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.

Drivers in Croydon, PA Vote to Join Local 107 in Philadelphia

 (PHILADELPHIA) – A group of 47 drivers at FedEx Freight’s East Philadelphia terminal in Croydon, Penn. made history today when they overwhelmingly voted to join Teamsters Local 107 in Philadelphia. The vote was 26-18 in favor of joining Local 107.  

Click Here to read about last months Victory at FexEx Freight in Canada.

“We are tired of getting treated with disrespect and dealing with constantly changing unfair and unwritten work rules,” driver Gary Loftus said. “We also want job security and to be valued for the work we do making FedEx Freight successful.”

“I am so proud of these guys at the East Philadelphia terminal, who stayed strong and united despite the company spending truckloads of money to hire union-busters,” said Bill Hamilton, Teamsters Union International Vice President and President of Local 107. “I am proud of the workers and how they remained focused. Their energy and commitment will propel this campaign in the coming weeks and months.”

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

“The drivers are fed up with FedEx Freight,” said Teamsters General President Jim Hoffa. “These workers are tired of management talking down to them at every chance, and they want decent benefits, including more affordable health insurance. They also want consistent and fair working conditions and a more hopeful future. This is why thousands of freight workers at FedEx Freight and Con-way are turning to the Teamsters Union.”

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 the election at Cinnaminson, 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.

“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.”

In a historic first, dock associates at FedEx Freight in Surrey, British Columbia have joined Teamsters Local 31. Read Teamsters Canada press release, here.

It’s a North American first for these workers at FedEx. Before this victory, the only unionized FedEx employees were the company’s U.S.-based pilots.

“We are tremendously excited to welcome the FedEx Freight workers into the Teamsters, and we hope this is the first of many victories at this company,” said Stan Hennessy, President of Delta, British Columbia-based Local 31, who is also an International Union Vice President. “We will now work hard to negotiate a strong first contract.”

FedEx Freight workers in Delanco, New Jersey will be voting on October 10 in their Teamsters election, and numerous Teamster local unions in the United States have filed for elections at FedEx Freight.

“We are seeing workers at FedEx Freight across North America saying they want their wages, benefits and working conditions negotiated in a legally binding union contract,” said Jim Hoffa, Teamsters General President. “They are turning to the Teamsters for help and we will be there for them.”

The workers in British Columbia are seeking improved benefits, fair wages and a pension.

“Most of these new members only work 20 hours a week. How are they supposed to improve their quality of life?” said Stan Hennessy. “They have had enough of living without the slightest safety net!”

Local 31 collected cards from a majority of the 14 workers in the bargaining unit, then submitted an application on June 4, 2014 to represent the workers with the Canada Industrial Relations Board.

Local 31 was certified as the bargaining representative on September 15, 2014.

“The company sent representatives from other cities to the warehouse to meet with workers in group settings and one-on-one to dissuade them from supporting the union, but the workers remained united in their support to become Teamsters,” said Ben Hennessey, Local 31 organizer.

Ben Hennessy said the victory was a group effort. He thanked Local 31 President Stan Hennessy, Teamsters Canada Organizer Grant Coleman and Local 31 Business Agent Mike Hennessy, as well as the local’s staff members, for helping with the victory.

Local 31 will look into organizing other workers at the warehouse, which opened in 2012.

On a recent related note, on September 12, 2014, drivers and dockworkers at Con-Way Freight in Laredo, Texas also voted to join the Teamsters.

“This is a great victory for the workers at Con-Way and we hope this campaign spreads,” said Frank Perkins, President of San Antonio-based Local 657. “These workers are seeking fair wages, respect on the job and job security. They also want to have a pension and improved health care coverage.”

There are 113 workers in the bargaining unit.

“We chose Laredo because it is the busiest inland port in the United States,” Perkins said. “Seven thousand trucks cross the border with Mexico every day.”

On September 9, Teamsters Joint Council 42 in Southern California filed for election at three Con-Way terminals.

You can view or join the Conway conversation Here

In a vote announced today by the National Mediation Board (NMB), more than 15,000 passenger service professionals at the newly-merged American-US Airways have voted to join the CWA-IBT Customer Service Employee Association. The joint effort to organize passenger service agents was led by Communication Workers of American (CWA) which will represent about 7,500 new members; 1,300 new members will be represented by the International Brotherhood of Teamsters.

Agents at both airlines voted over the phone and online in a month-long election administered by the NMB. The results were tallied and it was announced today that the workers had voted for the CWA-IBT Association by a 6-to-1 margin.

“We are honored to represent a total of more than 3,000 passenger service agents at the New American Airlines,” said Teamsters Airline Division Director David Bourne. “The Teamsters are committed to providing American Airlines employees and our existing members at US Airways with strong representation as both airlines continue to integrate in this merger.”

Prior to its merger with American Airlines, US Airways’ passenger service agents were represented by CWA in the east with approximately 4,700 members and by the Teamsters in the west with about 1,800 members. The shared representation was the result of US Airways’ merger in 2005 with America West Airlines whose customer service agents were Teamsters. US Airways’ latest merger with American Airlines, whose agents were nonunion, led to an election to determine representation for all agents at the newly-merged carrier.

“With our partners in CWA, the Teamsters are leading the way in protecting airline professionals involved in the biggest airline merger in history,” said Teamsters General President Jim Hoffa. “Our union is dedicated to fighting on behalf of workers in this volatile industry. Our new members at the combined American-US Airways now have two of the strongest airline unions in their corner.”

American Airlines agents who have won representation for the first time are concerned about outsourcing, job security, fair work rules and having a strong contract. The agents know from experience how vulnerable they are without representation. American’s 2011 bankruptcy led to layoffs, outsourced job titles, and sharp cuts in pay and benefits for those who kept their jobs. 

“I can’t tell you how great this victory is for us,” said Debra Ewing, a 15-year US Airways agent in Phoenix, Ariz. “American Airlines customer service agents have tried for over 20 years to gain representation and the merger with US Airways allowed the Teamsters to step in and bring home a win. This means an end to so much outsourcing for American agents who will regain profit-sharing, shift differentials, a three-tiered medical plan, paid vacation and more. That’s what union representation is – and now we all have it.”

Agents at US Airways have enjoyed strong representation for years and are looking forward to having an even stronger voice in the merger process with 9,000 new agents at American strengthening their association.

To read a related Article from the Huffington Post, Click Here

Thousands of service agents at American Airlines unionized with their new colleagues at U.S. Airways on Tuesday, making the most of last year's airline mega-merger.

Article Written by dave.jamieson@huffingtonpost.com

In a combined union election, airline employees voted on whether to join CWA-IBT, a joint union of the Communications Workers of America and the Teamsters. An overwhelming 86 percent voted in favor of unionizing.

The election covered 14,500 employees who work at airport customer-service desks, airline call centers and, in some cases, their own homes. Nine thousand of those workers were previously non-union employees at American Airlines, while the remainder were U.S. Airways agents already represented by the union. The two brands merged last year to create the largest airline in the world.

Had the group voted down the union, the already-unionized U.S. Airways workers would have lost their contract.

"I'm elated. It's been a long road," said Steve Langhi, a Dallas/Fort Worth-based customer service representative for American Airlines who has long wanted to join a union. "I've spent 35 years in this business … I feel better about my future today than I have at any other time."

The National Mediation Board, the federal agency that oversaw the election, said the workers voted in favor of the union by a count of 9,640 to 1,547, indicating widespread support among employees of both airlines. The election appears to be the largest private-sector unionization this year.

Paul Flaningan, an American Airlines spokesman, said in a statement that the issue of union representation for American's main workforces was now "settled" and the company would move ahead to bargaining. "We have enjoyed a productive relationship with the CWA-IBT as well as our other unions and look forward to continuing our work together,” he said.

Despite opposition from the government and consumer groups, American argued that a merger with U.S. Airways was the company's best shot at emerging from bankruptcy proceedings. The Justice Department originally sued to block the merger on the grounds that it would hurt travelers by raising costs, but the government ultimately settled the case when the companies agreed to give up slots at certain airports.

Service agents at American have tried and failed to unionize before, losing a 2013 election by a mere 150 votes. The company opposed that campaign but remained neutral this time around, according to CWA-IBT. The union publicly supported the airline merger when it was being considered by regulators.

Langhi said many of his colleagues have come around to supporting unionization due to the outsourcing that occurred during American's bankruptcy proceedings.

"We suffered as a result of not being organized under bankruptcy," Langhi said. "When you have representation, sacrifices are negotiated. They're not done randomly; they're done with a plan. A union helps employees go through it in an organized way."

Tom Paskutis, a U.S. Airways customer service supervisor in Charlotte, North Carolina, said growing the union's ranks will help workers at both airlines maintain their wages.

"We're glad to have American on board. We needed them for strength," said Paskutis. "This gives us more negotiating power to keep what we have."