I came up with this letter to send to our esteemed leader Mr. J. Hoffa. I will be printing out my copy and mailing it to the address listed Monday. If you feel as I do whether you are on the list to lose your job or just care about your union brother and sisters please feel free to print this out and get it in the mail.Remember you might be next once the wave starts lets stick together here ( If you have trouble cutting and pasting it into you word program to print instructions will be on the bottom of the post)

General President James P. Hoffa November 16, 2008
International Brotherhood of Teamsters
Office of the General President
25 Louisiana Avenue, N.W.
Washington, DC 20001
(202) 624-6800
Mr. James Hoffa:
In concern for the 4000 teamster brothers whom stand to lose their jobs in the upcoming Yellow Roadway merger I write you this letter.
In the context of teamster’s jobs 4000 brothers and sisters seems like a drop in the bucket compared to the 1.4 million members in our union. While it is true that the Teamsters will undoubtedly survive without these members contributing to the cause, for the members and their families it will not be so easy.
With the lay-off of these workers (some with no hopes of ever returning to there present location or jobs) there is another huge cost. In these days of record high unemployment and looming recession, we feel a better solution could be found rather then the loss of freight jobs. 4000 Teamsters represent 4000 Teamster families. These families represent not only the brother and sisters but also the children and sometimes grandchildren that benefit from the sacrifices mad by the member.
What sacrifices you might ask? The long and sometimes odd hours, which Teamsters work to support their families. Some members have left full time employment with other companies and left to join the Teamsters to start a career.
With the severance of these workers thru long-term layoff there are huge long-term effects to our members that are not being addressed. Think about the 4000 families that are currently using the Teamsters health care. A family member who is depending n medical treatment for a life threatening disease can see their medical treatment stop and be at the risk of a worsening condition as well as possibly death.
The burden placed on the member himself who must apply for and receive the small amount of monies that state unemployment pays will suffer also. Not only will this place stress upon himself and his family, this will have long-term effects not only upon himself but possibly his credit rating and economic well-being. It is almost impossible at times for a Teamster to find work with another carrier, as other employers fear the consequences of hiring a Teamster. Besides the fact that a member might only be there temporarily, they fear that the word of union brotherhood will spread to there establishments.
I ask you Brother if you care to not preserve our jobs than to push for some economic relief for our members. This could be in the form of extended unemployment benefits for these workers as well as extending health care coverage to these loyal Brothers and Sisters. I realize at this point the preservation of these jobs is a mute point, however please do not sweep these soon to be forgotten Teamsters under the rug so to speak. The remaining members would not soon forget this action as well as the employees whom someday hope to join our union. I implore you to take immediate action on this issue.
Signed; A loyal member


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