Teamsters Report - Teamsters Local 406

Fall 2013
Vol 1 / No 2
Teamsters Report
LABOR DAY CELEBRATES
ORGANIZED LABOR
RON
HOLZGEN
SECRETARY-TREASURER
While we have suffered some setbacks because of anti-worker legislation and goodpaying jobs being sent overseas by unscruLabor Day is more than the symbolic
pulous business owners, organized labor
end to summer or a time when children
remains vital, healthy and a very important
head back to school – it is a celebration of
protector of the middle class.
organized labor and the working men and
I am proud to be a member and one of
women we represent.
the leaders of the largest Teamsters locals
The first organized celebration of labor in the state of Michigan and remain excited
was a parade of more than 10,000 workers by the future. The labor movement is alive
arranged by the Carpenters and Joiners
and well, and we are still able to bargain
Union in New York City in 1882. A dozen excellent wages and benefits for hardyears later, Congress established the first
working American men and women.
Monday in September as a federal holiday
Local 406 fought hard for our memcelebrating organized labor.
bers in 2013. We have been successful in
More than 100 years later, organized
bargaining strong contracts across the state
labor remains the bedrock on which decent of Michigan, and I am optimistic about the
wages, working hours and benefits were
potential for 2014. We expect to be sucbuilt on – and continue to be built on.
cessful at the bargaining table, and I know
Organized labor is responsible for estabthat our voices will be heard in both state
lishing:
and national elections.
• The 40-hour work week
With the help of our membership, we
• The 8-hour work day
are going to roll back the draconian anti• Overtime pay
worker legislation and defeat politicians
• Paid breaks, including lunch
who don’t believe in a strong middle class
• Paid holidays
and who don’t believe working men and
• Health and welfare benefits
women should have a voice in the work• Pension and retirement benefits
place.
All of these benefits that working men
Wherever you live and however you
and women enjoy – and often take for
choose to celebrate, have a happy, healthy
granted – were bargained for by organized and safe Labor Day.
labor.
Union and non-union workers alike
today enjoy the fruits of organized labor.
Organized labor was vital in building the
middle class.
RONH@TEAMSTERS.ORG
PROUDLY SERVING TEAMSTERS
THROUGHOUT THE ENTIRE STATE
OF MICHIGAN
BENEFITS THAT WORKING
MEN AND WOMEN ENJOY
– AND OFTEN TAKE FOR
GRANTED – WERE BARGAINED FOR BY ORGANIZED
LABOR.
UPS: WE HEAR OUR
MEMBERS’ VOICES,
ENCOURAGE ALL TO VOTE
point for members who did not approve
the contract.
I am traveling to UPS locations across
the state talking to members on the outAs you are aware, standing issues. With only about 33 percent
the membership
of our UPS members voting, it is my hope
passed the national that we can double the amount of votes
UPS contract, which when we are asked to vote again.
is a five-year agreeIn talking with union steward Pete
ment, after seven
Ellos and mechanic Dave Cisewski in the
months of tough ne- Ironwood/Bessemer UPS Center, they were
gotiations. I served pleased with the contract but would like
on the National Ne- the new language dealing with harassment
gotiating Committo be enforced.
tee and the Central
There is a lot at stake with this contract.
Region Negotiating With a clear message from our members,
PRESIDENT
Committee, as well
I look forward to getting back to the table
GEORGE@TEAMSTERS.ORG
as the Michigan
with the company to get a ratified contract
Rider Co-Chair.
that addresses all our issues.
While the national contract between
Whether you live in a big city with a
UPS and the IBT has been ratified, 18
large UPS center or a small town with a
supplements and riders need to be re-voted modest hub, we want to hear what you
across the country. For us, that means the
have to say. Every opinion and every vote
Central Region Supplement and Michigan counts. Please keep in mind that every
rider – and so our work continues.
negotiation of a contract has to have a
I am pleased and proud that Local 406
reasonable expectation for the times we are
members voted to pass the national and the in, no matter which side of the table you
supplement and rider, even though there
are sitting on.
were some reservations. At our union hall
meeting, I had a few members tell me when Contract talks for 2013
they came to the hall, it was their full intent
In long and often tedious negotiations,
to vote “no,” but after listening and asking
we were finally able to pass contracts for
questions, they changed their minds.
National Wine and Spirits. The drivers’
Today, as I talk to members I am struck
contract passed unanimously while the
by how much misinformation is still circu- warehouse contract passed overwhelmingly
lating. We are now working together with – after a four-year ordeal. We appreciate
other locals to see what needs to be done to the patience of our members and were able
get our supplement and rider ratified in the to secure increased wages and substantially
Michigan district.
better healthcare coverage. There’s no
We have had meetings with the business question that the benefits being negotiated
agents from across the state to get feedback now are being done so through effective
on specific concerns. We have heard that
representation.
there is a lot of confusion and concern over
health care, which was the main sticking
GEORGE
SORENSON
2
I will also begin to open negotiations
with three other Grand Rapids-area companies, including:
• ThyssenKrupp Materials, a global
company focused on plastics, metals and
industrial services. We represent drivers in
our area and will be bargaining to maintain
their healthcare benefits and to improve
wages and other benefits.
• Allied Building Products, a successful distributor in the building materials industry. Given increased interest in
both residential and commercial building
projects, we are hopeful that we will secure
a good contract for our drivers and warehousemen.
• SVS Vision, a retailer of eye
glasses and contacts. Our goal is to secure
a good contract with increased benefits for
the team who have helped make this a
successful operation.
406
REPORT
EXECUTIVE BOARD
RON HOLZGEN / SECRETARY - TREASURER
GEORGE SORENSON / PRESIDENT
ROBERT KOKX / VICE PRESIDENT
TERRY HOOGERHYDE / RECORDING SECRETARY
JOHN GOODIN / TRUSTEE
BRIAN GROENEVELD / TRUSTEE
TERRY SZCZEPANSKI / TRUSTEE
LOCAL 406 BUSINESS AGENTS
KIRK ALEXANDER / KALEXANDER@TEAMSTERS406.ORG
JIM CHASE / JIMC@TEAMSTERS406.ORG
DAVE DUMOND / DDUMOND@TEAMSTERS406.ORG
DAVE GOLLER / DAVE@TEAMSTERS406.ORG
RON HOLZGEN / RONH@TEAMSTERS406.ORG
TERRY HOOGERHYDE / TERRY.HOOGERHYDE@GMAIL.COM
KEVIN KEVENEY / KKEVENEY@TEAMSTERS406.ORG
LARRY RODABAUGH / LRODABAUGH@TEAMSTERS406.ORG
MIKE SANDER / MSANDER@TEAMSTERS406.ORG
JOE SMITH / JS@TEAMSTERS406.ORG
GEORGE SORENSON / GEORGE@TEAMSTERS406.ORG
ELLIS WOOD / ELLIS@TEAMSTERS406.ORG
GRAND RAPIDS OFFICE
( 616 ) 452-1551 OR 1-800-626-6211
FAX 616 452-6364
IMMIGRATION REFORM
MUST BE PASSED
Immigration reform must be passed – now!
Comprehensive immigration reform will help create a system
that encourages family unity, protects workers and respects human rights, while enhancing our national security and economic
well-being. Not only will reform enhance diversity and innovation, it will also expand opportunities for aspiring immigrant
entrepreneurs and provide a needed boost to our recovering
economy.
An estimated 11 million undocumented or unauthorized immigrants live in
the United States today, filling the service,
agricultural and other manual jobs that
native-born Americans tend to avoid.
RECORDING SECRETARY
Law enforcement officials have little or
TERRY.HOOGERHYDE@GMAIL.COM
no record of this large population, creating
safety risks for both the immigrants and the
general public.
Did you know that undocumented workers:
• Are less likely to obtain healthcare, seek employment, engage in civic duties and pursue educational opportunities
• Cannot collect Social Security benefits, even though they contribute up to $7 billion annually
• Cannot acquire a driver’s license, yet many drive anyway to get to work or school
• Do not have bank accounts and cannot buy property, hampering their social and economic stability
• Fear coming to the attention of the police, making them hesitant to
report crimes
• Often are ineligible for in-state college tuition
This situation has created an underground economy in which employers pay immigrants workers next to nothing, have them work in dangerous conditions and avoid
paying taxes. This lowers standards and wages for all workers. A path to citizenship would
boost all local economies.
Once immigrant workers are paid fairly, they will be able to support their daily needs
for food, housing, clothing, etc. Employers will be forced to pay their fair share of taxes,
generating much-needed revenue that funds public services.
Defining a path to citizenship is also the fair and just thing to do. Those who have
lived and worked in our communities, sent their children¬ to our schools, worshipped
at our churches and spent their hard-earned dollars in our stores deserve to have an opportunity to become citizens.
Local 406 has been lobbying on this issue on behalf of our members and all residents
of our state. We are working with Michigan United to build a statewide coalition that will
change the law. Our goal is to mobilize voters so our voices can be heard on this critical
issue.
What can you do? Write or call your U.S. Representative or Sen. Carl Levin or Debbie Stabenow and voice your opinion.
This will be an ongoing fight. We have many good friends in the Latino community,
as well as members, and it’s critical for all of us as Teamsters to get involved in this process and support our brothers and sisters.
TERRY
HOOGERHYDE
3
406
DIVISION
REPORTS
Do rising
gas prices
influence layoffs?
Healthcare
remains top
bargaining issue
ELLIS@TEAMSTERS406.ORG
LRODABAUGH@TEAMSTERS406.ORG
ELLIS WOOD, TRAVERSE CITY
While we hear that the economy in West Michigan is booming, that prosperity is making its way more slowly to Northern
Michigan.
Our region still has a significant number of employees on
layoff. Typically, Local 406 would have little trouble shifting
laid-off workers from one location to another, but we haven’t
been able to make those adjustments in recent years. Our members are reluctant – and understandably so – to make the commute
to Grand Rapids or other downstate locations for temporary work.
Gas prices seem to be one of the leading indicators for layoffs. When gas prices get high, companies are more likely to lay
people off. When prices are steady, we don’t see as many layoffs.
Since more than 90 percent of the employees we represent are in
transportation, we can really tell what’s going on by the fluctuation in gas prices.
Things are slowly getting better in the Traverse City region,
and we’ll continue to keep our eyes on the gas pumps.
We have had two significant contract wins in the past quarter:
• We signed a new three-year contract with Wexford Sand, a sand and gravel supply company in Harrietta. We were able to maintain the current healthcare plan and pension benefits for this well-respected group of employees.
• We also signed a new three-year contract with Reith-
Reilly in Traverse City, which specializes in asphalt
production and paving of municipal streets and high
ways, as well as commercial parking lots and driveways. We were also able to maintain their pension and health and welfare plan.
LEAVING
YOUR JOB?
Request a withdrawal
card when being laid
off, going on leave of
absence, sick leave or terminating your
employment. Getting a withdrawal card
keeps you in good standing while you are
not working and keeps you from having to
pay back dues or re-initiation upon returning to work.
It is your responsibility to obtain a withdrawal card. Make your request as soon as
possible to ensure you are not obligated to
pay additional dues.
4
LARRY RODABAUGH, SAGINAW
Healthcare remains the major bargaining issue for all contracts in the
greater Saginaw area – and, we have to believe, the entire state.
Health insurance is expected to rise more modestly next year at 6.5
percent compared with hefty double-digit increases in years past. Yet
there’s still a substantial gap in between growth of wages and growth of
health insurance premiums, which continues to prompt unease. The jury
remains out on how the Affordable Care Act will impact companies large
and small, as well as the benefits they offer.
Our members tell us that healthcare is the top contract issue for them
right now, followed by wages and pension benefits. Healthcare seems to
be the biggest sticking point from the employer’s side, too, which continues to make contract negotiations challenging.
We are currently in or starting negotiations with:
• Better Made Snack Foods in Bay City, which makes potato chips. We represent the warehouse and semi drivers in this contract
renewal, which still has some significant work to do on the
economic portion of the contract.
• Perfection Bakery in Bay City, which bakes and distributes Aunt Millie’s breads. We have just begun negotiations for a contract renewal of distribution center employees who deliver products
to retailers.
• Pepsi Beverages Co. in Saginaw, Mt. Pleasant and Petoskey. We have three separate contracts and began negotiations in late July for the 85 members.
• Wirt Transport in Bay City. We are working through pension discussions.
• Fischer Sand and Gravel in Midland. We are working on
pensions, health and welfare issues.
In addition, we are working on negotiations with Fischer Contracting in
Midland and T&S Transit in Saginaw.
MAIL FORM TO: TEAMSTERS LOCAL 406
3315 EASTERN AVENUE SE
GRAND RAPIDS, MI 49508
NAME
WITHDRAWAL
CARDREQUEST
SOCIAL SECURITY NUMBER
PHONE NUMBER
ADDRESS
CITY
STATE
COMPANY
LAST DAY OF WORK
REASON FOR REQUEST ( IE. QUIT, LAID OFF, TERMINATED, ETC. )
SIGNATURE
DATE
Working with
employers to sign
good contracts
KEVIN KEVENEY, ESCANABA
KKEVENEY@TEAMSTERS406.ORG
Contract talks and wage reopeners with several municipal
and private employers have made it a busy quarter. We’d like to
highlight two recent contracts that underscore how Local 406 is
able to work effectively with employers in advance of Right-toWork legislation coming online to the benefit of all involved.
We were able to enter into an early agreement with the
Schoolcraft County Road Commission, where we represent
foremen and non-supervisors. The employer understood how
divisive RTW has the potential to be in the workplace. When we
approached them, they agreed to getting a deal done. Employees
have ratified a new three-year contract, and it was great to have an
employer work with us on a good result.
We also signed a three-year deal with the City of Menominee, where we represent the Public Works Department. Bargaining unit members handle the day-to-day business of the city, from
water and sewage to snow removal and street upkeep. In these
negotiations, we sat across the table from a city manager who had
come from a RTW state. He had never bargained outside of that
environment, but had nothing but accolades for his first negotiations in a non-RTW environment. Again, we signed a three-year
contract that was good for both sides of the bargaining table.
The Escanaba team is in the midst of several tough negotiations, particularly with our public sector employees who face continued threats of privatization and reduced funding from Lansing.
We have reached a one-year agreement with Baraga Schools.
We have signed contracts in the private sector, including:
• Andex Industries in Escanaba, which makes thermo
forming packaging. The employees there have been working under an employer-implemented contract. We bargained and significantly improved the contract in
a situation where the employer was looking at large
increases in healthcare premium co-pays and eliminating
some benefits. We pushed back and were able to
convince him otherwise, hanging on to good coverage with reasonable co-pays in this new three-year- contract.
• Delta Sanitation in Escanaba, which handles garbage
disposal in the city and surrounding rural areas.
Members signed a new three-year contract.
Finally, Kirk Alexander would like to thank the Local 406
business agents who have taken turns traveling to the UP to help
him settle in and acclimate to his new role. Their willingness to
share their expertise in negotiations, agreements and settlements
has helped him tremendously.
STEWARD WORKSHOPS
PROVIDE RTW TRAINING
Nearly 200 stewards from across Michigan attended one of
four steward training workshops held over the past six months.
Shawn Ellis, IBT Central Region Coordinator for Training
and Development and a member of Local 372 in Detroit, led the
training sessions in Grand Rapids, Saginaw, Traverse City and
Escanaba. Local 406 Secretary-Treasurer Ron Holzgen attended
each session, welcoming all stewards and business agents and
answering questions throughout the workshops.
Topics focused heavily on new Right-to-Work legislation,
as well as the roles and responsibilities of a steward, Weingarten
rights and related issues.
“We had a great turnout from all of our offices,” Holzgen
said. “Particularly in today’s world, Saturday is a regular work
day for many of our stewards. We appreciate their taking time to
travel to one of Local 406’s four regional offices to improve their
skills so they can better represent our members.”
NEW ROLE FOR
TERRY HOOGERHYDE
As Michigan’s Legislature continues to attack labor, working
men and women face unprecedented assaults by their own elected
officials. Local 406 has committed resources and personnel in an
all-out effort to educate our members and the community of the
anti-worker agenda in Lansing.
For the past several months, Recording Secretary Terry
Hoogerhyde has been released from his normal jobs at Spartan
Stores to dedicate his time and attention to promoting labor’s
agenda through the 2014 election cycle. As part of this process,
Hoogerhyde has been forging new relationships with like-minded
organizations in our region, including:
• Hispanic community
• Inner-city pastors and other members of the faith
community
• Kent County Black Caucus
• Grand Rapids Community Action Team
If you have suggestions for organizations we should partner
with or ideas on effective ways of getting the word out, you can
contact Terry at 616.452.1551, 800.636.6211 or via e-mail at
terry.hoogerhyde@gmail.com.
5
2013 GOLF OUTING BENEFITS
LABOR HERITAGE SOCIETY
Gracewil Country Club hosted 44 members of Teamsters Local 206 for the 2013 annual golf outing to benefit the Labor Heritage
Society of West Michigan.
After a shotgun start at 8 a.m., Todd Hard of UPS, Pat Gerluis of UPS, Corey Smith of GFS and Terry Elkins of UPS walked
away as the winning team, shooting 11 under par. Guest Ryan Sheffer won “closest to the hole” and generously donated his prize to
Local 406. In addition to a fun round of golf, the day included a 50/50 drawing, prize giveaway and a steak cookout. Secretary/Treasurer Ron Holzgen wrapped up the day by thanking members for attending.
6
7
NEW HOURS OF
SERVICE RULE
IN EFFECT
The hours of service safety requirements for commercial
truck drivers, revised earlier this year by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, became effective on July 1. The rule
includes a 34-hour restart provision, mandatory rest break and a
revision of the definition of “On-Duty Time.”
The revised 34-hour restart provision will limit the use of
restart to once every seven days or 168 hours. It requires that each
34-hour rest period includes two off-duty periods between 1 a.m. and 5 a.m.
The mandatory rest break provision prohibits drivers from operating a CMV if more than eight hours have passed since their last
off-duty period of at least 30 minutes. Essentially, this means that drivers are required to take a break of at least 30 minutes within the
first eight hours of reporting for duty. If the driver doesn’t take a break, they will not be permitted to drive a CMV until the break is
taken.
The definition of On-Duty Time has also been revised. According to the new definition, On-Duty Time will no longer include :
• Resting in or on a parked vehicle
• Resting in a sleeper berth
• Up to two hours riding in the passenger seat of a property-carrying vehicle moving on the highway
immediately before or after a period of at least eight consecutive hours in the sleeper berth
The new rule applies to drivers of CMVs that:
• Weigh 10,001 pounds or more
• Have a gross vehicle weight rating or gross combination weight of 10,001 pounds or more
• Are designed or used to transport 16 or more passengers, including the driver, not for compensation
• Are designed or used to transport nine or more passengers, including driver, for compensation
• Are involved in interstate or intrastate commerce and are transporting hazardous materials in a quantity
requiring placards
If you have questions regarding the new rule, please contact Teamsters Local 406 at 800.626.6211.
GENERAL TEAMSTERS LOCAL UNION NO. 406
3315 EASTERN AVENUE, SE
GRAND RAPIDS, MI 49508
616 452 1551
WWW.TEAMSTERS406.ORG
PROUDLY SERVING TEAMSTERS
THROUGHOUT THE ENTIRE STATE OF
MICHIGAN