Open Letter to Teamster Freight Director Phil Young

We are Teamsters concerned about the upcoming bargaining for the National Master Freight Agreement, and want to convey to you, other officers and fellow Teamsters our concerns about the need to organize our Teamster power.

We all know the employers are already making contract plans and working to soften up our members. Yellow Freight, for example, has already started a regular contract-oriented publication “Agreement ‘03” which they have mailed to all their Teamster employees. Its May 2002 edition hints that concessions in health care may be a goal.

As a union, we need to be just as prepared. We and our co-workers expect a fight in this contract round. We are committed to do our part, and we are asking the IBT Freight Division to start now.

With the new dues hike, freight Teamsters will be contributing more than an additional $1 million per month in union dues. (That’s over 100,000 Teamsters at a $10 dues increase). This $1 million a month should be put to work now to organize and win the best possible contract, period.

We believe this means putting working Teamsters on the negotiating committee, and to work on a national and regional scale to build a contract campaign. Take dock workers off the dock, drivers out of the trucks, and other Teamsters from the shops and offices to work on a contract campaign and a strategy to win.

This program will mean close to 100 percent participation in a bargaining survey, one-on-one petitions and member mobilization to unite Teamsters and show management that we will not be satisfied and productive without a fair settlement, improvements in conditions, and absolutely no concessions.

There are 284 days until the NMFA expires.

We ask you to begin the contract campaign. We and our fellow freight Teamsters are ready to join it.

Fraternally,

Mike Schaffer, Local 377
Willie Hardy, Local 667
Willie Smith, Local 413
Tom Sheibley, Local 653
Gary Gregory, Local 135
Mark Woods, Local 249
Don Huber, Local 773
Larry McDonald, Local 728
Andy Fick, Local 390
Richard D. Hall, Local 41
Jimi Richards, Local 728
Greg Smith, Local 407
Dick Gebhardt, Local 961

YO BROS...........
I THINK BEFORE WE CAN SIT AT A BARGAINING TABLE, WE SHOULD KNOW WHAT WE WANT............
IN THIS RESPECT WE SHOULD MAKE SURE BY WORD OF MOUTH AND NOTICES FOR EVERY ELIGIBLE MAMBER TO FILL OUT THE QUESTIONAIRES FOR CONTRACT PROPOSALS AS BEST HE CAN........
AS FAR AS SITTING ON THE TABLE, I AINT NO NEGOTIATOR OR DO I WANT TO BE...........
ALL I WANT IS THE BEST POSSIBLE DEAL AND NOT JUST FOR ME, BUT FOR EVERYONE...........
ANYBODY THAT HASN´T BEEN ON LIFE SUPPORT FOR THE LAST FEW YEARS HAS SEEN "REFORMERS" COME AND GO OR COME AND STAY WITH MIXED RESULTS...........
I HAVE ONE SUGGESTION TO MAKE..........
LET´S TAKE ALL THE MONETARY GAINS AND PUT THEM IN THE PENSION, HEALTH AND WELFARE FUNDS SO THAT SOME OF US TIRED WARHORSES CAN GET OUT BEFORE DROPPING DEAD AND MAKING ROOM FOR THE YOUNG BUCKAROOS TO MOVE UP.........
LOCAL 701 DID IT IN NEW JERSEY IN 1982 SO WHY CAN´T WE DO IT IN 2003??????????

MIKEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE

701 did it in 1972 35cent per hour,You should have stayed in Maybrook
John Zippo Said Hello

It took them long enough, but now we have rank and file at the table!!!!

(866)TEAMSTR
Message for January 6, 2003

Welcome to the Teamsters toll-free Freight Unity contract campaign hotline, with news for the week of January 6th.
Teamster negotiators resume National Master Freight Agreement talks Monday, January 6th in Washington, D.C.

Negotiators will tackle unresolved issues from the recent talks addressing supplemental agreements.

Then, negotiators will resume work on the national issues.

Meanwhile, several rank-and-file members employed at Yellow Freight and ABF will join the Teamsters’ National Negotiating Committee in talks this week. The National Negotiating Committee is committed to having rank-and-file voices participating at the bargaining table. Membership involvement remains the key to securing a fair and decent contract. Additional rank-and-file members will join the talks in coming weeks. We plan to have reports from these members in future communications.

Thank you for calling the Teamsters Freight Unity contract campaign hotline, and please call back later this week for an update on the contract talks.

Anyone know who the rank and file are that will be at the bargaining table? Hand picked by Phil Young and Tyson Johnson. I bet there will not be a working stiff from a local other than those locals with members on the negotiating committee.

I for one do not want some screwball TDU loser involved in the negotiations. Rank and File Hank and Pile. What a joke! Let the people with all the years experience deal with it.
It would be funny(not really) though to have a Hank and Pile negotiating committee. Problem for us-we´d get stuck with their shit. Problem for them-who do they point their fingers at to blame when it´s all in the toilet?
They might even want to bring Skelton back!

Amen brother, they´d want to resurrect Richard Nelson or Doug Mims too. What a doozy.