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 Proposed Five-Year Contracts Protect Strong Health Care Benefits While Significantly Increasing Funding For Pensions, Health And Welfare Funds
(WASHINGTON) – The Teamsters Union announced today that it has reached tentative agreements with UPS [NYSE: UPS] on new five-year national contracts for package and freight workers that protect their health care benefits, provide substantial wage increases and significantly raise contributions to pension and health and welfare benefits.
The tentative agreement covering UPS package employees moves 140,000 workers into Teamster-controlled health plans from company plans to maintain current strong benefits for all UPS Teamsters while growing the funds for Teamsters in all industries into the future.
“These are solid tentative agreements that all Teamsters at UPS and UPS Freight can be proud of,” said General Secretary-Treasurer Ken Hall, Co-Chairman of the Teamsters National Negotiating Committees and Package Division Director. “I am pleased to announce that we have achieved our members’ priorities of preserving their excellent health care benefits and protecting them into the future while also strengthening their pensions and providing pay raises.”
The tentative agreements were reached well in advance of the July 31, 2013 expiration dates for the current, five-year contracts, which cover nearly 250,000 workers at UPS and UPS Freight. The UPS contract is the largest collective bargaining agreement in North America.
“This is a great day for the Teamsters Union,” said General President Jim Hoffa, Co-Chairman of the Teamsters National Negotiating Committees. “At a time when workers and their pay, benefits and working conditions are under attack by corporate America, we have succeeded in improving the lives of our hardworking and dedicated UPS and UPS Freight Teamsters for years to come. These tentative agreements are shining examples to the entire country of a hugely successful unionized company that thrives because of its workers.”
In the UPS tentative agreement, workers will get substantial pay raises, including a significant increase in the starting wage rate for part-time employees. The union also won the creation of more than 2,000 full-time jobs from the ranks of part-time workers.
For UPS Freight, the tentative agreement resolves subcontracting issues by putting all laid-off road drivers back to work. UPS Freight workers will receive substantial wage increases and lower co-pays for health insurance. The agreement provides the ability for more part-time workers to become full time.
More details about the tentative agreements will be available to Teamster members at www.Teamster.org/UPS in the coming days. Representatives from UPS and UPS Freight Teamster Local Unions will meet soon to review the tentative agreements. Following that meeting, members will vote by mail on the tentative agreements, with results expected in mid-June. Upon ratification, the agreements will take effect on Aug. 1.
May 6th 2013 Update-
Business Agent Mike Butler will be at the “Two Man Committee” May 7th in Virginia, regarding the tentative agreement.
There will be meetings at the Teamsters 492 Union Hall for UPS Members to review the information gathered from the Two Man Committee on the following dates:
May 25th (Saturday) 10 am and 2 pm.
May 26th (Sunday) 10 am and 2 pm.
The IBT will be mailing Ballots to all UPS & UPS Freight Union Members soon after the Two Man Committee which will include the changes made to the contract for your review. They will also be posted on this website ASAP.
If you have any questions you can contact Mike Butler at 505-344-1925 ex. 16 or Kenny Duran at ex. 19.
Download Meetings Notice Here
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Download:
 UPS Meetings Notice.pdf
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The Teamster Drivers dominated the New Mexico Truck Roadeo again this year, as they have for the last 7 years! Teamster Driver Members from Local Union 492 competed in 7 classes this year and took 1st place in 6 of the 7, took 2nd place in 5 of the 7, and took two 3rd place trophies; nearly two-thirds of the awards given out in these 7 classes were won by Teamster Drivers!
These Great Drivers truly represented their respective Companies and the Teamsters here in New Mexico. They have made this Union so proud to see so many members of Teamsters Local Union 492 walk up to that podium to get their awards. We know a lot of these drivers spend their own personal time to practice, and that time paid off again this year. Congratulations to the winners and thanks to all the participants and volunteers that helped make this another great Truck Roadeo.
A special thanks to the Companies, ABF, YRC, and TDI, for supporting and sponsoring these great drivers, and for all the behind-the-scenes work that they do to make this enormous production such a great success.
Click Here to view photos from the event and award ceremony. Click Here to view the 2012 article.
If you notice any missing or incorrect information in this article, or if you would like to submit your own photos, please Click Here and fill out the email contact form. We rely on participation from the companies for the following information in this article:
ABF
1st place-4 axle-Ralph Garcia-11th win in a row!
1st place-Flatbed-Michael Contreras-5th win in a row!
1st place-Sleeper-Gerald Benavidez -3rd win in a row!
1st place-Tank-Charlie Estrada-2nd win in a row!
1st place-Twins-Ricky Lucas
2nd place-Twins-Chad Sullins- 5th time to place in the last 6 years!
2nd place-5 axle-Tito Torres
2nd place-Sleeper-Carl Marquez
2nd place-Tank-Joseph Carrillo-ROOKIE of the Year!
3rd place-3 axle-Kirk Weis
ABF took the TEAM TROPHY for the 7th year in a row!
ABF was also awarded the Fleet Safety Award in the 5,000,000+ miles category.
ABF had 2 Drivers of the Month honored.
Joe C. Garnand for Nov. 2012
James E Duffy Dec. 2012
ABF’s other participants were James Morgan- 5 Axle, Duane Oldfield- twins, Robert Delgado-5 Axle, Craig Arellano-twins.
YRC
1st place-3 axle-Jack Rojas
2nd place-4 axle Ron Burns -Rookie
3rd place-Flatbed Martin Griego-Rookie
YRC had three drivers selected for drivers of the month
Ron Reser-May
Al Weddle-July
Wes Johnson-February
YRC had 12 other participants (492 has not yet received their names)
TDI
492 has not yet received any info from TDI but we do know that Brian Thais and Jerry Trujillo competed in the 4-axle.
This article will be updated as info and photos come in.
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April 19th, 2013
The Union has granted ABF another 30 extension of the current contract to allow time to finish the negotiations which are now mainly focused on the economic issues. The negotiators have wrapped up talks in regards to the Supplements and our now working on the unresolved national issues which mainly include the “fringes”. Talks will resume April 29th in Kansas City.
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From Ken Hall: Health care remains the major issue in UPS negotiations. The Company has indicated a willingness to move employees who are currently in Company plans into Central States to provide coverage. The Committee discussed the possibility of offering proposals for other Teamster plans to provide coverage.
Separately, the Company did lower its proposal for employee premiums to $20 a week for individual coverage, $40 for employee plus one and $60 for family coverage. However, the Union remains adamant that UPS employees will not pay premiums for health care.
The Company and Union exchanged economic proposals. Many issues remain but both sides are committed to reaching an agreement by the end of next week. The Company did withdraw its proposal to pay employees bonuses in lieu of general wage increases.
At UPS Freight negotiations, the Union made a counter-proposal on economics. Much of the week was spent discussing subcontracting and we moved closer to reaching an agreement.
Negotiations for both UPS and UPS Freight resume Monday
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Teamsters Committee Disappointed With Company’s Proposals - Talks Resume April 29th in Kansas City
The Teamsters National ABF Negotiating Committee met with ABF this week in Dallas, and the committee is disappointed with the company’s initial economic proposals.
The company’s economic proposal seeks significant reductions in health and welfare and pension benefits as well as deep wage cuts. For example, the company closed the week seeking an across-the board 6.5 percent wage reduction as well as reductions in both the scope and level of health and welfare coverage available to employees.
In terms of health care, the company is seeking: 1) the elimination of coverage for employees working fewer than 130 hours in a month; 2) employee co-pays including a $240 per month employee contribution for family coverage; 3) significant increases in out-of-pocket employee costs; and 4) overall reduced benefits.
Likewise, the company’s pension proposal reduces and caps the amount of contributions it would make to most pension funds.
“While we’ve made progress on major local and over-the-road work rule issues over the last few months, the company’s new proposals this week are very disappointing and place our progress at risk,” said Gordon Sweeton, Teamsters ABF National Negotiating Committee Co-Chairman. “We’ve put millions of dollars worth of operational relief on the table but that apparently is not enough.”
Teamsters National Freight Division Director Tyson Johnson echoed Sweeton’s concerns. “The company’s new economic proposals are certainly frustrating,” Johnson said. “Perhaps most disturbing is the company’s meat axe approach to benefits. It certainly raises a question about how the company values its employees.”
The Union will be distributing additional information to involved local unions over the next few days and will schedule a conference call in the near future.
Despite the company’s approach, the union continues to be willing to explore creative ideas that will provide protections to the members, maintain standards, and at the same time allow the company to be competitive. Because so many items remain open and the company’s recent proposals complicate matters, the union has agreed to extend the current agreement with ABF another 30 days through May 31, 2013.
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April 1st- The Negotiations last week resulted in significant progress and we are very optimistic that there will be a tentative agreement soon. The schedule for April is as follows:
April 8th - 12th in Kansas City
April 15th - 19th in Dallas, Texas
March 28th 2013- Negotiations continued this week with ABF, for a successor to the 2008-13 ABF National Master Freight Agreement. Slow progress continues to be made. However, significant issues remain to be discussed. ABF requested a 30-day extension so that negotiations could continue. The Teamsters National Freight Industry Negotiating Committee (TNFINC) agreed to grant a 30-day extension. Any economic improvements in a new agreement will be retroactive to April 1, 2013. As a result, the current ABF-NMFA is extended through and including April 30, 2013. All ABF employees covered by that agreement should continue to work as normal. Members covered by separate stand-alone contracts between ABF and their local unions should contact their local unions for updates.
Teamsters, ABF Continue ‘Difficult and Complex’ Negotiations (update from March 15th)
The Teamsters National Freight Industry Negotiating Committee (TNFINC) concluded another week of negotiations with ABF. Negotiations continue to be difficult and the company continues to seek significant concessions in both economic and non-economic matters. TNFINC is continuing to try to seek ways to address the company’s legitimate competitive and operational needs while at the same time protecting good middle class jobs and standards.
Gordon Sweeton said, “These negotiations are difficult and complex. We understand the company needs some relief. However, we are not willing to let the company destroy the standards we have fought for and established. While we have made some progress this week, much remains to be done. Fortunately, we have a skilled and talented bargaining team that understands the freight industry so we remain hopeful that an agreement can be reached..." To view all past ABF Updates, Click Here.
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 March 28, 2013- Negotiations continued this week with ABF, for a successor to the 2008-13 ABF National Master Freight Agreement. Slow progress continues to be made. However, significant issues remain to be discussed. ABF requested a 30-day extension so that negotiations could continue. The Teamsters National Freight Industry Negotiating Committee (TNFINC) agreed to grant a 30-day extension. Any economic improvements in a new agreement will be retroactive to April 1, 2013. As a result, the current ABF-NMFA is extended through and including April 30, 2013. All ABF employees covered by that agreement should continue to work as normal. Members covered by separate stand-alone contracts between ABF and their local unions should contact their local unions for updates.Teamsters, ABF Continue ‘Difficult and Complex’ Negotiations (update from March 15th)
The Teamsters National Freight Industry Negotiating Committee (TNFINC) concluded another week of negotiations with ABF. Negotiations continue to be difficult and the company continues to seek significant concessions in both economic and non-economic matters. TNFINC is continuing to try to seek ways to address the company’s legitimate competitive and operational needs while at the same time protecting good middle class jobs and standards.
Gordon Sweeton said, “These negotiations are difficult and complex. We understand the company needs some relief. However, we are not willing to let the company destroy the standards we have fought for and established. While we have made some progress this week, much remains to be done. Fortunately, we have a skilled and talented bargaining team that understands the freight industry so we remain hopeful that an agreement can be reached..." To veiw all past ABF Updates, Click Here.
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 FROM: Ken Hall, Union Co-ChairDATE: March 28, 2013
UPS Package- Today we concluded another week of negotiations with UPS. Several of the open supplements made significant progress.
In national negotiations, we focused on healthcare. Today the Company proposed moving all employees that are currently in the Company health insurance plan into a Union plan.
Because this issue is so important, we are taking the next two weeks to evaluate the proposal and discuss the issue internally.
We have told the Company we are prepared to meet the weeks of April 15th and April 22nd, provided the Company is prepared to reach an Agreement acceptable to our members during those two weeks.
UPS Freight- We concluded another week of negotiations with UPS Freight today. This week we focused almost entirely on the issue of subcontracting. Although we have made some progress, we have not yet reached an agreement on this issue.
The Company made a proposal on the Package side to move all employees covered by the UPS health insurance plan into a Union plan. We did not receive the same proposal at UPS Freight, but we expect to receive a similar proposal the next time we meet.
We have told the Company we are prepared to meet the weeks of April 15th and April 22nd, provided the Company is prepared to reach an Agreement acceptable to our members during those two weeks. To view the UPS 492 page, Click Here.
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March 8, 2013 – IBT Negotiations Update From Ken Hall, General Secretary-Treasurer and Package Division Director
Thank you to everyone who participated in the rallies and the National Day of Action at UPS and UPS Freight during the past several weeks. The response was overwhelming. I had the opportunity to meet with more than 10,000 Teamsters in two weekends, and the message from our members was clear – we will not settle for anything less than a fair contract.
Yesterday, the National Negotiating Committee and I presented the Company with more than 55,000 signatures on petitions demanding a fair contract now at UPS and UPS Freight.
We have held bargaining sessions for the past two weeks with UPS. The Committee has reiterated that without movement by the Company on articles of the contract pertaining to harassment, we will not be able to move forward at this time. The Company also gave us a presentation on healthcare costs to support their proposal on health insurance. In response, the Committee is working hard to come up with creative solutions to the problem, in order to make sure that Teamsters at UPS don’t pay a cent towards their health insurance and Teamsters at UPS Freight do not pay a cent more towards theirs. We hope to be in a position to present an offer soon.
Before we broke for the weekend, we submitted our first comprehensive economic proposal. The proposal includes wage increases for all Teamsters, including a healthy increase in the starting wage rates for part-timers. We expect a response from the Company next week.
UPS Freight held bargaining sessions the last week of February. When we reconvene on Monday, we will begin to seriously discuss the issue of subcontracting and our economic proposals.
Most of the Supplemental negotiations are nearing completion. The International has offered assistance to the few Supplements that are not making as much progress, and some of them will be meeting in conjunction with National Negotiations in an effort to bring them to a successful conclusion. This has already proven successful with one supplement. The Company was refusing to address some supplemental issues, but with help from the National Committee, the Company finally addressed the issues and a tentative agreement was reached and unanimously recommended by the Supplemental negotiating committee.
Negotiations for both UPS and UPS Freight resume on Monday the 11th of March.
To veiw the 492 UPS page Click Here. To view the IBT UPS page Click Here
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By James P. Hoffa, General President, International Brotherhood of Teamsters
Published in The Detroit News on February 13, 2013
Michigan’s lame-duck legislative session was just a warm up for radical billionaires. They are now spreading their gospel of greed and corporate empowerment to Statehouses throughout the country.
Anti-worker laws enacted in Michigan are now appearing as legislation in New Hampshire, Maine, Pennsylvania and Missouri. The strikingly similar language suggests a coordinated attack on working people.
Michigan’s misnamed “right to work” laws, which actually weaken workers’ rights, were written by ALEC – the secretive American Legislative Exchange Council. Key sponsors of the bill are ALEC members: Sen. Arlan Meekhoff, Rep. Tom McMillin and Rep. Pete Lund.
Weeks after Michigan passed so-called “right to work,” nearly identical legislation was introduced in Pennsylvania’s Legislature by Republican State Rep. Daryl Metcalfe, also an ALEC member.
Their agenda isn’t limited to weakening workers’ rights, and it isn’t limited to ALEC. It is exactly what Hillary Clinton called it: A vast right-wing conspiracy.
From state to state, lawmakers beholden to corporations and billionaires are introducing the same bills. The same national spokesmen are testifying on their behalf. And the same interlocking network of think tanks, lobbyists and astroturf groups are providing financial and rhetorical cover.
The conspirators move easily from state to state. They sniff out the possibility of passing billionaire-enrichment legislation over the objections of working people. They spring into action, buying up air time, handing out market-tested propaganda to the news media and prepping fearful, weak or gullible lawmakers.
They want to eliminate all aspects of government that don’t directly benefit them. They want to eradicate public education, cut or privatize essential government services and eliminate community assets like parks and pools. They want to empower corporations by lowering wages, weakening regulation and shifting the tax burden from big business to poor individuals.
And in state after state, you’ll see this shadowy but powerful network try to strangle the clean energy industry in its cradle.
That’s because the most powerful members of the billionaire’s club -- Charles and David Koch -- owe their fortune to the oil and gas company they inherited. The Kochs founded ALEC and continue to support it. They are linked to the Club for Growth, which ran radio ads supporting Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker’s attack on public workers before lawmakers had even seen the bill. They founded Citizens for a Sound Economy, which split into David Koch’s project, Americans For Prosperity, and FreedomWorks, a largely corporate-funded group that supports right winger Glenn Beck.
We know much more about the vast right-wing conspiracy since the Clintons weathered its attacks. Every state seems to have its Koch brothers’ mini-me. In Michigan, it’s Dick DeVos, who provided the money and cover to pass the anti-worker laws in December. In Colorado, it’s the Coors brothers. In North Carolina, it’s Art Pope
So last week in Missouri’s Capitol, it was no surprise to see Mark Mix testify in favor of a “right-to-work” bill. He’s director of the Koch-linked National Right to Work Legal Defense Foundation. Nor was it a surprise to see an employee of the West Michigan Policy Forum speaking to lawmakers during a strategy session the night before a hearing on the bill. The forum is funded by Dick DeVos.
“Freedom” and “choice” are the words most often used to cloak the true intent of these deeply anti-worker policies. But they don’t think freedom and choice are something working people should have.
To read archived articles from General President Hoffa, click here.
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