Teamsters Trade Gains of 1997 UPS Strike for Deal to Organize Members at Freight Division — Mark Brenner In mid-November Teamsters (IBT) at United Parcel Service approved a controversial five-year agreement, more than eight months before the expiration of their current contract. The new contract will pull 44,000 Teamsters out of the union’s multi-employer Central States pension plan, and end conversion of part-time into full-time jobs at UPS. It also widens the gap between full-time and part-time standards, freezing part-timers’ starting pay and forcing new part-timers to work for a year before they are eligible for health care coverage. These givebacks were accepted in spite of the company’s healthy bottom line, UPS reported more than $4 billion in pre-tax net income last year... READ THE REST AT THE LABOR NOTES WEBSITE... http://labornotes.org/node/1451 Check out the opposition to this concessionary contract here... http://makeupsdeliver.org/news.php

It may have taken them years, but all the hard work of Richard Berg and the other members of the reform slate at Teamsters Local 743 has finally resulted in a long over due and well earned victory. The 743 New Leadership Slate swept the elections, winining 6 of the 7 contested positions, including President, Vice-President & Secretary-Treasurer. This is not only a victory for the members of Local 743, but also a victory for the reform movement in the Teamsters and a major plus for the democratic, progressive labor movement in Chicago. Find out more here... http://www.743newleadership.org/ And look for more about this landmark victory on an upcoming episode of Labor Express Radio.