http://www.freerepublic.com/tag/teamsters/ en-us Tue, 9 Jun 2009 16:24:53 GMT Focus Forum 15 http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2268079/posts FedEx Express is learning what could be the Democrats' economic motto -- "Never Let Success Go Unpunished." Led by Rep. James Oberstar (D-Minnesota), the House on May 21 passed legislation that contains a hidden provision -- a mere 230 words -- that would hobble FedEx Express by completely changing the labor laws under which the company operates. Unless the Senate removes the language from the bill reauthorizing the Federal Aviation Administration, a mere dozen or so workers in just one city could hamstring much of the nation's overnight delivery service. Americans take for granted that things can "absolutely, positively ...... Washington Times http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2268079/posts#comment Tue, 9 Jun 2009 16:24:53 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2242798/posts The Chicago Tribune reports that a "former union officer and two employees of Teamsters Local 743 were convicted in federal court Friday for rigging two elections in 2004": "The three were found guilty on the third day of jury deliberations after a four-week trial in U.S. District Court in Chicago. The federal jury convicted Richard Lopez, the local's former secretary-treasurer, as well as Thaddeus Bania, its former comptroller, and David Rodriguez, an organizer." And President Barack Obama seriously contends the federal oversight to monitor corruption within the Teamsters that has been in place since 1989 pursuant to a consent decree... Friends of Ours http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2242798/posts#comment Sat, 2 May 2009 17:54:50 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2217296/posts Anyone worried that, once in charge, Democrats wouldn't be vigilant in protecting our southern border can relax. The grave threat of Mexican long-haul truckers has been shut down. With any luck, Mexicans will never have the temerity to attempt to deliver commercial goods into the United States again. At least such is the fervid hope of the Teamsters, the fiercest adversary the Mexicans have faced since President James K. Polk sent Winfield Scott south in the Mexican-American War. The union can't abide Mexican trucks because they represent competition, and so they must be blocked - legal obligations, economic rationality and... The Washington Times http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2217296/posts#comment Sun, 29 Mar 2009 09:31:32 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2213276/posts Talk about shades of Smoot-Hawley, the 1930 tariff act that was designed to protect American jobs but, not too surprisingly, crippled industries relying on international trade when other nations retaliated. Production kept on plunging and unemployment kept on rising, extending the Depression. In today's extremely global economy, we shudder to think how much worse the consequences today might be. The Mexican trade war may just be getting revved up, thanks to the Obama administration and the Democrat-controlled Congress ending a Bush administration pilot program that allowed a limit of 97 Mexican long-haul truck drivers into the United States (whereas, under... The Washington Times http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2213276/posts#comment Tue, 24 Mar 2009 08:54:47 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2211439/posts When G-20 finance ministers met in England over the weekend to discuss a way out of the global financial crisis, the group pledged to eschew trade protectionism. That sounds good. But some of the governments represented at the meeting aren't walking the walk on global commerce at home. Instead they're taking the side of special interests that want to weaken foreign competition. One culprit that comes to mind is the U.S. Wall Street Journal http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2211439/posts#comment Sat, 21 Mar 2009 13:59:29 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2209057/posts James P. Hoffa tried his hand at some spin against opponents of the Orwellian named Employee Free Choice Act (EFCA) last week, denying that a secret ballot is a basic tenet of democracy. "Since when is the secret ballot a basic tenet of democracy," Hoffa is quoted as saying in a Teamsters press release. How does he justify this idiotic claim? Because, you see, the Soviet Union had a secret ballot "but those weren't democratic," Hoffa reminds us. A facile comparison, for sure. So, Hoffa thinks that eliminating a worker's right to a safe and fair election is perfectly in... Publius' Forum http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2209057/posts#comment Wed, 18 Mar 2009 13:49:59 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2204377/posts Teamsters President Blasts False Claims About Secret Ballots Teamsters General President Jim Hoffa today praised House and Senate sponsors of the Employee Free Choice Act. The bill would give workers the choice of forming a union through majority sign-up or a National Labor Relations Board election. It would make it easier for workers to form a union. “In these dire economic times, I can’t think of a better way to restore stability to middle-class families than to strengthen unions,” Hoffa said. “History shows that the economy does well when unions are strong.” Hoffa blasted the hostile, multimillion-dollar campaign to defeat... Teamsters.org http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2204377/posts#comment Wed, 11 Mar 2009 18:10:09 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2203328/posts House and Senate Democrats will introduce a bill to ease rules on labor union elections as soon as Tuesday, thrusting Congress into one of the biggest battles ever between business and labor and putting moderates in the hot seat as no other piece of legislation has this year. On Monday, investment guru Warren Buffett announced on CNBC that he is opposed to the Employee Free Choice Act, which would allow unions to bypass the secret ballot and require only signatures on a petition to organize a company’s work force. “I think the secret ballot is pretty important in this country,”... DC Examiner http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2203328/posts#comment Tue, 10 Mar 2009 14:46:43 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2197150/posts The U.S. Department of Transportation will make no attempt to stop Sen. Byron Dorgan's effort to kill the Cross Border Demonstration Project, The Trucker learned Friday afternoon. Earlier this week, Dorgan, a Democrat from North Dakota, included language in the Fiscal Year 2009 Omnibus Appropriations bill that the senator said would finally bring to an end “the Mexican long-haul trucking program in the U.S. started by the Bush Administration.” The bill, not to be confused with the stimulus package, allocates federal funds for the remainder of the fiscal year. Sources have told The Trucker that LaHood has indicated he will... The Trucker http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2197150/posts#comment Mon, 2 Mar 2009 12:20:18 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2193124/posts DALLAS — Union officials were confident Tuesday that new legislation in Congress would halt Mexican trucks from making long-haul trips into the United States. A $410 billion spending bill House Democrats presented Monday includes language that would prevent Mexican-licensed trucks from traveling beyond commercial zones along the U.S.-Mexico border. The wording is aimed at ending a pilot program backed by the Bush administration that permitted up to 500 U.S.-certified trucks access deep into the U.S. "This is a really big win for us," said Leslie Miller, an International Brotherhood of Teamsters spokeswoman. "Historically, there has been very, very strong support"... The Houston Chronicle http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2193124/posts#comment Tue, 24 Feb 2009 21:51:44 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2169974/posts I missed Clintonite moldy oldie-turned-Obama economic adviser Robert Reich’s testimony a few weeks ago on how the government should spend federal stimulus money. The Berkeley professor engaged in academic fantasy land talk about getting all the cash out to workers as quickly as possible — a pipe dream debunked by the CBO report I mentioned in my column yesterday. Even more noteworthy, however, were the comments Reich made about which workers deserve the stimulus bucks most. Reich’s proposal exposes the lie that the Obama administration is actually interested in revitalizing basic infrastructure for the good of the economy. No, what... michellemalkin http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2169974/posts#comment Fri, 23 Jan 2009 03:13:19 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2142201/posts Organized labor helped elect Barack Obama and now eagerly awaits his promised support for its top priority—a bill that would make it easier to set up union locals. The Employee Free Choice Act would allow unions to create local bargaining units without winning the vote of a majority of workers in a secret ballot. The local unit would be certified if a majority of workers endorsed it by signing an authorization card handed out by union organizers. Fair enough? Not really. The so-called card-check bill would not protect workers and it would not be "free choice." It would strip away... Chicago Tribune http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2142201/posts#comment Wed, 3 Dec 2008 17:19:21 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2137923/posts Regarding Dr. John David's commentary, "Make it Easier to Unionize Workplace": Labor unions certainly have their place in a contemporary American economy, but not at the expense of employee free choice and economic security. Indeed, the Employee Free Choice Act would severely erode the freedom enjoyed by employees for nearly 75 years to make a private, fully-informed decision about whether or not they want a union to represent them. Too often, the losing party in a union election - the company or the union - blames its loss on the opposing party's "coercive and underhanded" tactics. In reality though, the... http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2137923/posts#comment Tue, 25 Nov 2008 10:35:05 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2137427/posts Alright so this auto bailout bill is in a holding pattern. But just remember that it doesn't mean it is dead. So here are some facts that should keep you seething ... The Big Three currently pay 85% of union benefits to UAW members ... who aren't even working. Yep. Remember how I told you about the Job Banks for union workers? If a union worker is employed at a plant that closes, the auto makers still pay 85% of their union benefits. Rick Wagoner, CEO of General Motors, says that his company must reduce operating costs ... but his... Nealz Nuze http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2137427/posts#comment Mon, 24 Nov 2008 15:17:59 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2136779/posts “You just sit and you worry,” said Pat Weber, a construction administrator in Fennville who was laid off more than a year ago. “In the last year, I’ve put in for more than 100 jobs. I stopped counting after 110. It’s just so defeating.” All around Fennville and its neighbors here in southwest Michigan, front lawns are peppered with for-sale signs and merchants complain about slow days. But while this remains a beautiful place with none of the obvious blight of Detroit on the other side of the state, residents say the hardship beneath the surface is very real. It... Neq York Times http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2136779/posts#comment Sun, 23 Nov 2008 03:53:40 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2136644/posts The New Plan? Cripple Honda! Save Detroit with Card Check! Eliminating the secret ballot and making it easier to organize U.S. Honda and Toyota workers (and imposing contract terms via binding arbitration) would "level the playing field," says Dem. Congressman Tim Ryan. ... Then when Honda and Toyota responded by importing more cars from abroad, we could have import quotas! Eventually the whole automotive sector could be planned by Congress in conjunction with existing business and labor interest groups. Red State has seen the future and it is corporatist. ...12:21 P.M. Kausfiles http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2136644/posts#comment Sat, 22 Nov 2008 21:37:12 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2137017/posts Unions are to blame for the Big Three automakers’ problems, according to a television ad meant to stoke public opposition to organized labor’s number one legislative priority. “Steel, auto, airlines. What do these industries all have in common?” asks the ad sponsored by the business-backed Employee Freedom Action Committee, which was active in several hotly contested Senate races this year. “Hundreds of thousands of lost jobs and union bosses that helped put them out of business.” The advertisement urges people to fight the Employee Free Choice Act, which unions hope will be taken up quickly by the Democratic Congress and... The Hill http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2137017/posts#comment Sun, 23 Nov 2008 18:09:35 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2137012/posts President-elect Barack Obama, who co-sponsored the misleadingly titled Employee Free Choice Act in the Senate in 2007, has vowed that the measure, called “Card Check,” will be the law of the land once he’s in office. Given the Democratic majority in the U.S. Senate, if Republican Sen. Saxby Chambliss loses Georgia’s runoff election on Dec. 2, Card Check probably will become law—and that would be terrible news for Americans who want to keep their jobs. Card Check would do away with the present secret ballot process used by the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) when employees vote on whether to... Atlanta Sunday Paper http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2137012/posts#comment Sun, 23 Nov 2008 17:45:38 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2136005/posts There is a curiously dated logic in unions insisting that Congress pass the Employee Free Choice Act, which belies the back and forth accusatory rhetoric of intimidation between business and big labor. There are two principal methods for employees to join and command employers to recognize their union's collective bargaining request. First: Company workers can get at least 30 percent of their colleagues to sign petition cards requesting representation, send the cards to the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), and have them oversee a secret ballot election. Second: If more than half of the workers sign up for representation, a... Washington Times http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2136005/posts#comment Fri, 21 Nov 2008 17:40:03 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2135898/posts Who killed the U.S. auto industry? To hear the media tell it, arrogant corporate chiefs failed to foresee the demand for small, fuel-efficient cars and made gas-guzzling road-hog SUVs no one wanted, while the clever, far-sighted Japanese, Germans and Koreans prepared and built for the future. I dissent. What killed Detroit was Washington, the government of the United States, politicians, journalists and muckrakers who have long harbored a deep animus against the manufacturing class that ran the smokestack industries that won World War II. As far back as the 1950s, an intellectual elite that produces mostly methane had its knives... Townhall.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2135898/posts#comment Fri, 21 Nov 2008 14:08:15 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2135503/posts WASHINGTON (AP) -- Democratic leaders in Congress sidetracked legislation to bail out the auto industry Thursday and demanded the Big Three develop a plan assuring the money would make them economically viable. "Until they show us the plan, we cannot show them the money," Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., said at a hastily called news conference in the Capitol. She and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., said Congress would return to work in early December to vote on legislation if General Motors Corp., Ford Motor Co. and Chrysler LLC produce an acceptable plan. The decision averted a likely defeat of... AP via SFGate http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2135503/posts#comment Thu, 20 Nov 2008 20:36:53 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2135495/posts House Republican Leader John A. Boehner said Democrats' use of secret ballots to chose its leadership was ironic because the party wants to nix workers' rights to a secret voting in deciding whether to unionize. "The secret ballot election is a cornerstone of our American democracy," Mr. Boehner, Ohio Republican, said Thursday. "If it is good enough for House Democrats to rely on during today's high-stakes vote, shouldn't it be good enough for millions of American workers across America who value their workplace privacy?" He vowed Republicans would stand firmly against the Democrat's "card-check" legislation - dubbed the Employee Free... Washington Times http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2135495/posts#comment Thu, 20 Nov 2008 20:29:14 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2135447/posts DETROIT, Nov 20 (Reuters) - United Auto Workers President Ron Gettelfinger said on Thursday that lawmakers need to take immediate action on a $25 billion bridge loan bill to support the U.S. automakers or one or more could fail. Gettelfinger, who testified on Tuesday and Wednesday to U.S. congressional committees in support of the loans, said he would not comment on a possible compromise bill reached by Democratic and Republican senators until details were known. When told that one detail might be that the automakers would have to provide a strategic plan to get access to the money, Gettelfinger said... Reuters http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2135447/posts#comment Thu, 20 Nov 2008 19:22:39 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2135410/posts TALEGAON, India: General Motors Corp. opened a second plant in India on Tuesday, boosting its production capacity from 85,000 to 225,000 vehicles a year. The factory is part of GM's aggressive push into emerging markets, which have helped cushion the beleaguered auto giant from falling sales in the developed world. It also furthers the Indian government's ambition to turn the country into a manufacturing hub for small vehicles. "We believe India in three to four years will be a significant source of profit for us," said GM Asia Pacific President Nick Reilly. The first car — a pint-sized red Chevrolet... International Herald Tribune http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2135410/posts#comment Thu, 20 Nov 2008 18:16:22 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2135400/posts The United Auto Workers union called on Congress and the Bush administration to get a loan to U.S. automakers to prevent their collapse before the legislature adjourns Friday. "Congress must not adjourn with the Bush administration in place without an agreement," said UAW President Ron Gettelfinger. "If there's no action, we could see the collapse of one or more domestic auto companies by the end of year." Gettelfinger said the cost of not acting would be devastating for the industry's employees and the U.S. economy. "The current recession that we're in would be made much worse," he added, saying states... CNNMoney.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2135400/posts#comment Thu, 20 Nov 2008 17:58:27 GMT