Day Five:
Biden to Teamsters: You Protect the Middle Class
Posted: Friday July 1, 2011
Source: Teamster.org
Vice President Joe Biden said today at the Teamsters’ 28th International Convention that unions are the only institution protecting the middle class from assault by concentrated power and wealth.

Biden said recent attacks on working people by politicians in state capitals and Congress represent “the most direct assault on labor in modern American history.”

During the five-day convention, which closed today, Teamsters focused on the war being waged on workers by extremist politicians in the states and in Congress. Biden’s remarks echoed the union’s message that attacks on unions are attacks on the middle class.

“What other institution in America has the power to take on this concentration of power and wealth?” Biden said. “It’s you.”

“For white-collar workers in the middle class who don’t see any relevance to unions, for my kids, for my grandkids, we can’t lose this war,” he said.

Biden said the difference between the Obama administration and Republicans is their commitment to the middle class.

“Look at Wisconsin, Ohio, New Hampshire, Missouri, Iowa, Pennsylvania, on and on. Did you ever think that in 2011 you’d be fighting against right to work for less again?” he said.

“In their vision you have no place at all in our vision you are the place,” he said. “Without you there is no American Dream. There is no possibility. We stand with organized labor because you’re standing with the people who are struggling to get a chance.”

Biden’s remarks came near the end of the convention. After he spoke, Teamsters General President Jim Hoffa closed the convention.

“We’ve got a lot of work to do,” said Hoffa. “We’ve got to make sure we get working on the American Dream.”

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Day Four:
Convention Delegates Urge Amtrak Be Designated High-Speed Rail Operator, Provider
Posted: Thursday, June30, 2011
Source: Teamster.org
A resolution to support high-speed rail and the union jobs that should go with it was passed by delegates to the Teamsters 28th International Convention with full support from its 70,000-member Rail Conference.

Fred Simpson, President of the Brotherhood of Maintenance of Way Employes, rebuked politicians such as Rep. John Mica, R-Fla., who want to privatize Amtrak. Simpson said Mica’s latest proposal “would give away America’s most successful rail corridor to his political friends, and provide them with massive government subsidies.”

“There is no tax savings to the American people in this scheme,” Simpson said. “It will not produce improved passenger service, good paying jobs, or economic growth.  But it will transfer our tax dollars into the pockets of Wall Street speculators and corporate profiteers.”

Dennis Pierce, President of the Teamsters Rail Conference and the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen, led the successful resolution for the IBT to support the conference in its efforts to form bargaining coalitions

Pierce explained why it’s so important for railroad unions to stick together. He told the gathering that railroad carriers for generations have preyed on weak or vulnerable unions to establish “pattern settlements” that undermine stronger unions at the bargaining table.

“We are currently leading the struggle to defeat the railroads’ attempt to shift the cost of health care from an industry enjoying record profits to the workers who are least able to bear that cost,” Pierce said.

The Teamsters represent 11 crafts in 11 unions for a total of 75 percent of the total employees in the railroad industry.

UPS is the Teamsters Union’s largest bargaining unit, and members and leaders spoke not only about remaining vigilant there, but the challenges faced by workers at UPS’ main rival, FedEx.

UPS Teamsters spoke to the crowd about the difference a Teamster contract has made in their lives and the importance of staying vigilant as UPS continues to test that contract.

“I’ve seen the good times. When our economy was flourishing, we all benefited,” said Nancy Aleccia, a 33-year member of Local 396 of Covina, Calif. “And when our economy went into a downturn, we were faced challenges…Going through that time has made me appreciate more than ever the value of my Teamster contract. We have seniority and recall rights, something nonunion employees do not have.”

FedEx workers are clamoring for Teamster representation, but there are roadblocks to overcome before the union can organize.

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Day Three:
Teamsters Pass Resolution Demanding Prosecution of Wall Street CEOs Responsible for Economic Devastation
Posted: Thursday, June 30, 2011
Source: Teamster.org
Delegates to the 28th International Brotherhood of Teamsters Convention unanimously approved a resolution to prosecute chief executives and other Wall Street players responsible for the global financial crisis of 2008.

“How come not a single Wall Street CEO has gone to jail after destroying the economy,” said Teamsters General Secretary-Treasurer Tom Keegel. “We demand that Wall Street pay for the crisis.”

Passage of the resolution followed discussions of the devastating impact of Wall Street’s greed and recklessness on the middle class. The “Putting Working Families First, Make Wall Street Pay,” resolution states that not only have there been no prosecutions of anyone directly responsible for the financial crisis, but “not a single worker, pension fund, or home owner, has received a government “bailout,” while the government spent trillions bailing out Wall Street financial institutions.” Delegates to the 28th International Brotherhood of Teamsters Convention unanimously approved a resolution to prosecute chief executives and other Wall Street players responsible for the global financial crisis of 2008.

“How come not a single Wall Street CEO has gone to jail after destroying the economy,” said Teamsters General Secretary-Treasurer Tom Keegel. “We demand that Wall Street pay for the crisis.”

Passage of the resolution followed discussions of the devastating impact of Wall Street’s greed and recklessness on the middle class. The “Putting Working Families First, Make Wall Street Pay,” resolution states that not only have there been no prosecutions of anyone directly responsible for the financial crisis, but “not a single worker, pension fund, or home owner, has received a government “bailout,” while the government spent trillions bailing out Wall Street financial institutions.”

Another resolution chastised Congress for failing to help multi-employer pension funds, despite a massive lobbying and mobilization campaign by the Teamsters.

Delegates on the third day of the Convention also discussed strategies for fighting back in the war on workers unleashed by anti-union politicians who recently came to political power, including the need to be politically active and to contribute to DRIVE, the Teamster political action committee.

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The 2011 IBT Convention:
Day Two: Organizing, Organizing, Organizing
Posted: Tuesday June 28, 2011
Source: Teamster.org
If there was one takeaway from Monday's session, it was that the recent assault on workers wasn't going to fade away.

"Their greed knows no end," said Bob Bouvier, president of Teamsters Canada. The war on workers he said, is not just in the U.S., it's not just in Canada, it's not just in Puerto Rico, it's around the world.

"They're not going to get us, we're going to get them," he said.

And so a resolution to Stop the War on Workers was passed unanimously.

International Vice President Tyson Johnson gave a no-nonsense account of the dangers in opening the border to dangerous Mexican trucks. Mario Leva, a shop steward with Local 745, described the dangers of Mexico's violent drug cartels across the border from his home in El Paso. A resolution opposing the latest pilot program to open the border to Mexican trucks won unanimous support. So did a resolution to support public workers.

The Teamsters enthusiastically supported a resolution to "continue to fight and to lobby against any trade agreement that does not increase jobs in the U.S. and protect workers' rights." And following speeches on right-to-work bills to destroy unions, Teamsters endorsed a resolution that opposing right to work "should remain a paramount priority for the Teamsters Union, working families, and allies throughout the country as to ensure that a strong and vibrant American middle class continues."

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