Organizing

October 14, 2019

October 2019

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Current Campaigns

Teamsters understand the value in union membership. Higher pay, better benefits, and a greater voice in the workplace are standards set by union members that won’t be given up without a fight, even after the Supreme Court’s decision in the “Janus v. AFSCME” case.

While it is true that this ruling may create temporary roadblocks, public employees throughout the United States need to remain unified. We cannot allow the progress working people have made in union to be slowed down because of lawsuits that disregard the value of public employees.

The Janus decision came about because anti-employee forces spent millions of dollars on lobbying and court challenges for over 40 years. Attacks from these outside groups, backed by secret donors, seek to eliminate the freedom of public employees to negotiate with their employer over the value of their work.

Many Teamster members around the country have held conversations with their co-workers about the impact of the Supreme Court decision to reinforce the value of remaining unified. Whether at the worksite or at the ballot box, members are fighting back against these attacks.

Public sector Teamsters have made it their career to serve their country and community, and any attempt to take away their freedom to join together is an attack on those who are the foundation of America.

Our middle class was built by everyday working people, standing together in union. The Teamsters honor that history by continuing the fight to give working people the promise of the American dream.

That won’t end with the Janus decision. The Teamsters will continue to organize, mobilize, and do whatever is necessary to achieve prosperity through collective action.

Standing Together, Standing Strong!
In July 2011, the plan to restructure YRC Worldwide Inc. (YRCW) aimed at saving more than 25,000 Teamster freight jobs was successfully completed. The restructuring has saved good Teamster freight jobs. This page is dedicated to providing our YRCW members updates about developments that affect them.

YRCW Freight Updates
This page provides the latest contract information to the 7,500 Teamsters—drivers, dockworkers and office staff—employed by ABF Freight System, Inc.

ABF Contract Update
This Web page provides the latest updates for the national contract, riders and supplements that cover about 3,500 Teamsters at DHL Express.

DHL Contract Updates
We Are eXPOsing XPO’s Global Greed

XPO Logistics is a top ten global logistics and transportation company with annual revenue of $15 billion and 89,000 employees, another 10,000 workers classified as independent contractors, and thousands more working for firms that subcontract with XPO. We are the REAL workers at XPO Logistics worldwide exposing the truth about the company’s global greed, illegal wage theft, unsafe conditions, and abhorrent and vicious anti-worker, anti-union tactics.

This greed includes mistreating former Con-way Freight workers in the United States who are being kept in the dark about terminal closures and layoffs, and the company’s illegal refusal to bargain contracts and denying their workers’ federally protected right to organize. It also includes port, rail and last-mile drivers around the country and in Southern California fighting wage theft in excess of $200 million because they are misclassified as independent contractors and denied the right to form their union. This greed has caused numerous lawsuits and strikes. Greed also means an unsafe workplace and mistreating its warehouse employees.

XPO’s greed extends to Europe beginning with breaking its promise to not layoff any workers for at least 18 months. French workers and the unions have been fighting back against XPO’s disrespect, lies and attempts to slash jobs. Similar struggles are taking place in Great Britain, Spain, Belgium, the Netherlands, and across Europe.

Join the worldwide struggle now! Get involved with this campaign by joining the Facebook group “XPO Exposed.”

Together, we can eXPOse the company’s global greed and win fairness, respect and dignity for tens of thousands of XPO employees around the world!

eXPOsing the Truth About Global Greed
The Teamsters Military Assistance Program (TMAP) assists Active Duty Service members that are transitioning, Veterans and Military spouses with job opportunities with responsible employers.

Teamsters Military Assistance Program
Workers’ pensions are being endangered by both Congress and those charged with overseeing them. The Teamsters and our members are standing united to say “No!” to cuts and “Yes!” to greater retirement security!

Protect Pensions! Say No To Pension Cuts!
The ‘Let’s Get America Working!’ campaign seeks to restore a dynamic and prosperous middle class to drive economic growth by helping to advance policy decisions that create and maintain good middle-income jobs, guarantee retirement security, expand access to the American Dream, and ensure that the benefits of the ongoing economic recovery are felt by the many, not just the few.

Let's Get America Working!
This webpage provides information on the Teamsters Union’s legislative advocacy at both the federal and state level as well as our field activity to support those policy positions and to get strong labor candidates elected to office. Among other resources, you will find our federal legislative scorecard, formal statements of policy position and communications to Capitol Hill, a weekly update on federal legislative happenings, an overview of bills we are tracking at the state level, and quick links to take action on priority issues.

Political Legislative Action
This web page provides information on the ongoing effort to renegotiate the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). Since 1994, NAFTA has devastated working families, putting corporate profits ahead of people. What’s worse is that NAFTA has become the blueprint for all other trade agreements, from the way that it was negotiated in secret, to the bad provisions that have made their way into every agreement that has been signed since then. Now, NAFTA is being renegotiated and we demand that it be reframed to work for workers instead of corporate interests.

NAFTA 2.0 Must Put Workers First

Organizing

Organizing

Joining the Teamsters allows you to have a voice in how you are treated at work. As a Teamster member, you are part of 1.4 million working men and women and their families fighting to improve working conditions at your workplace and around the nation. The Teamsters are a family, along with 400,000 Teamster retirees in the United States and Canada. You will always have the support and strength of your union sisters and brothers. Your union is a democratic organization, where the members have the right to elect their leaders, and decide the union's policies.

Your rights at work

Helping Other Worker Organize

Union Democracy Makes Us Strong

A Changing Union in a Changing World

Your Rights At Work

By joining together, Teamsters have more say in working conditions. We can negotiate with management to make jobs better and make sure we are all treated fairly.

The Union Contract

Most Teamsters, except for some public employees, are covered by a union contract with the employer. Contracts cover such rights and benefits as...

Pay levels and pay raises.
Health coverage.
Job security.
Promotions.
Paid time off for vacations and holidays.
Retirement benefits.
Rules about how you must be treated on the job.
Your contract is negotiated with management by your co-workers and Teamster leaders. Every member has the right to make suggestions about what should be in the contract and to vote on the final agreement.

To win a good contract, workers have to show management that they are united in support of their negotiating team. Sometimes workers have to get support from other unions, community groups, public officials, consumers, or other organizations to convince management to reach a reasonable agreement.

The rights and benefits in the contract are guaranteed. Management cannot legally change them without negotiations with the union.

Your Right to Fair Treatment

Everyone wants to have smooth working relationship on the job. But problems sometimes come up in every workplace.

A Teamster contract includes a procedure to protect you from being treated unfairly or fired without good reason. It also protects you from discrimination or favoritism in the way work assignments, promotions, layoffs, or other issues are handled.

A complaint that the contract has been violated is called a "grievance".

If you think management may have violated your rights, or have any questions or problems about work, tell your Teamster steward.

The steward and other local union leaders can answer your questions and help you figure out the best way to solve the problem.

Sometimes that involves discussions with management.

Sometimes it requires getting the support of other workers for a fair solution.

Help From Your Local Union

When you join the Teamsters, you become a member of a local union.

Your local union has the main responsibility for enforcing your rights under the union contract. Most Teamster contracts are negotiated by the local union.

Your local union has seven officers, all elected by the membership.

Some locals employ business agents to represent members and help the officers coordinate union activities.

Your most direct link to the union is your Teamster steward.

Your steward is a co-worker trained to help represent and organize union members. You should go to your steward when you have a question or problem.

How You Can Get Involved

Read your contract. Ask your steward to explain parts that seem unclear.
Insist on your rights. Let your steward and other coworkers know if you think management is acting unfairly. If a manager asks you questions that might lead to discipline, you have a legal right to have your union steward present during the questioning.

Support your coworkers If someone else isn't being treated fairly, back them up. Our union is strong because we stick together.

Back up your union leaders when they ask for your support.

Support campaigns to win better contracts. Give your local union representative your ideas for what to negotiate in your contract. Join in activities to show management that you support your union. Help reach out to community groups if their support is needed.

Back other workers' campaigns for fair contracts. When other Teamsters or members of other unions win better contracts, that helps set higher standards that make it easier for your group to negotiate improvements. Other workers may ask you to help them by boycotting a certain product, displaying a bumper sticker, or attending a rally to demonstrate your support.

Helping Other Workers Organize

You have an important role to play in supporting the Teamsters program to organize new groups of workers.

Helping them organize is good for them because they can win new rights and benefits. But it also benefits current members of the union.

A bigger and stronger union can win better contracts and better laws for all of us.

Employers often argue that union members should be brought down to the lower wage and benefit levels of the unorganized.

Our organizing efforts create victories for all workers - union as well as non-union - by raising the standard, ensuring that we can all have better and more secure jobs.

Teamster officers and staff lead our organizing efforts–but they can't do it alone. Successful organizing drives often depend on Teamster members who give their time to explain the benefits of being a member to unorganized workers.

How You Can Get Involved

Offer to help with union organizing. Ask your local union about current organizing efforts.
Talk to unorganized workers, friends, and neighbors about the importance of being a union member.
Help make our union strong and democratic–by being involved in the programs described on this page–so that unorganized workers will want to join us.

Union Democracy Makes Us Strong

The Teamsters Union belongs to the members. The more active the members, the stronger the union.

You and your coworkers have the right to...

Elect the officers of your local union.
Attend local union meetings.
Vote on contracts that your union representatives negotiate.

The International Union
You also have the right to elect the leaders of the International Union, which includes all Teamster local unions in the U.S. and Canada.

The International Union supports locals with...

Coordination so that we can all work toward common goals in contract negotiations, political action, and organizing workers who don't have union protection.

Training and educational programs for local leaders, stewards, and members.
Advice and assistance from experienced organizers, negotiators, researchers, attorneys, safety and health professionals, auditors, and communications specialists.

In 1991, Teamster members in the US and Canada had their first chance in history to elect the General President of the International Union and the other members of the General Executive Board. Future elections will be held every five years.

Every five years, the members of each local in the US and Canada also elect delegates to the International Convention. The convention sets overall policy about the programs, goals, and finances of the Teamsters Union.

Trade Divisions/Conferences
The International Union has a number of Trade Divisions that provide special help for locals with members in particular industries or kinds of work. These include...

Airline
Automobile Transporters Industry
Building Material and Construction
Freight
Industrial Trades
Motion Picture and Theatrical
Newspaper Drivers
Parcel and Small Package
Port
Public Employees
Tank Haul
Trade Show and Convention Centers
Warehouse
There are also three trade conferences: Bakery and Laundry Conference, Brewery and Soft Drink Workers Conference, and Dairy Conference.

Joint Councils
Local unions in a particular city or region make up a Joint Council. In some cases, Joint Councils have formed state or multi-state conferences.

How Your Dues Are Used
Your dues money pays for the Teamster programs and activities described on this page.

Dues are divided between the Local Union, Joint Council, and International Union, with most of the money used directly by the Local Union.

Each level of the union prepares annual financial reports. As a Teamster member, you have a right to obtain information about how your dues money is being spent.

How You Can Get involved

Stay informed. Ask your steward and local leaders for information on union activities. Read local union publications and the International Unions magazine.
Participate in union activities. Take an active part in union meetings. Vote in union elections. Become familiar with your Local Union By-laws and the International Union Constitution.

Volunteer your time. A successful union needs people who are willing not only to give ideas and make proposals but to get involved in carrying them out.

A Changing Union in a Changing World

The Teamsters Union has a proud history, going back to its founding in 1903.

We were originally a Drivers' union. But as the Teamsters grew stronger, those drivers came into contact with thousands of workers in warehouses, factories, offices, hospitals, local government, and many different kinds of businesses who also needed a union.

Today, the 1.4 million Teamsters hold just about every kind of job found in the US and Canada.

With new approaches and programs, the International Union is working closely with locals to...

Strengthen our bargaining power.
Increase our clout in politics.
Help workers without unions to organize.
Build unity among all levels of the union.
Insure union members democratic rights.
Get family members and retirees involved in union activities.
Build closer ties with other unions and community organizations.

Page Last Updated: Oct 18, 2012 (11:22:15)