Teamster organizing victory in Washington!

Please welcome our 160 new brothers and sisters who shuttle rental cars for GCA Services Group at the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport. They voted 91-44 on Monday to join Teamsters Local 117 in Tukwila, Wash.

The rental car workers have been organizing for over six months to become Teamsters and win respect from management. Leonard Smith, organizing director at Local 117, says the victory will inspire other low-wage non-union workers at the airport:

This victory is an exciting step forward for all workers at the Seattle Airport. It’s an example of how working together and sticking together truly pays off. By uniting for respect and dignity, the workers are showing other employees at the airport that they can come together and fight to improve their lives.

Smith says that many workers at the airport are employed by companies like GCA, which is a contractor for Avis. These workers lack job security and are paid minimum wage. The GCA workers are setting an example for other Seattle airport workers by standing up for higher wages, benefits and paid sick days.

In its press release on the victory, Local 117 explained that the GCA campaign is connected to the broader movement to secure higher pay for low-wage workers:

The campaign for Teamster representation at GCA – which included help from organizers at Teamsters Local 174, SEIU and Working Washington – is part of an ongoing coalition effort among local unions and community groups organizing to win better working conditions for employees at the Seattle Airport.

The coalition has been working to organize non-union airport workers employed by contractors like GCA and others. In conjunction with other national campaigns to demand higher pay for low-wage workers, the coalition is pushing a ballot initiative in SeaTac, Wash., to raise the hourly minimum wage to $15.

Tracey Thompson, Secretary-Treasurer of Local 117, says the organizing win sets the stage for pushing up standards for other workers at the airport:

We are pleased to welcome these hardworking and dedicated workers who are so vital to the rental car operations of GCA. We look forward to representing them and helping them win a first contract that sets higher standards for them and other workers at the airport.

The GCA workers in Seattle join hundreds of other rental car workers at Hertz, Avis and Budget who also belong to Local 117.

A long way to go on education, 50 years after the March

Tomorrow is the 50th anniversary of the 1963 March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom. Marchers, including Teamsters from across the country, gathered in Washington, D.C., to call attention to civil rights issues, especially the need for good jobs for all people. This series focuses on how well (or not) our society has met the 50-year-old demands of the marchers. So far, we’ve discussed the decline of the minimum wages, gaps in labor law protections, and the underwhelming federal focus on job training programs.

For civil rights leaders, the importance of a good education for all children could not be understated.

At the 1963 March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, marchers demanded the desegregation of all school districts by the end of the year.

Although a significant amount of progress has been made towards the 1963 goal of equal education for all, African-American and Latino students still do not have the same access to quality schools as other students.

In 1963, entire states, like Alabama, still maintained separate schools for black and white students, though Brown v. Board of Education had officially struck down segregation in schools nine years before,

Today, although segregated schools are illegal, many students still attend primary and secondary schools that are functionally segregated.

80 percent of Latino students and 74 percent of black students attend schools where over half of the students are a minority. Fifteen percent of black students and 14 percent of Latino students attend schools where white students are less than one percent of the population.

The average white student goes to a school that is over three-quarters white.

Minority students also are more likely to attend schools with high levels of poverty.

On average, black and Latino students go to schools with almost twice as many low-income students in their schools as the typical Asian or white student. In the 1990’s, black and Latino students could expect a third of their classmates to be low-income. Today, that number has doubled.

Not only are students at low-income schools less likely to perform well academically, but funding per student is often less than at wealthier schools, since schools are funded by property taxes from local communities.

Even funds that are intended to make up the shortfall are often misused to the point that the Department of Education admits that over 40 percent of low-income schools are shortchanged.

A lack of funding further hurts students. 52 percent of African-American males may have graduated high school on time in 2010, but 58 percent of Latino males and 78 percent of non-Latino white males earned their diplomas that same year.

In the 2011-12 school year, 12 white students graduated for every dropout. Among African-American students, the ratio was 4 graduates per dropout.

With 63 percent of black high school graduates enrolling in 2012, African-Americans are still the least likely to head straight to college over Latino graduates (at 69 percent), white graduates (at 67 percent) and Asian students (at 84 percent).

Even college choice is somewhat segregated. A study from Stanford University's Center for Education Policy Analysis says that:

Researchers found that as recently as 2004, white students were five times as likely as black students to enroll in a highly selective college, and two to three times as likely to gain admission -- even after accounting for income differences between black and white families. White students were also three times as likely as Hispanic students to enroll in a selective college.

Black and Latino students are significantly more likely to go to local community colleges than their white counterparts. Although the public two-year colleges are more affordable, they have significantly lower graduation rates than their 4 year counterparts and, due to budget cuts, are increasingly expensive to attend.

Martin Luther King Jr. wrote in 1960 that “the United States Supreme Court decision of l954 (…) brought hope to millions of disinherited Negroes.... But the implementation of the decision was not to be realized without a sharp and difficult struggle.” Over 50 years later, students are still struggling for equal access.

National support for striking LA port truck drivers as trucks sit idle

Support for striking port truck drivers in LA is pouring in from all over the country as Green Fleet Systems trucks stand idle. Teamsters are hitting the bricks with the striking workers at Green Fleet's headquarters in Carson, Calif., while across the country Port of Savannah drivers who work for Green Fleet delivered a petition to a manager expressing their support.

In Commerce, Calif., the BNSF rail yard sent a message to Green Fleet: "Don't send any more trucks."

Solidarity!

All across America, expressions of support and excitement are coming from Teamster locals, union brothers and sisters, fed-up workers, social justice organizations, employment lawyers and sympathetic members of the public. We are seeing hundreds of tweets and Facebook comments urging the striking drivers to stand up for their right to join a union.

Here are a few of our favorites:

Alex Gardea Teamsters baby go getem.... Blessed to be in a union... Teamsters baby
Mauricio Martell About time!!!!! Don't back down....stay strong!!!!!!
Bill Stroud If people don't start sticking together, for what's right -- We're all down the drain & heading for sweat shops !

We were particularly moved by the video (above) of the Green Fleet drivers in Savannah, who read the following letter signed by 130 workers to a company manager: 

We are proud truck drivers at the Port of Savannah and we stand with port drivers across the country who are standing up for their rights to form their union so they can negotiate fair treatment, livable wages, affordable health insurance, and retirement benefits. 

We are fighting misclassification because all port drivers should have the same rights. Port drivers in Savannah are sick and tired of being treated like modern day sharecroppers, just on wheels. This must end and that is why we support Green Fleet drivers who are organizing in Los Angeles. 

Drivers at Green Fleet Systems have been unfairly treated, harassed, interrogated and intimidated because they are coming together to form their union. We call on Green Fleet to stop mistreating its drivers in Los Angeles and respect their right to form a union. 

Sincerely,
The Port Drivers serving the Port of Savannah, Georgia.

Stay tuned for the large rally planned to start at 4:00 pm California time.

LA port truck drivers' strike electrifies workers, Teamsters

Messages of solidarity and support are pouring in for the striking port truck drivers at Green Fleet Systems in Los Angeles. Teamsters have been picketing with the strikers who want to join their union. As the strikers escalated their picket line this morning, eight television outlets came to report on the historic walkout.

From Atlanta, brother Ben Speight tells us:

Savannah Port Driver leaders deliver 150 petition signatures to GREEN FLEET SYSTEMS manager in Garden City, GA this morning- Solidarity with the striking Green Fleet drivers in Los Angeles who are standing up for working rights and a voice on job.

One of 8 TV interviews this morning

(We're trying to get the video).

Our brothers and sisters are excited by developments in the strike as they're posted on Facebook. Here's just a small sample:

Hector Avila Keep strong! Local 986 supports you! 

Kathy Kling Stay strong from Pittsburgh 

Bill Hines You have the support of all Union workers across this country. Stay after them Brothers and Sisters. Working people must stand together. 

Matt Voelker Thumbs up from local 431 

Roger Mcleod Hooray for unions and the workers of America! 

Steven Druley Rock on guys keep fightin for our rights. 

And here's one we really like, from Brother Kevin Duquet, a member of Teamsters Local 166:

 Here right now helping out our brother's and sister's on the picket line stay strong local 848!!!

And here's a tweet of encouragement from Sarita Gupta, executive director of Jobs With Justice:

Si se puede! 

LA port truck drivers continue strike to end retaliation

Port truck drivers escalate pickets at 5 am today in Carson, Calif.

L.A. port truck drivers are standing strong this morning against their abusive employer, Green Fleet Systems, as they continue their 24 hour unfair labor practice strike. The strike began at 5 pm yesterday when workers walked off the job in protest of Green Fleet’s unlawful retaliation against them. They are fighting for respect, dignity, and a living wage through a union contract with the International Brotherhood of Teamsters.

Drivers are picketing outside Green Fleet System’s headquarters in Carson, Calif., along with their Teamster brothers and sisters. A candlelight vigil last night, led by port drivers and clergy, kept spirits high – as well as hopes that their prayers for justice will be answered.

“We are fighting for the dignity we have earned as hard working men,” said worker. “Today, I hold my head high and stand with my brothers on strike and in our fight for justice at Green Fleet Systems. Together we will get the respect we deserve.”

The strike is getting heavy news coverage. Ricardo Lopez at the Los Angeles Times reported:

Thirty port truck drivers went on strike Monday night at a Carson-based trucking firm, alleging their employer is attempting to thwart their efforts to unionize, organizers said... 

Protesters on Monday began picketing the trucking firm Green Fleet Systems outside its Carson facility, located about eight miles north of the Port of Long Beach.  

Organizers also plan to follow Green Fleet trucks to warehouses and distribution centers in the Inland Empire to picket trucks as they deposit goods at their destinations. 

The port drivers’ daring strike kicks off what is expected to be an intense period of labor unrest among low-wage non-union workers, many of whom are immigrants. Workers across the nation are fed up and rising up to demand dignity and respect. In Los Angeles, port drivers are defending their right to fight for respect and a livable wage, a right that is protected under the law.

The union busting tactics used by Green Fleet are, sadly, typical of corporations that illegally deny workers their rights to keep them at poverty wages. As CEO compensation reaches obscene heights, most jobs created since the end of the 2008 recession pay low wages.

Labor Community Services will distribute food donations for the strikers and their families. The strike will end this afternoon with a mass rally of hundreds of supporters.

Check back this afternoon for an update on the strike.

L.A. port truck drivers' strike escalates!

L.A. port truck drivers strike line last night in Carson, Calif.

The port drivers' Green Fleet Services strike that started last night in Cason, Calif., is getting a little more intense. Here's the media advisory that tells us what's happening:

Los Angeles port truck drivers escalate strike against trucking company for violating Federal labor law. 

After a night of picketing at Green Fleet Systems (GFS) in Carson, CA, and at GFS at warehouses and distribution centers throughout the region, port truck drivers at Green Fleet Systems (GFS) are escalating picketing at the company’s Carson facility and at GFS customers warehouses and distribution centers starting at 5 a.m.  

The strike is in reaction to harassment and intimidation by their company and its hired "union busters" for the drivers’ efforts to form a union. Drivers fought back and filed charges with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), Region 21. The NLRB investigated and promptly issued an "Unfair Labor Practice (ULP) complaint accusing the company of breaking Federal labor law by their anti-union, retaliatory activities. This is an "Unfair Labor Practice" (ULP) strike to protest the unfair labor practices outlined in the NLRB’s complaint. 

  We'll keep you posted. 

Today's Teamster News 08.27.13

Port truck drivers at Carson firm seek union rep, go on strike Los Angeles Times ...Thirty port truck drivers went on strike Monday night at a Carson-based trucking firm, alleging their employer is attempting to thwart their efforts to unionize, organizers said...
Calif port truck drivers go on 24-hour strike Associated Press ...port truck drivers have gone on strike, claiming their company is trying to thwart their efforts to unionize...
LABOR: Trucking firm that supplies Skechers is Teamsters target Press-Enterprise ...Drivers who work for a Los Angeles area trucking company are leading picket lines at Skechers’ distribution center in Moreno Valley, part of an ongoing labor dispute between the trucking company and the Teamsters...
Teamsters, Hernando County trade figures for salary, benefit increases Tampa Bay Times ...The union that negotiates the contract for 400 Hernando County employees traded pay and benefit proposals with the county Monday, the eve of the County Commission's first discussion of the 2013-14 budget...
BLET Scores Organizing Win at Texas Pacifico  teamster.org   ...The Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen (BLET) scored a short line organizing victory (Thursday) ... as a majority of workers at Texas-Pacifico Transportation Ltd. voted to make the BLET their designated collective bargaining representative...
Trans-Pacific Partnership talks hit roadblock over anti-smoking policies The Globe and Mail ...Fast-moving trade talks aimed at reaching an ambitious Trans-Pacific Partnership trade deal have hit a major snag over anti-smoking policies, as divisions emerged over a proposal critics say would expose governments to lawsuits from tobacco companies...
We’re All Still Hostages to the Big Banks (opinion)  New York Times   ...NEARLY five years after the bankruptcy of Lehman Brothers touched off a global financial crisis, we are no safer. Huge, complex and opaque banks continue to take enormous risks that endanger the economy. From Washington to Berlin, banking lobbyists have blocked essential reforms at every turn...
The Leveraged Buyout of America  Common Dreams   ...Giant bank holding companies now own airports, toll roads, and ports; control power plants; and store and hoard vast quantities of commodities of all sorts. They are systematically buying up or gaining control of the essential lifelines of the economy...
Pinching Pensions to Keep Wall Street Fat and Happy  truthout   ...Contracts with Wall Street types always seem to draw more respect than contracts with workers...
Set Back by Recession, and Shut Out of Rebound  New York Times   ...a substantial number of older workers who lost jobs — even those lucky enough to be re-employed — are still suffering. Two-thirds in that age group who found work again are making less than they did in their previous job; their median salary loss is 18 percent compared with a 6.7 percent drop for 20- to 24-year-olds...
College Costs Surge 500% in U.S. Since 1985: Chart of the Day  Bloomberg   ...The CHART OF THE DAY shows that tuition expenses have increased 538 percent in the 28-year period, compared with a 286 percent jump in medical costs and a 121 percent gain in the consumer price index...
Indiscriminate surveillance fosters distrust, conformity and mediocrity: research  The Guardian   ...A government that engages in mass surveillance cannot claim to value the wellbeing or productivity of its citizens...
Drone crashes into Virginia bull run crowd  Washington Post   ...A drone crashed into the grandstand at Virginia Motorsports Park during the Great Bull Run, said Major W.B. Knott, of the Dinwiddie County sheriff’s office, reporting what might be described as the dramatic encounter between a controversial piece of hardware and a controversial spectacle...
With Ensign Decision, Court Hands CREW Fourth Victory Against DOJ  CREW   ...Judge Bates found Sen. Ensign’s privacy interests were outweighed by the substantial public interest in records that would shed light on the DOJ investigation and the decision not to bring charges against the senator...
Raleigh police threaten arrest for charity feeding homeless  WTVD   ...A group from a local church has been feeding the homeless in downtown Raleigh virtually every Saturday and Sunday for the past six years, until this weekend...
Nikki Haley Makes Re-Election Bid  Mauldin Patch   ...Gov. Nikki Haley made it official on Monday, announcing her re-election campaign at a rally at the Bi-Lo Center in Greenville, surrounded by a few hundred supporters, a group of sign-waving protesters, and three fellow Republican governors who might just be planning a run for president...