Teamsters Beat AWG

Just Rewards
Key provisions of the AWG contract include:

• Lump-sum settlement of $3.5 million for lost work, pensions and grievances;
• Wage increases of $1.60 an hour;
• $3,000-per-month pensions with 30 years of contributions; and
• Full paid health insurance for employees.

Northwest Flight Attendants Ratify Contract
WTO Battle First in Series of Teamster Actions

By a huge 2-to-1 margin, Teamster flight attendants ratified a new contract with Northwest Airlines May 30, ending the lengthy and often bitter dispute between the workers and management.

The vote "marks the end of a 3-year battle and the beginning of new era for Teamster flight attendants at Northwest Airlines," said James P. Hoffa, International Brotherhood of Teamsters General President.  "No longer will these hard working women and men struggle on the bottom rung of the economic ladder."

Improvements in the new contract include:

• Industry-leading pension rates, increased from $35 to $65 per month per year of service--a nearly 86 percent improvement;
• Increased base pay with date-of-signing increases of 8 percent to 27.7 percent, and 29 percent to 120 percent over the next four years, depending on longevity;
• 3.5 percent retroactive pay on W-2 earnings from August 31, 1996, to January 31, 2000;
• Stronger work rules; and
• The best scope protections in the industry.

Assisted by economists, lawyers and strategists from the International Union, the local's negotiating team returned to the bargaining table and won a number of changes requested by the members.

The Local Union 2000 negotiating team reached a tentative agreement with management on April 20. Balloting took place by mail throughout May. More than 87 percent of eligible members returned ballots.

"This contract brings our members above or in line with our peers throughout the industry," said Local Union 2000 President Billie Davenport. "Our members have made their voices heard loud and clear. Today is a very good day to be a Teamster flight attendant at Northwest Airlines."

By not joining the rush to an early presidential endorsement last year, the Teamsters Union ensured that its members would hear from all the major candidates.

Yet every working American should have the same opportunity. That's why General President James P. Hoffa has called for the Commission on Presidential Debates to include all four of the major presidential candidates in debates scheduled for this fall.

"The two major parties have shut Green Party candidate Ralph Nader and Reform Party candidate Pat Buchanan out of the debate process--refusing to give them a voice before the American public," said Teamsters General President James P. Hoffa. "Just as I have opened up the Teamsters Union, we must open up the national election--and put democracy to work."

The debates commission, which is dominated by the two major parties, effectively slams the door on third-party candidacies by imposing a threshold of 15 percent standing in national polls in order to qualify--a nearly impossible standard for any candidate lacking the name recognition that big-party money can buy. "We should not allow this nameless, faceless body to determine which candidates the American people deserve to hear," Hoffa said.

Hoffa also said the Commission should sponsor a debate that is specifically dedicated to addressing worker issues and globalization. So far, "there has been a complete absence of discussion on how we keep jobs in this country," Hoffa noted.

The Road to Election 2000

Across the country, Teamster political coordinators are laying the groundwork to ensure that working families win in the November elections. Voter registration drives, worksite leafleting and local union phone banks are just a few of the activities being coordinated to fully involve every Teamster in this vitally important election year.

Working families have a lot at stake in this year's election. The presidency and control of both the House of Representatives and the United States Senate are all up for grabs.

More than 200 political coordinators, representing over 130 local unions and joint councils, met April 10-11 in Washington, DC, to kick off plans for Teamster involvement in the upcoming elections.

Do your part to elect pro-worker candidates! Register to vote TODAY and call your local union or joint council to see what you can do to ensure that the Teamsters win in November.

A Winning Meeting

Teamsters must mobilize to elect candidates in November who will stand up and fight for the issues that matter to America's working families.

With the election cycle in full swing, Teamsters will gather during the September unity meeting in Las Vegas to update plans and coordinate the final efforts to elect pro-worker candidates in November. Discussions will include:

• Updates on voter registration drives and results;
• Briefings on the campaigns of worker-friendly candidates; and
• Plans for Teamster Get-Out-The-Vote campaigns.

With 1.5 million active members, the Teamsters Union can and will ensure that the candidates who support us are the candidates that win in November.

A Free Pass for Tyrants

When the U.S. House of Representatives approved Permanent Normal Trade Relations (PNTR) status for Communist China, it inflicted a major blow on Americans and workers everywhere.

The needs of American workers lost out to a White House-backed and Big Business-financed scheme to put profits over people. Just like the North American Free Trade Agreement before it, PNTR will open up another cheap labor market, speeding up the erosion of the American manufacturing base.

More and more Americans will be forced to watch jobs move overseas, where workers earn as little as 13 cents an hour. The Economic Policy Institute estimates that more than 872,000 American workers will lose their livelihoods due to PNTR with China.

"Working families are smarter than Congress gives them credit," said Teamsters General President James P. Hoffa. "They know that dirty trade agreements like PNTR and NAFTA cost jobs in this country. They know that human rights are more important than copyrights. And they now know which members of Congress are on their side, and which ones are not."

In addition to the more than 5,000 members who attended the April 12 rally and lobby day in Washington, DC, Teamsters across the country:

• Made phone calls to members of Congress;
• Rallied outside congressional offices;
• Participated in worksite leafleting;
• Met with members of Congress;
• Sent letters and e-mails to members of Congress;
• Participated in press conferences; and
• Testified before Congress against PNTR.

"I am overwhelmingly proud of the fight the Teamsters waged against this trade deal," said Hoffa. "And I am overwhelmingly disappointed by the lack of respect these members of Congress have shown for the will of their constituents and the American people.

"It's no longer business as usual," he said. "Already, several locals have withheld support from some representatives, based on this vote. We're going to demand accountability by giving grassroots and monetary electoral support to candidates who stand up for working families when it matters most."

Break the Chains
Cheryl Johnson, Teamsters Human Rights Commission Director (pictured at left), was a guest panelist at a special House of Representatives hearing on granting China PNTR in light of that country's appalling record on women's issues. Representatives Marcy Kaptur (D-OH, at right), Nancy Pelosi (D-CA, not pictured) and Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL, in center) hosted the hearing, entitled "Women in China, Women in Chains," in an attempt to convince women members of Congress to oppose PNTR.

"I want to assure everyone here today that every woman…and every man…in the Teamsters Union is watching this vote," said Johnson. "We will not forget those who reward the rulers of China, who place more importance on PNTR than the lives of the women in their country."

Teamsters Rally Down to the Wire
Gathered on the steps of the U.S. Capitol, Teamsters rallied mere hours before the China vote was cast.

"We've been fighting PNTR for months," said Jim Mort, President of Local Union 96 in Washington, DC. "We called Congress, we were at the April 12 rally, and it is only fitting that we are here today. These members of Congress will never be able to say they didn't know where we stood on this issue."

The rally was organized by Representative David Bonior (D-MI), a champion for labor on the PNTR vote, and featured speakers from Congress, labor and community and religious organizations also opposed to PNTR.

A Fair and Open Election
The Teamsters Union is regaining control of its destiny, having finalized rules with the U.S. Department of Justice that will be presented to the General Executive Board for approval.
The rules:

• Prohibit campaign contributions from outsiders.
• Require candidates and independent committees to report all contributions, with the latter for the first time obliged to disclose both dollar amounts and the number of contributors.
• Provide for the strictest record-keeping and auditing ever voluntarily adopted by an American labor union.

Overnite Transportation Company continues to drag its feet when it comes to bargaining in good faith with its workers, who walked out in an unfair labor practices strike on October 24. And while substantial progress has been made on limiting subcontracting and on seniority issues such as work bids, layoffs and recall, management's misconduct towards workers continues.

In May, five Overnite employees were convicted of contempt for violating a court injunction to protect picketing strikers. A sixth was similarly charged. This followed yet another NLRB decision against Overnite's violations of federal labor laws.

"Overnite Transportation is like a drunk on a bender, with its gross negligence, waste of money, mistreatment of workers and contempt for the law," said John Murphy, International Vice President and National Director of Organizing.

The ongoing pattern of misconduct prompted the trustees of the New York Employees Retirement System to demand that parent Union Pacific Corporation take steps to cease Overnite's unlawful activities.

The State of the Union

Celebrating the successes of his first year in office, Teamsters General President James P. Hoffa stood before the American public June 1 and proclaimed, "I'm proud to be a Teamster!"

Speaking to the National Press Club in Washington, DC, Hoffa highlighted Teamster victories from the first year of his administration, including:

• Ending a lock-out at AWG;
• Negotiating a strong national carhaul contract that won 80 percent approval;
• Bringing closure to a lengthy Anheuser-Busch dispute;
• Winning creation of 6,000 new full-time jobs, as called for in the UPS contract;
• Securing 68 percent member approval of an industry-leading contract for Northwest Airlines flight attendants;
• Lobbying successfully to keep the U.S. border closed to unsafe Mexican trucks;
• Leading more than 4,000 Teamsters in a peaceful protest to shut down the World Trade Organization meetings in Seattle;
• Mobilizing massive opposition to PNTR for China, and
• Launching Project RISE, an anti-corruption program that shows the Teamsters' commitment to running a clean union.

What follows are selected excerpts from Hoffa's State of the Union address.

It gives me great pleasure to report to you that the state of the Teamsters is strong and united.

On May 1, 1999, I took the oath of office as General President of the most democratic union in the AFL-CIO. I promised to restore unity, pride and strength to this great union….

And just look at the Teamsters Union now! Just one year after taking office, we see the fruits of our efforts. There is renewed vigor in our union. Teamsters today are winning better contracts, receiving higher wages, getting stronger pensions, organizing new members. We are building clout on Capitol Hill and fulfilling my promise to run a clean union….

When I came to office, it was brother against brother. Sister against sister. Local against local. And Joint Council against Joint Council. Our union was on the brink of bankruptcy and on the edge of extinction. The union was broke--and demoralized. Our members wanted strong leadership and they wanted unity. They wanted to regain our rightful place in the forefront of the trade union movement--to allow each of us to once again be able to say, "I'M PROUD TO BE A TEAMSTER!"….

In every industry and every region of the country, workers are choosing the Teamsters to gain a strong voice at work….

Yet there's more to a union than organizing. We promised our members that we would deliver strong contracts, even where management dragged its feet for years.

We've kept that promise….

Teamsters must take pride in the accomplishments of the last year. But the challenges we still face are awesome.

The so-called economic boom has left many families behind. Yes, unemployment is at three percent. But people are working three jobs--without pensions, health care and decent wages--to make ends meet.

The Teamsters and, indeed, all labor organizations are under ferocious attack from multinational corporations….

Tens of thousands of Americans have lost good-paying jobs because of the U.S. Government's misguided trade policies….

Business leaders no longer talk about making money--they talk about maximizing profits.

But when they wanted to open our southern border to unsafe Mexican trucks, we fought to keep the border closed--and we won.

When the WTO tried to meet behind closed doors and craft new schemes to shift money and jobs around the globe, we fought them in the streets of Seattle--and we won.

When Congress said there was no longer any need to keep an eye on China's appalling human rights practices, we refused to give them a free pass. We will hold members of Congress accountable for their vote….

The granting of PNTR for China, backed by a White House-led campaign of outrageous lies bankrolled by big business, was a deep disappointment to all working Americans. But it was a valuable learning experience as well….

That is why we are currently reassessing our relationship with all elected officials who failed to stand with us on an issue critically important to working Americans.

Similarly, we have not and will not follow the herd mentality of an early endorsement for president. We continue to listen to our members and local union leaders for their views and input….

By holding our elected representatives accountable, today's Teamsters will increase our political clout. That's the key to advancing a legislative agenda that works for working families….

Due to prior incompetence and high-level corruption of my predecessor, my administration faced the awesome task of rebuilding our treasury.

I'm proud to report that thanks to financial control systems put in by Secretary-Treasurer Tom Keegel, we have a program to protect our members' money. We are cutting waste, balancing our budget and reversing the erosion of the strike fund….

We also have kept our promise to run a clean union. The RISE (RESPECT, INTEGRITY, STRENGTH, ETHICS) program is creating a Code of Conduct written, implemented and enforced by our membership. The code is being created by a Task Force consisting of 22 Teamsters representing our diverse membership.

We are consulting with a board of advisers comprised of experts on labor unions, ethics, organized crime and corruption. And we're sponsoring a national ethics conference next year.

Further, we've implemented a set of election rules more stringent than anything the government has imposed….

After more than a decade of government control, the consent decree has cost our union more than $88 million. It is unfair and undemocratic to deprive 1.5 million working men and women of the full effectiveness of their duly elected leadership. We are dedicated to working with the government to end the trusteeship of the Teamsters and give the union back to its members….

The future is bright, brothers and sisters. The Teamsters are back. Together, we will restore a strong voice for America's working families.