Make your voice Heard! Say NO to RTW Laws! By Clicking Here, you can email your State Senator & House Representative by simply entering your Zip Code.  There is a sample letter already written for you that you can modify or you can write your own if you wish. It takes less than one minute and can really make a difference. Make your voice heard now by Clicking Here!

There will be an upcoming rally to protest against Right-To-Work legislation. Are you interested in having us contact you when volunteers are needed and/or info on the upcoming rally and other RTW updates? If so, Please Click Here to be put on our “Contact Me” list today. 

Update---Feb. 25, 2015- HB75 passes House on a party line vote after contentious public hearings

HB75, the controversial “right to work” bill, passed out of the House on a largely party line vote despite 3 hours of testimony disparaging the legislation by Representatives in support of working families. The version of the bill presented on the House floor contained amendments to include a minor minimum wage raise and the creation of a “training wage,” which detractors had been criticizing as insufficient since an $8/hour wage still leaves minimum wage earners below the poverty line. HB75 now moves on to the Senate.

Feb 19, 2015- HB 75 now has a minimum wage portion added by Rep. Nate Gentry that proposes a .50 raise to $8.00 an hour with a training wage of $7.50 an hour for six months. This addition has caused, the supporters of the Bill, a problem for the unfriendly to Labor legislators because they feel the need to vote on the two issues separately. So, HB 75 has been postponed till next week. Sign up on the "Contact Me" list to get updates for the upcoming Protest Rally at the Capital. 

Senate Democrats unveiled a Jobs Package today that they are calling “Ready to Work”.  In the press conference, Democratic Senate leaders and members stated opposition to “Right to Work”. “It’s a cheap political trick to try to divide people in this great state,” said Senate Majority Leader Michael Sanchez, D-Belen.Read an article about it here.

Feb 14th, 2015- HB75 passed the House Judiciary Committee, 7 to 6. The Bill will now go the House Floor to be voted on by the full House of Representatives. 

Feb 12, 2015- There have been interesting developments today in Santa Fe.  The House Judiciary is meeting tomorrow to discuss and vote on HB 75.  This is continuation of the hearing Tuesday, where many of you and your members spoke in opposition to this terrible bill. 

Today the House Judiciary Committee released a new proposed substitute amendment reverting to the bill as originally introduced but adding a minimum wage provision.  This is a blatant political ploy by House Republicans to try to divide all of those fighting for the working families of New Mexico.  This transparent act will not fool us or our progressive partners working to improve the lives of working families in New Mexico.  The so-called "right to work" bill now will contain a totally unrelated (and therefore unconstitutional) provision that would allow employers to pay BELOW the minimum wage for employees in their first six months at each job.  

The committee will hear testimony on the minimum wage provision tomorrow, (testimony on right to work was on Tuesday) before discussing and voting on the bill.

• The increase is insufficient and will leave hard working families far below the poverty line.
• The training wage is designed for employers to abuse, so they never have to pay an increase.  It leaves workers more vulnerable than they are now. 

Tying the increase to a bill that undermines workers' right to organize and stand up for their own interests’ only shows that the sponsors don't care about working families. 

Feb 10, 2015-  House Judiciary Hearing Today

The hearing began late due to 2 reasons: First, the crowd was so large that they moved the hearing to the House Chamber; Second, Rep. Roch offered a substitute for HB 75.  The substitute is currently being analyzed and we will update you with what it means, but it seems to do 2 things, eliminate hiring halls for private sector unions and say that Public Sector Unions don’t have to represent in any way people who aren’t members.  Initial research indicates this may be a new version of the ALEC RTW proposal.

Here is the Albuquerque Journal Story on the Substitute bill:

http://www.abqjournal.com/539680/politics/changes-to-right-to-work-bill-could-shift-union-landscape.html

The large crowd was filled with many people in opposition to the bill, speaking to the committee about this unfair, unnecessary bill that is terrible for New Mexico’s Middle Class.  The testimony went on until 7:45pm.  The committee then postponed discussion, further amendments and voting until Friday, 2/13 at 1:30pm in room 309.

Our field program continued today with phone calls to targeted Senate Districts and canvassing to generate handwritten letters.  Thanks to many of you and your members for attending and speaking out to the House Judiciary Committee today.

Feb 7th, 2015- Thank you to all the volunteers that came out today to help stuff envelops about RTW. Click Here to view the list of volunteers 

Feb 6th, 2015- HB 75 is scheduled to be heard in the Judiciary Committee on Monday February 9th, 2015.

Jan 29^th, 2015- Today the House Business and Employment Committee voted 8-5, largely along party lines, to approve “right-to-work” bill HB 75 called the “Employee Preference Act,” despite a five-hour hearing of testimony from 51 people who spoke against the bill, while only 13 people, mainly business associations and chambers of commerce leaders, spoke in favor the bill. It was also pointed out publicly there was not a single Union worker at the hearing voicing interest in the bill or wanting to “opt-out” of a Union, but the committee voted in favor of it anyway.  

The proposal now goes to the House Judiciary Committee for a vote then (if passed) to the full House, now under Republican control for the first time in 60 years.

Everyone should contact your State Senator & House Representative today and ask them to oppose “Right to Work” bills like the “Employee Preference Act” and other anti-worker bills and measures moving through the state legislature. They need to hear from you! 

By Clicking Here, you can email your State Senator & House Representative by simply entering your Zip Code.  There is a sample letter already written for you that you can modify or you can write your own if you wish. It takes less than one minute and can really make a difference. Make your voice heard now by Clicking Here!

If you’re not sure what RTW is, or why it’s bad, Click Here to educate yourself on what's going on in NM. 

Are you interested in having us contact you when volunteers are needed to help fight RTW? Please Click Here to be put on our “Contact Me” list today.

RTW is coming to NM unless we fight to stop it. If you’re not sure what RTW is, or why it’s bad, Click Here to educate yourself on what's going on in NM. 

Are you interested in having us contact you when volunteers are needed to help fight RTW? Please Click Here to be put on our “Contact Me” list today.  

Everyone should contact your State Senator & House Representative today and ask them to oppose “Right to Work” and other anti-worker bills and measures moving through the state legislature. They need to hear from you! 

By Clicking Here, you can email your State Senator & House Representative by simply entering your Zip Code.  There is a sample letter already written for you that you can modify or you can write your own if you wish. It takes less than one minute and can really make a difference. Make your voice heard now by Clicking Here!

Click Here to Read the Open Letter From the Western Conference Of Teamsters Pension Trust about the recently passed Omnibus Bill which included the Multi-Employer Pension Reform Act of 2014 (MEPRA 2014). 

Click Here to read more about RTW and why it is bad for workers, not just Union workers, but all workers.

Make your voice Heard! Say NO to RTW Laws! By Clicking Here, you can email your State Senator & House Representative by simply entering your Zip Code.  There is a sample letter already written for you that you can modify or you can write your own if you wish. It takes less than one minute and can really make a difference. Make your voice heard now by Clicking Here!

Are you interested in having us contact you when volunteers are needed to march? Please Click Here to be put on our “Contact Me” list today.  

Get Ready For The NM War On Workers!

A commentary By Teamsters Union Local 492 Recording Secretary, Trey White

I hope you all had a great 2014, and hope 2015 is even better for you. 2015 looks promising from the indicators economists study.  

The 2014 election in New Mexico had a low voter turnout which is usually not good for labor.  So unfortunately, while the good, hard working people of New Mexico punched in for work on November 4^th, 2014, corporate America was busy buying another election, and you can probably understand, they do not have the workers best interests in mind when they are handing out that cash to the candidates, quite the opposite.

Well the pay off for the big spenders is about to play out in our own back yard here in New Mexico, when anti-worker politicians outnumber the labor friendly ones in the NM State House of Representatives for the first time in 60 years. No matter who you voted for, I am sure you don’t want your elected politicians undermining the collective voice you have at work, so please, read on. If you believe the Union has no positive effect on your life, please Click Here to read some American History you may not be aware of.   

Now it is time for the men and women of the State of New Mexico who punch a clock everyday to start voicing their opinions (loudly) about laws these unfriendly-to-labor lawmakers look to change.

We will be asking for volunteers at the end of this article to assist in this fight, or you can just Click Here now to be put on our “Contact Me” list.  

Here is what the War on Workers looks like for the 2015 Legislative session:

• A change in workers compensation eligibility (NOT IN THE WORKERS FAVOR) designed to lessen the employer’s liability.
• Removal of the state’s Little Davis Bacon Act (which keeps wages from falling) on construction projects that qualify.
• Repeal of SB33 which requires that Union negotiated wages in the construction trades are the prevailing wages on state funded construction projects.
• And saving the most important for last, there are 6 different, but equally damaging, versions of “right-to-work” legislation being introduced.

“Right-to-work” (RTW) is one of those names given to a law to trick people into believing it’s a good cause. Who doesn’t want the right to work? Everyone should, but this is America and you and I as Americans, already have the right to work. But that is not what this law is about. The law divides the Union workforce into two factions; dues payers and freeloaders. RTW laws may differ from state to state (there are 6 versions of the law being written for the 2015 fight against the workers of NM), but they all have one thing in common, protect the freeloader. 

RTW laws let the worker at a Union job stop paying dues, but the Union is still required by law to provide all services to the non-dues paying worker. The freeloader gets all the benefits of the Union for free, even though it costs money to employ local Union business agents who negotiate those great wages and benefits that the freeloader came to the Union Job for in the first place. The Union is also still required under RTW laws, to help with grievances and terminations, etc. of the freeloader. But if everyone is freeloading, the Union will not be able to continue to pay the salaries of those business agents, and eventually there will be no one to help the freeloader, and that is the ultimate goal of RTW, to weaken (or eliminate) the Union and thereby weakening the workers’ position in the workplace. 

Ask yourself, would these same anti-labor lawmakers ever pass a similar law called “Right-to-Live”, where someone would have the “right to live” here, drive on America’s roads, send their kids to America’s schools, work an American Job, and collect a Social Security check when they retire, but not have to “join America” or ever pay taxes? Of course not, but that is essentially what these lawmakers expect from Unions; to support a person who is reaping all the benefits of The Union (The Country) without paying The Dues (The Taxes) that built it and keep it running, and retire with a Pension (Social Security Check) that is just not available to most modern day non-union workers.

These legislators that pretend RTW is good for the worker are not just lying to you, they are hypocrites. Their only motivation in passing RTW is to please the big corporate donors that got them elected, not to do what’s right for Americans.    

Click Here to read more about RTW and why it is bad for workers, not just Union workers, but all workers.

The four issues mentioned above that are being introduced in 2015, including the 6 versions of RTW, will hurt WORKERS and the MIDDLE CLASS. This is clearly a potential race to the bottom for New Mexico workers.

If working families in New Mexico are important to you and your family, it’s time to mobilize friends, family members and everyone that feels that a living wage and worker rights are crucial parts of raising a family here in New Mexico. The Teamsters, along with other worker friendly organizations, are going to need your support during the upcoming legislative session if we are going to defeat these destructive measures being introduced. We will need volunteers to march on the capital in Santa Fe when these bills come up for a vote. We will try to give you as much notice as possible, but unfortunately the process can be quite unpredictable (which they do intentionally).

Are you interested in having us contact you when volunteers are needed to march? Please Click Here to be put on our “Contact Me” list today.  

By Clicking Here, you can email your State Senator & House Representative by simply entering your Zip Code.  There is a sample letter already written for you that you can modify or you can write your own if you wish. It takes less than one minute and can really make a difference. Make your voice heard now by Clicking Here!

Thank you for taking the time to educate yourself about issues that may impact you greatly. Please encourage your co-workers and family to do the same. The working class cannot afford to sit back and watch as corporations have their way with this great country of ours, let’s take it back, together!  

What Do Unions Do For Me?

By Teamsters492.org Webmaster, Trey White

I am always amazed when I hear some say to me, “I don’t need the Union; I do my job!” That may be true, you may be the best at your job and never do anything wrong, but the Union still helps you in ways you probably are not aware of or are thankful for because they have always been there for you so you feel that’s just normal.

If you work in a Union job, you are most likely benefiting from higher wages and benefits like paid retirements, paid holidays and the big one these days; paid insurance. Even if you have to pay a little towards some of these things, you are still probably better off than your non-union counter-parts. You may not have chosen to work there because it is a Union job, but the reasons that you do work there were more than likely made possible by the very Union you don’t think you need.

The fact is; Unions raise the wages and benefits for everyone in this country, even non-union workers. The non-union competitors must keep their wages fair because if they don’t, two things will happen the non-union company does not want; first the employees will start to leave and then the remaining employees will start reaching out to Unions to organize them, we see this all the time. Companies do not want either to happen, so they try to keep their employees just happy enough to avoid it. But if there were no Unions, there would be no threat. Then wages, benefits and overall working conditions would drop.

The decline of membership in Unions coincides with the decline in middle-class income:

If you are still not convinced, read the list of benefits below that most Americans take advantage of, (even management) that would not exist if not for Unions making them happen.   

Did you know that labor unions made the following 36 things possible?

1. Weekends off
2. All breaks at work, including your lunch breaks
3. Paid vacation
4. Family & Medical Leave Act (FMLA)
5. Sick leave
6. Social Security
7. Minimum wage
8. Civil Rights Act/Title VII - prohibits employer discrimination
9. 8-hour work day
10. Overtime pay
11. Child labor laws
12. Occupational Safety & Health Act (OSHA)
13. 40-hour work week
14. Workers' compensation (workers' comp)
15. Unemployment insurance
16. Pensions
17. Workplace safety standards and regulations
18. Employer health care insurance
19. Collective bargaining rights for employees
20. Wrongful termination laws
21. Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967 (ADEA)
22. Whistleblower protection laws
23. Employee Polygraph Protection Act (EPPA) - prohibits employers from using a lie detector test on an employee
24. Veteran's Employment and Training Services (VETS)
25. Compensation increases and evaluations (i.e. raises)
26. Sexual harassment laws
27. Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA)
28. Holiday pay
29. Employer dental, life, and vision insurance
30. Privacy rights
31. Pregnancy and parental leave
32. Military leave
33. The right to strike
34. Public education for children
35. Equal Pay Acts of 1963 & 2011 - requires employers pay men and women equally for the same amount of work
36. Laws ending sweatshops in the United States

You can now also apply for the California Teamsters Hicpanic Caucus Scholarship as well, Click Here to Learn More! 

James R. Hoffa Memorial Scholarship Fund

Application Deadline March 31, 2015

Click Here to Download an Application

James R. Hoffa became a Teamsters Member in 1934, served as General President for 14 years, and, in recognition of his tireless service to the union, 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 James R. Hoffa Memorial Scholarship Fund. The James R. Hoffa Memorial Scholarship Fund awards scholarships annually to outstanding high school seniors.

All applicants must comply with the following eligibility and application criteria.

Each applicant must:

1. Be the son, daughter or financial dependent of a Teamster member (hereafter also referred to as “Teamster Member Relation”) who qualifies (or in the case of retirees, has qualified)* as a member in “good standing” in the Teamsters Union per Aritcle X, Section 5 of the International Constitution;

2. Be in his/her last year of high school and may not apply if he/she has already graduated from high school;

3. Be in the top 15% of his/her high school class;

4. Plan to submit excellent SAT or ACT scores for evaluation (U.S. only);

5. Plan to attend an accredited four-year college or university. Those who plan to attend non-academic or certificate programs or community college may not apply.

Click Here to Download an Application

Drivers & Dockworkers Seek Job Security, Fairness, Pension

(MIAMI) – A group of 74 drivers and dockworkers at Con-way Freight in Miami Lakes, Fla., voted today to join Teamsters Local 769 in North Miami, Fla.

“The Con-way workers have taken a bold step today to improve their lives and have a more secure future as Teamsters,” said Mike Scott, President of Teamsters Local 769. “As we have seen across the country, the company spent lots of money to wage a vicious anti-worker campaign, but the workers remained strong and united and didn’t let management’s bullying get to them.”

The victory follows two earlier ones at Con-way: On September 12, 2014, a group of 113 drivers and dockworkers at Con-way Freight in Laredo, Texas, voted to join Teamsters Local 657. On September 23, 2014, a group of 44 workers in Vernon, Calif., voted to join Teamsters Local 63.

“We work hard to make this company successful, and we want fair wages, better benefits and working conditions, and a pension,” said Emiliano Najera, a driver. “We deserve to be treated with respect and dignity for doing a good job every day.”

Numerous campaigns at Con-way and FedEx Freight are under way, and the Teamsters Union is committed to helping the drivers win a more secure future.

“The drivers and dockworkers at Con-way, like the workers at FedEx Freight, are fed up,” said Jim Hoffa, Teamsters General President. “These elections are proof that workers are willing to take a stand to improve their work lives and win the security they deserve for themselves and for their families.”

The workers’ campaigns to join the Teamsters have already paid off. After organizing got under way at Con-way, the company announced it would increase truck driver pay by $60 million in 2015, among other improvements. At FedEx Freight, the company announced an 80-cent-per-hour raise a few days after Teamsters Local 107 in Philadelphia filed for an election, and the company got rid of its overly punitive driver scorecard, which gives drivers infraction points for errors.

“It seems more than mere coincidence that these two companies have announced significant pay increases just as hundreds of workers across the U.S. are approaching our local unions seeking representation,” said Tyson Johnson, Director of the Teamsters National Freight Division. “The unfulfilled promises that have been made to drivers and dockworkers over the past decade are coming back to haunt management. Workers now realize the only way to achieve meaningful change in the workplace is to get it in writing in a binding contract.”

Drivers In Charlotte Seek Job Security, Improved Health Plan, Pension

A group of 222 drivers at FedEx Freight’s Charlotte, N.C., terminal voted today to join Teamsters Local 71.

“This victory is about drivers wanting respect on the job, improved health care coverage and to be treated fairly,” said Roger Dale Jones, a 20-year road driver at FedEx Freight. “It feels great to have representation from the Teamsters.”

“Like the drivers in Philadelphia and in South Brunswick, N.J., who voted to join the Teamsters, the workers in Charlotte want to be treated fairly and they want to have consistent, fair work rules,” said Steve Bess, President of Teamsters Local 71 in Charlotte. “The company ramped up its vicious anti-worker, anti-union campaign here, but the drivers remained strong and focused. Rather than lying to the workers, the company should use the money to provide better benefits for the workers and their families.”

This victory follows two previous ones: On Oct. 31, a group of 113 drivers at FedEx Freight in South Brunswick, N.J., joined Teamsters Local 701 in North Brunswick, N.J., and on Oct. 14, a group of 47 drivers in Croydon, Pa., voted to join Teamsters Local 107 in Philadelphia. Other campaigns at FedEx Freight and at Con-way Freight are under way across the country.

“With these three victories, drivers are making it loud and clear to the company that they are fed up with FedEx Freight,” said Jim Hoffa, Teamsters General President. “Our campaign continues to roll and FedEx Freight drivers are showing they will fight for fairness, respect and dignity.”

The workers’ campaigns to join the Teamsters have already paid off. At FedEx Freight, the company announced an 80-cent-per-hour raise a few days after Local 107 filed for an election, and the company got rid of its overly punitive driver scorecard, which gives drivers infraction points for errors. Also, after organizing got under way at Con-way, the company announced it would increase truck driver pay by $60 million in 2015, and other improvements.

“The companies are offering pay raises and other improvements at the same time we are organizing, but the workers know that these things can be taken away just as quickly without a legally binding contract,” said Tyson Johnson, Director of the Teamsters National Freight Division. “The unfulfilled promises that have been made to drivers and dockworkers over the past decade are coming back to haunt management.”

To read a related article, Click Here

Drivers In South Brunswick Seek Fairness, Respect On The Job

(SOUTH BRUNSWICK, N.J.) – A group of 113 drivers at FedEx Freight’s South Brunswick, N.J., terminal voted today to join Teamsters Local 701. The vote was 66 to 42.

“This victory is for all of us,” said Mike Thiemer, a driver. “We are tired of the unfair and inconsistent work rules and policies handed down by management. It comes down to wanting to be treated with respect and dignity.”

“The workers came to us looking for fairness after years of being mistreated and disrespected,” said Ernie Soehl, President of Teamsters Local 701 in North Brunswick, N.J., and the Teamsters Eastern Region Freight Coordinator. “The company continued to disrespect the workers with its vicious lies during the anti-union campaign it waged, but the workers saw through this. In fact, we invited the terminal manager to debate the issues, but of course he didn’t show up.”

This victory follows another at FedEx Freight in Croydon, Pa., where 47 drivers voted to join Local 107 in Philadelphia on Oct. 14. Other campaigns at FedEx Freight and at Con-way Freight are under way across the country.

“Once again, this victory shows that drivers are fed up with FedEx Freight,” said Jim Hoffa, Teamsters General President. “The campaign is building momentum and we will work hard to win these workers the fairness, respect and dignity they deserve.”

The workers’ campaigns to join the Teamsters have already paid off. At FedEx Freight, the company announced an 80-cent-per-hour raise a few days after Local 107 filed for an election, and the company got rid of its overly punitive driver scorecard, which gives drivers infraction points for errors. Also, after organizing got under way at Con-way, the company announced it would increase truck driver pay by $60 million in 2015, and other improvements.

“The companies are offering pay raises and other improvements at the same time we are organizing, but the workers know that these things can be taken away just as quickly without a binding contract,” said Tyson Johnson, Director of the Teamsters National Freight Division. “The unfulfilled promises that have been made to drivers and dockworkers over the past decade are coming back to haunt management.”

To read a related article, Click Here

Sysco Drivers Vote For Teamster Representation

(KANSAS CITY, Mo.) - On Friday, Oct. 31, Sysco drivers voted to join Teamsters Local 41 in Kansas City, Mo. There are 43 drivers in the bargaining unit and the vote count announced today was 25-14.

Concerned about job security and the effects of Sysco’s possible acquisition of US Foods, city drivers banded together to organize with the Teamsters. Although their employer predicts $600 million in savings from cost synergies at the warehouse and distribution level, workers are worried about possible job losses resulting from the consolidation.

Ahead of Friday’s election, a majority of the drivers voiced support for union representation by signing authorization cards, as Sysco, the nation’s largest industrial food service provider, seeks to acquire US Foods, the second-largest. The $3.5 billion transaction faces antitrust review by the Federal Trade Commission, and has drawn scrutiny from state attorneys general.

“Like thousands of warehouse workers and drivers across the country, these drivers are rightly concerned about the merger and have joined the movement to get organized in defense of their jobs,” said Victor Terranella, President of Teamsters Local 41. “Drivers in Kansas City voted for Teamster representation to have a voice and job security at Sysco. We look forward to beginning bargaining for a strong contract that addresses drivers’ concerns.”

“This organizing victory comes on the heels of US Foods workers in California who recently joined the Teamsters," said Steve Vairma, Teamsters International Vice President and Director of the Teamsters Warehouse Division. “Other Sysco and US Foods workers will be following suit in the coming months to protect and improve their jobs.”

In addition to workers’ concerns about job security, customers who rely on Sysco’s food distribution services have also voiced concerns about its proposed acquisition of US Foods, citing its effects on competition in the industry.