States open to sanctions if it continues to use these labels...
Greek Voters May Put a Dagger Into the Austerity Juggernaut  Buzzflash   ...Many Greek and European election watchers expect the surging anti-austerity Syriza party to win on June 17 after coming in second in the May 6th balloting that ended without a government being formed...
Uncovering the Other ALECs  Truthout   ..."Taxpayer-subsidized stealth lobbyists" have upped the ante and skillfully advanced their agendas through bipartisan "trade associations" for state government officials - in particular, the Council of State Governments (CSG) whose multimillion-dollar budget is mostly funded by taxpayers...
Sacramento Unemployed Turn To Trucking For Work  CBS Sacramento   ...Out of work and out of luck, local white collar employees were not out of ideas....Shifting gears by discovering the “blue jeans, blue collar” world of trucking.