Film & Media Day 2020 Santa Fe NM

Film & Media day was held on 2/10/2020 in Santa Fe, NM at the State Capital. Shown in the picture above are some of the key figures responsible for the passage of SB2 NM Film Incentive bill (left to right); NM Federation of Labor Consultant Jon Lipshutz, Local 492 President Trey White, New Mexico House Representative, Antonio "Moe" Maestas, Local 492 Film Business Agent Melissa Malcom, and IATSE 480 President Liz Pecos. Thank you to all of those that work so hard to improve the lives of NM Film Workers and Local 492 looks forward to future collaborative efforts to ensure the great local residents of New Mexico have even more opportunities in the future to work in the NM Film Industry!  

ABF Freight to Pay 2019 Profit-Sharing Bonus to Eligible Union Employees

• Bonus payment for reaching 95.2 percent operating ratio achieved in 2019
• Payment to all eligible union employees, representing nearly all union employees, is first in company’s history

January 30, 2020 - ABF Freight announced it will pay a profit-sharing bonus to all qualifying union-represented employees in return for the company achieving a 95.2 percent operating ratio in 2019. See Profit Sharing MOU Here. 

“Returning ABF to historical margins has been a long-term goal, and the bonus payment is something we have hoped to do for some time,” said ABF President Tim Thorne. “Thanks to successful yield initiatives, focused account management and prudent cost management, we reached the required levels to pay the bonus and we thank all of our employees for their hard work and dedication to the company and our customers. This is a proud day for ABF.”

The profit-sharing bonus for employees represented by the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, ABF’s largest bargaining group, will be 1% of qualifying employees’ W-2 earnings as specified in the 2018 ABF National Master Freight Agreement ratified in July 2018. Employees in smaller union groups will receive similar payments. The total number of employees who will receive the bonus is approximately 7400.

This is the first time in ABF’s nearly 100-year history that a profit-sharing bonus will be paid to all eligible union-represented employees in return for hitting specific financial targets. Only a small group is ineligible this year, having been paid last year. Operating ratio refers to the ratio of operating expenses to operating revenue and is generally considered a measure of profitability and efficiency in the trucking industry. According to terms of the collective bargaining agreement with the IBT, the bonus will be paid by check within 60 days of the 2019 calendar year-end.

2019-2022_ABF_Profit_Sharing_Bonus.pdf

Western States Pension Accrual Rate Increased! Pension Fund Nearing Full Funding Status!

As we begin a new year and a new decade, I am pleased to announce the Western Conference of Teamsters Pension Plan Board of Trustees and professional staff have taken several steps that will make the Plan stronger and more secure in the years ahead, while at the same time providing Plan Participants with an increase in the accrual formula for work performed in 2020 and expanding opportunities for retirees to work additional hours without having their monthly benefit suspended. Click Here to Read the New Hour Limits Document

The Plan is moving closer to full funding each year and has just enjoyed an exceptional investment return for 2019 in conjunction with record contribution levels. In this current moment of strength, it is timely to take this prudent step to ensure future funding stability. Taken together, these steps are a positive. On the one hand, they will strengthen Plan funding and stability and on the other, they will increase member retirement benefits in 2020 and provide greater choices for our retired members.

These key initiatives are as follows:

1) Effective for hours worked in 2020 the basic accrual rate used to calculate benefit levels will move from 1.2% to 1.5% for each contribution dollar, an increase of 25%. This is the first accrual increase in more than a decade and we hope it will be a pattern for further improvements in the years ahead. Click Here to view the 1987-2020 Accrual Chart.

The Plan has largely recovered from the Great Recession and the Trustees appreciate the patience of Teamster members. Their loyalty has been a major factor in ensuring the funding stability of the Plan was strong and solid enough to support benefit improvements. That time is now at hand. One caveat- the accrual increase is applicable only to hours worked in 2020. Future increases will depend on market returns and continued strength in the Plan1s funding metrics.

2) The Trustees have expanded the amount of work a retiree may perform without incurring a suspension of his or her monthly pension payment. Beginning in January 2020 the monthly hours of otherwise suspendible work has been increased for retirees under the age of 60. In the past, they could work less than 50 hours per month without a suspension. That has now increased to less than 60 hours per month. For a retiree aged 60 to 65, the hours limit remains at less than 85 hours in a calendar month. In addition to the change above, the new rules allow all retirees under age 65 to work as many hours of otherwise suspendible employment as they wish during any three calendar months in a calendar year. The three months need not be consecutive and are the choice of the retiree. It's important that retirees carefully monitor the number of hours and months that they work or for which they are paid. The rules are somewhat complicated, if you have questions please check the Trust's website or call the Administrative Office in your geographical area. We're pleased with these changes to retiree work rules. They will allow retirees under age 65 greater choice and the opportunity to strengthen their financial security.

To read the full letter from the Pension Office, Click Here

2020WesternPensionAccrual_Increase.pdf

WCTPT_Hours_Limits_Relaxed_Post-Retirement_Employment_2020.pdf

Pension_Contribution_Rate_Chart_1987-2020.png

On the night before he died, Martin Luther King gave a speech about the dignity of labor. It still rings true. He was in Memphis, Tenn., supporting sanitation workers' rights to respect and a decent wage. He said: “Whenever you are engaged in work that serves humanity and is for the building of humanity, it has dignity and it has worth.”

Dr. King's spirit lives on, especially in the hearts of 32,000 Teamsters solid waste workers who've been able to better their lives with a Teamsters contract. And it lives on in the workers who today are fighting the growing attacks from corporations that want to lower wages through right-to-work (for LESS) laws. Dr. King had this to say about "right to work:"

"In our glorious fight for civil rights, we must guard against being fooled by false slogans, such as 'right-to-work.' It provides no 'rights' and no 'works.' Its purpose is to destroy labor unions and the freedom of collective bargaining…. We demand this fraud be stopped."

Dr. King believed that the civil rights movement and the labor movement together would have the greatest impact in the struggle for human dignity. The Teamsters shared that view. Early Teamsters leaders were strongly against separate unions for African-Americans. In 1919 the union adopted the slogan, "Equal Pay for Equal Work," signaling their strong support for all their members.

Teamsters General President James R. Hoffa opposed segregation and chose to forfeit prospective members because of it. "We don't need 'em," he said. "Their way is not the Teamster way." 

Teamsters in 1961 gave food and clothing to African-American families who were punished for registering to vote in the 1960 presidential election. Teamsters marched with Dr. King in Chicago in 1966.

In 1963, scores of Teamsters joined the historic March on Washington. Buses carrying Teamsters arrived from near and far, some driving through the night to join the activities on time. Locals that were especially involved included Locals 810 and 239 of New York City, Local 875 of Flushing, New York, Local 20 of Toledo, Local 688 of St. Louis and Local 743 of Chicago.

In 1968 Teamsters leaders and rank-and-file members marched in Dr. King's funeral procession.

Today, the Teamsters are honoring the memory of Dr. King both in words and in the battle to lift up workers to a better life.

Teamsters General President Jim Hoffa had this to say: “Even in death, Martin Luther King Jr. continues to inspire and guide us. His legacy lives on in every union member, every labor activist, and every American who has stood up in the name of justice, equality, peace and compassion.”

TEAMSTERS: SPENDING BILL OFFERS RELIEF, BUT PASSES THE BUCK ON LARGER PENSION FIX

‘Cadillac Tax’ Repeal on Health Plans is Big Victory for Union Workers

(WASHINGTON) – The fiscal year 2020 omnibus spending bill approved by Congress this week provides resources for many critical investments that better the lives of working Americans, but also misses the mark by not including a broad fix for the nation’s faltering multiemployer pension plans.

While the repeal of a 40 percent excise tax on high-quality health benefits held by many Teamsters and others has long been sought by the union, the Teamsters are deeply disappointed that Congress did not include the House-passed Rehabilitation for Multiemployer Pensions Act – also known as the Butch Lewis Act – in the final version of the spending deal.

“While we recognize the precarious position of the mineworkers’ pension and health funds which the spending package addresses, they are not alone,” Teamsters General President Jim Hoffa said. “Through no fault of their own, the earned pension benefits of millions of retirees and workers – Teamsters, ironworkers, bakery & confectionery workers, musicians, among others – are being threatened due to the pending insolvency of a number of other multiemployer pension plans.

“These retirees and families should not have to live with this uncertainty and continue to have their lives turned upside down,” he continued. “The Teamsters Union will continue to fight vigorously for passage of the Butch Lewis Act in the new year.”

The bipartisan legislation, thanks in large part to the hard work of Reps. Richard Neal of Massachusetts and Peter King of New York, passed the House on a 264-169 vote and was sent to the Senate on July 25. The Butch Lewis Act aims at financially supporting critical and declining pension plans so they don’t fail. The measure ensures that retirees and workers receive the benefits they have earned through decades of hard work.

On the “Cadillac Tax” repeal, Congress’ approval of the language marks the culmination of a 10-year effort led by Rep. Joe Courtney (D-Conn.) to strip the needlessly punitive provision that would have hit hardworking Americans hard, Hoffa said.

“It is a huge win not only for our Teamster families, but for all middle-class families who were facing this misguided tax on their hard-won health care benefits,” he said. “With working families facing the hollowing out of health care benefits and increasing out-of-pocket costs, it is past time to reverse this misguided policy.”

Additionally, the omnibus spending bill:

• Restores the steep funding cut proposed for the National Labor Board which protects a worker’s right to organize and bargain collectively;
   
• Provides increased funds to the Labor Department’s Wage & Hour Division and OSHA to ensure that workers receive the wages and overtime pay they have earned, and that they have a safe and healthy workplace;
   
• Increases funding for grants to improve countries’ capacity to enforce labor rights agreed to under U.S. trade agreements and trade preference programs by providing resources for additional monitoring and enforcement staff, including at critical U.S. embassies for monitoring and labor compliance; and
   
• Continues a vigorous effort to combat the scourge of the opioid epidemic faced by far too many communities and families, including Teamster families.

The application process for the 2020 year is now open. 

To access the JRHMSF application process (administered by ISTS), go to: https://aim.applyists.net

Please use JRHMSF for the "Key"

Eligibility:  For the sons, daughters and financial dependents of Teamster members (including the BMWED, BLET, GCC and TCRC). Academic scholarships ranging from $1,000 to $10,000 for high school seniors planning to attend a four-year college or university and Training/Vocational program awards of up to $2,000 for use at community colleges and trade schools. For more details, Click Here.

• Application Open: November 30, 2019

• DEADLINE: March 31, 2020 at 11:59 PM Pacific Time Zone

• Membership Verification Deadline: March 31, 2020

• Notification of Selection Results: June 2020

• Funds Disbursed: August 2020

For general questions about the James R. Hoffa Memorial Scholarship Fund, please call 855-670-ISTS (4787) or Email: contactus@applyISTS.com

College Tuition Discount Network

As a Teamster member, there is a college tuition discount program that is available to you and members of your family. The ISTS Tuition Discount Network (TDN) is a list of For-Profit and Non-Profit colleges and universities that offer reduced tuition. The amount of the reduction can varies by school and can sometimes be as specific as major. Make sure you identify yourself as a Teamster when applying.

The link to the TDN is http://www.applyists.com/tuition-discount-network/. Click on the school's logo to view the discount. 

About James R. Hoffa Memorial Scholarship Fund

James R. Hoffa became a Teamster member in 1934 and served as General President for 14 years, and, in recognition of his tireless service to the union and its members, was honored as General President Emeritus for life. At the November 1999 General Executive Board meeting, then-General Secretary-Treasurer C. Thomas Keegel presented a resolution to establish the new scholarship fund. This site describes the James R. Hoffa Memorial Scholarship Fund (JRHMSF) and outlines eligibility requirements and application procedures. Please click here.

The James R. Hoffa Memorial Scholarship Fund is an independent organization established and registered as a tax-exempt entity under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. The Fund is established solely to provide scholarships to the child or dependent of a member of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, and contributions to the Fund are deductible as charitable contributions to the extent permitted by law.