508 people were in attendance at the 2017 New Mexico Teamsters Appreciation Day on Saturday Sept 23rd.  Members came from a wide variety of crafts and companies which included (in order of highest member turnout) UPS, ABF, YRC, Film/Movies Drivers, Creamland, CH2M/OMI, Sysco, UPS Freight, Sysco, AmeriPride Linen, American Airlines,  Sandia Labs, and TeamOne. There were Teamster Retirees that also attended and had a booth set up for info on their Teamster Retiree Club.

To View Photos of the Event, Click Here To view a video of the event, Click Here. 

Secretary-Treasurer Walter R. Maestas along with The Teamsters 492 Executive Board and Business Agents were all there and you may have seen some of them busy working to make sure the event ran smooth. This year’s theme was “We Are Teamsters!!!” Hanging from the new 492 tents and on the back of the free shirt were logos of the dozens of Companies Local 492 represents. Everyone enjoyed the free food featuring Popeye’s Chicken, the free Teamster shirts for Members (designed by ABF Brother Albert Lujan), plus face painting & a Jumper for the kids. We also gave away a 49" Flat screen TV, Drone, Electric Fireplace heater, and whole lot more including 20 gift bags full of Teamster books, Teamster DVD, and also some 492 Teamster swag. The first bunch of kids who attended received a free Teamster Ring Disc Frisbee (we ran out). The three most sought after prizes were the TV, won by UPS Brother John Wecrzynek, and the two custom made 492 Teamster Disk-it’s, won by OMI/CH2m Hill Brother Ricardo Sanchez & UPS Brother Dominic Gutierrez.

The Teamsters Joint Council #3 Truck was there thanks to Retired 455 Vice President, Jim Adams, who drove it down from Colorado.

This is the 5th year Teamsters Local 492 has hosted an event to celebrate the Teamsters of New Mexico, and the third year we have had a committee of Volunteer Teamsters Members plan the event. The Teamsters Local 492 Executive Board, on behalf of all of the Members who enjoyed the event, would like to thank The 492 Volunteer Event Committee for all of their hard work and the countless hours of their personal time they donated to this great Union over the past months preparing for this day. In addition to the planning, the Committee showed up Thursday & Friday to set-up the inside of the hall and came in at 8 am Saturday morning to prepare the outside. Most of the Committee also worked the entire event to insure the Members would enjoy themselves. In alphabetical order, The 2017 Committee was led by Brother Joseph Carrillo (ABF) (event coordination), Lacey Eversole (ABF), who also volunteered at the check-in table, Sister Rori Hall (ABF), who also volunteered at the Teamster store and raffle tickets, Brother Albert Lujan (ABF) who also volunteered with face painting for the kids & also designed the beautiful shirt this year, Business Agent Kevin Pohl, Brother Robert Sanders (ABF), and Brother Jesus Vidaca (ABF) (event coordination) and his kids Ashley & Jesus Vidaca Jr.

Other volunteers (in alphabetical order) who came in early on Saturday to help set up the event were Business Agent Melissa Malcom-who also volunteered at the check-in table, Business Agent Tracy M^cCarty, Trustee Aaron Powell & his family Becky, Mya and Eli, Brother Kirk Weis (ABF), Recording Secretary Trey White-who also volunteered at the check-in table, and Brother Donald Wood (ABF).

Other volunteers (in alphabetical order) that helped during the event were office secretary Darlene Archuleta-Teamster store and raffle tickets, Sister Esther Basham (ABF)- food table and supplied the homemade salsa, Sister Silvana Cufré (ABF)-Face painting and Tanya Pohl-Teamster store. (If you would like to be on the event committee or volunteer at our next event, let us know by Clicking Here)

A special thanks to the many that stuck around to help clean up. Thank you to all who participated and attended this event, we truly enjoyed seeing all of you and meeting your families and we hope to be able to do this for years to come. On behalf the Teamsters Local 492 staff, Business Agents and Executive Board, we truly appreciate the Members of this Local Union and everything you do to make this Union great, and all the hard working Union Stewards that do such a great job helping their fellow Members, Thank you Teamster Brothers & Sisters!

Go down memory lane below:

(2016) Great Turnout for NM Teamster Appreciation Day

(2015) 492 Teamster Day 2015 Turns Out Record Attendees

2014 Membership Appreciation Day

(2013) Great Time Had At The First Ever 492 Membership Appreciation Event

As you are aware, the current Teamsters ABF NMFA expires on March 31, 2018. In preparation for negotiations for a successor agreement with ABF, the IBT is requesting local unions representing employees at ABF, confer with their members and shop stewards, and submit suggested proposals to the negotiating committees. The proposal forms are similar to forms that have been used in the past for obtaining this important information.

Click Here For The National Proposal Forms and Click Here For The Supplemental Forms. 

The IBT has mandated that these forms be completed and returned to the IBT by October 16, 2017. Therefore, all proposals must be submitted to Local Union 492 by October 12, 2017 so that we will have time to sort & organize them for submission to the IBT. 

You can send them to info@teamsters492.org with your filled out forms. You may also mail or bring them to 4269 Balloon Park Rd, Alb, NM 87109.

Now is the time to tell us what you would like to see in the next ABF Teamster Contract. This is YOUR contract, so make sure you participate in this process to have your ideas and voice heard.

If you have any question please call the Business Agent for Freight, Secretary-Treasurer Walter R. Maestas at 505-344-1925 ex 13. If you have any technical issues with the submission of these forms, call Trey White at 505-344-1925 ex 15.

The UPS and UPS Freight Screening Committees are scheduled for September 25th and the Two-Person Review is scheduled for October 17th. Teamsters Package Division Director Denis Taylor, Co-Chair of the UPS National Negotiating Committee, will lead the meetings along with Kris Taylor who is Co-Chair of the UPS Freight National Negotiating Committee.

Proposal Process

Approximately one year out from the expiration of the UPS and UPS Freight contracts, the IBT requests all locals to gather proposals from the Union’s membership.  At the end of that 60 day time-frame the proposals are sorted by article, section and sub-section.  IBT staff then goes through the thousands of proposals to ensure that there are no duplicate proposals—for example, there does not need to be 100 proposals that UPS allows neatly trimmed beards, one will suffice.  These proposals are then put into binders for the National Negotiating Committee to review.  The NNC screens the proposals based on surveys and their day-to-day experience dealing with UPS on the shop floor as well as the various regional and national grievance committees.

The results of the screening are then reviewed at a meeting known as the Two-Person committee, comprised of two representatives from all UPS and UPS Freight local unions.  The results of that meeting become the Teamster’s initial bargaining proposals to be presented at the start of negotiations.

Unions Give Workers A Way To Improve Jobs

Read the latest in-depth research from the Economic Policy Institute on Labor Unions and how they not only help union workers but non-union workers too!

1. ‘Collective bargaining’ is how working people gain a voice at work and the power to shape their working lives
2. Union workers are diverse, just like America
3. Unions represent workers of all levels of education
4. Union workers hail from a variety of sectors, but the biggest share work in education or health services
5. Unions are most widespread in public administration and transportation industries
6. Unions are thriving in diverse workplaces—including ‘new economy’ workplaces
7. Unions strengthen democracy by giving workers a voice in policy debates
8. Unions reduce inequality and are essential for low- and middle-wage workers’ ability to obtain a fair share of economic growth
9. Unions raise wages for both union and nonunion workers
10. Unions help raise wages for women and lessen racial wage gaps
11. Unions improve the health and safety practices of workplaces
12. Unions support strong families with better benefits and due process
13. Unions are good for workers’ retirement security
14. Unions create a path to sharing knowledge and solving problems
15. Workers still want unions but are being thwarted by aggressive campaigns and lobbying that have eroded private-sector union membership
16. Employers often fight unionizing efforts with aggression and intimidation, using legal and illegal tactics
17. Corporate lobbyists push laws—misleadingly called ‘right-to-work’ laws—that seek to defund private-sector unions
18. Corporate lobbies and allied lawmakers are dismantling the rights of public-sector union workers
19. Attacks on public-sector collective bargaining are playing out in the courts
20. Conclusion: Unions are essential to a fair economy and a vibrant democracy

With thousands of proposal sheets coming in, today the Teamsters Package Division began the process of organizing and reviewing each proposal submitted by members from the union’s nearly 200 UPS locals.

Throughout the morning and afternoon, each submitted proposal was read aloud by Package Division Director Sean O’Brien to the Division's regional chairs and co-chairs. The proposals were discussed and, where necessary, staff was assigned to contact individual locals to clarify any proposal that was unclear.

The following sections received the most proposals:

Health Welfare and Pension (Article 34)

Overtime/9.5 (Article 37)

Subcontracting/Coyote (Article 26 and 32)

Safety and Health (Article 18)

Part-time Wages (Article 22)

“These proposals represent the direct input from members. We take every submission seriously as we begin the process of crafting the Teamster proposal to UPS,” said O’Brien. “This meeting was just a first step in digesting the ideas that our members have for improving their lives and workplace.” 

Following today’s initial review, all of the proposals will be vetted by the wider screening committee in the upcoming weeks.

New Communication Tools to Keep UPS Teamsters Informed!

The new “UPS Rising” mobile app has just been released in the App Store and Google Play. Download it now to stay up to date on the fight for a strong contract in 2018. Find all the contracts, supplements and riders for your local, searchable and easy to navigate.

DOWNLOAD THE APP HERE: http://ibt.io/upsrising-app

Also, check out the new website: www.upsrising.org.

You can also go to the UPS Rising Facebook page: Facebook

And TEXT “UPS” to 86466 to receive text message alerts.

The following are the decisions from the YRC Multi-Region Change of Operations MR-UE-01-08/2017 and MR-CO-01-08/2017 which were heard on Thursday, August 24, 2017 in Rosemont, IL. Below are links to the documents about both proposed changes in operations and the decisions.

YRC - MR-UE-01-08/2017

YRC Freight, Inc. 2017 Utility Employee Change of Operations (Article 3, Section 7) 

August 30, 2017 Multi- Region Change of Operations Committee Decision YRC - MR-UE-01-08/2017 

YRC - MR-CO-01-08/2017

YRC Freight, Inc. 2017 Network Enhancement Change of Operations (Article 8, Section 6)

August 30, 2017 Multi- Region Change of Operations Committee Decision YRC - MR-CO-01-08/2017

From The New Mexico State Film Office Record-Shattering Year for Film Industry in New Mexico with Half a Billion Dollars Injected Into NM Economy by Film Industry. 

New Mexico’s film industry injected $505 million (more than a half a billion dollars) into the economy last year, shattering the previous record by more than $115 million. This news comes shortly after the U.S. Department of Commerce ranked New Mexico’s economy the third-fastest growing in the nation and seventh in the nation for private-sector job growth. The data shows that the industry continues to support more jobs, with over 448,304 worker days in FY17. Local 492 had about 300 Teamsters working in the NM film Industry last year. 

Brian O'Leary, Senior Vice President Tax NBCUniversal said, “The stability of the tax credit program, an expanding and increasingly skilled local workforce, and best in class industry support from the New Mexico film office are just some of the critical elements that have led to a thriving industry cluster in New Mexico.”

In FY17 alone, TV series and pilots produced in New Mexico included: Better Call Saul, Season 3 (AMC), The Night Shift, Season 4, Midnight, Texas, Season 1 and The Brave, Season 1 (all 3 from NBC), Longmire, Season 6 (Netflix), Graves, Season 2 (EPIX), The Girlfriend Experience, Season 2 (STARZ), Waco, Mini-Series (Paramount TV Network), The Ballad of Buster Scruggs (Netflix), Get Shorty, Season 1 (EPIX), Logan (Twenty Century Fox), Godless (Netflix), Woman Walks Ahead (Black Bicycle Entertainment), Hostiles (Yellow Hawk, Inc.), Scalped pilot (Horizon Scripted Television), Soldado (Black Label Media), T@gged Season 2 (Dreamworks), Monster of God pilot (TNT), Mission Control pilot (CBS), Villa Capri (Broad Green Pictures), Cliffs of Freedom (Freedom Films, LLC), Horse Soldiers (Jerry Bruckheimer Films).

“New Mexico’s film and television industry is continuing to diversify our economy and create good jobs for New Mexicans,” said Economic Development Cabinet Secretary Matt Geisel. “New Mexico’s unique natural wonders, powerful incentives and incredible workforce are continuing to drive our state forward.”

“Continued growth in the industry means not only dollars into the economy, but also more employment opportunities for New Mexicans,” said New Mexico State Film Office Director Nick Maniatis. “This is the diversity the New Mexico economy needs and we are proud of the hard work and dedication our citizens have provided to build the industry in our state.”

The IBT has been advised that YRC Freight is mailing its proposed multi-region network enhancement change of operations and utility employee change of operations. The Company is requesting a hearing date of August 24, 2017.

Below are links to the documents about both proposed changes in operations.

YRC Freight, Inc. 2017 Utility Employee Change of Operations (Article 3, Section 7)

YRC Freight, Inc. 2017 Network Enhancement Change of Operations (Article 8, Section 6)

The Teamster Local 492 Film Division held a training class on Saturday June 17, 2017 at Santa Fe Studios to help Teamster drivers learn more about some of the common equipment operated by Teamsters in the NM Film industry. With hands on training, the 31 participants spent about 7 hours learning how to operate Honeywagons, Water Trucks, and Landalls. See more pictures here. The film equipment training class was a first of its kind for Local 492, which was put together by our Film Division Business Agent Melissa A. Malcom. We would like to thank her for all the time she spent organizing & putting this class together, creating teaching materials, and donating her weekend for the class.

We would also like to thank our fellow 492 Film Division drivers; Kip Wolverton (who taught the water truck class), Harold Martinez (who taught the Landall class), and Josh Hauser (who taught the Honeywagon class). We could not have done this without these men donating their time, skills and great knowledge of this equipment for this event! Thanks to Business Agent Trey White for coming up to Santa Fe on Saturday to help out! 

A special thanks to all the vendors who donated the equipment and studio space for the class:

Honeywagon- Mark Russell (Reel Trucks), Landall and Tractor- Mario Medina (Advantage Paving), Water Trucks- Elliott Locations & Eric Rivera, and P-Mo- Mike Russell (MBR). Also thank you very much to Octavio Marin of Santa Fe Studios for the space to train on this big equipment. We definitely needed the large area Santa Fe Studios donated for the day.

Thanks to all that participated, it all went off perfectly, other than it was a very hot day, and so we appreciate all of you sticking it out for the entire day!