This was posted on teamster.net earlier tonight, by live union
BLACK MONDAY
Considering the current situation of Local 705 Chicago
While certainly, Hoffa should be concerned about the Teamster membership.
Why now? Why Local 705.
We have been Champions within this labor movement for a long time.
Was not it JPH, through T J, that sold out the entire Union membership under the guise of, the NMFA is a “GOOD CONTRACT”.
They did not show concern then, did they?
If it is so good why then are very significant numbers of members shouting.
“We got screwed”.
“They (the Union) lied to us”.
“The companies are interpreting the contract how they want”.
“I voted NO”.
“We are continuing to get the short end of the stick”.
“I was laid off and now they are hiring UE’s on the internet”.
“They are laying off people and hiring $14 an hour casuals and refusing to call back laid off drivers as is required by the language and are not being called to task by the Locals leaderships”.
“The companies refuse to follow the 25% formula”, on and on.
In addition, what about the car haulers contract, F Z sold them out with JPH’s approval but at least the members had the guts to reject the rag the International claimed was a “GOOD” contract.
If everyone that says they voted “No” did, then who voted yes.
Who? Who passed this undermining of the membership of the greatest Union ever?
Yes, as we speak, the greed and failure of corporate America is becoming more evident every moment.
WHY did we, (read that as “our leadership”) not demand and receive contracts of shorter length? We do not want our employers to fail.
We know the economy is in turmoil.
Why did we not shift into shorter durations on our contracts in order to give these companies a leg up, correctly on both our parts.
So that when this economy recovers, we could readjust these contracts into viable, fair representations of reality.
The working man and woman should prosper right along with the stockholders and the captains of industry.
We did not because they (the employers) know that this economic difficulty will last, at best, two more years.
Therefore, we are tied to a sub-par contract for five years instead of a two or three agreement that would be fair to all.
And as always their profits will go into overdrive, while our wages, not costs etc will stagnate.
This I am sorry to say is the travel of capitalism, more for them, less for us, even though the price of bread and milk NEVER goes down.
And YOU, JPH went along with them.
Hey, you’re not looking to become the Transportation Secretary under Obama are you?
I digress, we (705), finally, get a negotiator that has the tenacity to stand firm on important contract issues, has the full support of our negotiating committee, save a couple of “reasonable” individuals, who have constant eye contact exchanges with the employers.
A negotiator that did not buckle under to pressure from “anywhere” or “anyone”.
Conducted his exchanges with the TMI group, with the very same level of respect that they (TMI) have shown or not to us for all these years.
He refused to make ANY back room, middle of the night, by phone or in the hallway, sweet deals in order to get one of his relatives a job ( remember 705’s T N with Roadway) if he gives them (TMI) what they want.
He refused to accept any disrespect or condescension handed out by them.
He knew what he was doing and how to do it.
He insisted on TRANSPARENCY within and throughout the process.
I could go on but you get what I mean.
NOTE: The two V P’s from the International met with the TMI group without any negotiating committee members present save Joe and Greg.
They received a new proposal from the employers.
This proposal was NOT given to the members of the negotiating committee at the September 18 negotiating session, although it is supposed to be furnished by the next meeting.
Frequent references to the NMFA were made also and again the document was NOT provided to the 705 negotiating committee.
Hard to see and compare sans documents.
Now we have the intervention of JPH in the form of two (2) International V P’s conducting our negotiations. No slam on these two as they are righteous teamsters sent to do an unpleasant task. I am sure that they would rather be elsewhere.
That said, it sounds like a NMFA, it looks like a NMFA, it tastes like a NMFA, it smells like a NMFA, it feels like a NMFA (would you like sand or no sand please).
Well, I guess you will just have to make up your own mind on what it actually is/will be.
Did dollar bill (
William D Zollars, CEO Compensation - Forbes.com) cry THAT long and loud in JPH’s ear that JPH felt it necessary to undermine the second largest Teamster Local in the country?
Did JPH believe everything he was told (shame, shame) by dollar?
Did JPH read the reports stating that YRCW had made a profit in the first two quarters of this year?
Did JPH read that YRCW intended and will pay upwards of eighty million dollars ($80,000,000) for the largest logistics company in China?
Global logistics: YRCW completes acquisition of Shanghai Jiayu Logistics Co. Ltd. - 8/19/2008 - Logistics Management
Just a thought here, I wonder what kind of health & welfare these workers will receive from dollar bill?
What kind of pension they will get? Not to mention, wages. WILL they be UNION? Right!
Oh! That is right, just as they told us, it is a very “LUCRATIVE” offer.
This current situation is a complete travesty for the entire country but especially in Chicago. Chicago, the hub of this country. The place where all transportation passes.
The cost of living in Chicago is significantly higher (highest gasoline prices in the country alone) than most places but yet, our contract has to match every lesser size city and town around this country.
So in effect, while the NMFA might well be OK for some it does not cut it in Chicago and I am sure other big market cities.
It was a dark day that JPH sent his Reps into Chicago Local 705.
It was worst than a ***** slap.
Jim, if you have a problem with our leadership, take your retribution out on them directly, not on the membership.
Anyone who has been paying attention these years knows that, beginning with R C the reformer, you personally have had a hard on for Chicago’s leadership.
First, because you lost to RC. Then when RC put Ø and Mc in the leadership positions.
Next losing the Chicago 705 vote with Ø and J Mc at the helm.
R dVs was the Chicago head of Leed’s campaign as well as being very prominent in TDU, rubbing you the wrong way.
In addition, this moron cost the Local over $400,000 in lawsuits because Ø could not control him, eventually firing him for both reasons.
Although he received an approximately $60,000 dollars in an unfair firing settlement. At least we were rid of him.
Not only that but he was a UMW “Coal Miner” member also.
WOW! All that and Steve still re-hired him as soon as he (Steve) was elected.
Ongoing, he did and is still costing this local money in the courts.
1. U.S DISTRICT COURT NOTHERN DISTRICT OF ILLINOIS EASTERN DIVISION CASE # 00C3063
2.
IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF COOK COUNTY, ILLINOIS COUNTY DEPARTMENT, LAW DIVISION No. 96 L 09580
3. NLRBA Case # 13-CB-18123-1
Now the NLRBA has charged deV and the employer with interfering with a stewards rights.
Since this is pending, I will not post the case number at this time
These are from Teamster.net, Smack Talk
Now comes Steve’s re-hiring of Mc, a waste of space individual that walks around constantly with alcohol on his breath.
Who is making in the high $70,000 to walk around doing nothing although listed on the LM-2’s as a Business Rep.
Another gap in Steve’s integrity and judgment.
Steve promised that he would “NEVER, NEVER bring back J Mc.
Low and behold, Steve brought him back.
You let A J of JC 25 revoke the letter of jurisdiction L P had put into place. Which directly caused 705 Holland to lose Joliet. (Please do not say you do not interfere in JC’s business, all of the JC members at the time as well as now except for Mr.P, were/are all dyed in the wool Hoffa supporters.)
Which I will say, does not make them evil.
We know that you are pi**ed about the Las Vegas convention where everyone was asked to leave after you/your people were through speaking and 705’s leadership had their contingent stay to hear L***ham.
Many of us understand the current and seemingly constant charges against our leadership and their cronies that we know you are copied on.
You know the ones that have gone to the NLRB, EEOC and whoever else will listen.
And that they (our leadership) quash.
The rail yards, specifically Corwith come to mind. The movers, Yellow Freight.
By the way, why haven’t you intervened in those instances yet?
We know you are aware of the Court cases the local has been charged with and lost, costing our local significant monies.
Why haven’t you intervened in those instances, yet?
Let’s talk about our 705 leadership, these shallow, gutless incompetents cannot stand and accept responsibility for being totally enlisted in the actions and methods of their own head negotiator.
Instead, they by reference and innuendo condemn in public, (in front of your VP’s and in front of other drivers) blame and throw that same negotiator under the bus, desperately seeking in their own minds, to keep themselves from culpability.
Hoping to sway and spin their web of deceit upon your VP’s and the membership of 705.
I would posit here that it is understood that nothing under the roof of Local 705 goes unreported to the International.
This will not be forgotten, not now nor at election time.
Their actions, as well as their continuing denial of malfeasance by themselves and their “cronies” are not unseen.
In addition, what about the clandestine BACKDOOR deal Steve sent Joe and Greg to accomplish with ABF.
He authorized these two id**ts to go to ABF and sign a memorandum changing the ABF Premium Service Employee drivers to Utility drivers.
Without the knowledge of or consultation with the negotiator, the ABF stewards or anyone else on the negotiating committee.
A DARK secret, kept from everyone that should have known.
Yes, we have heard their spin that it was a net membership gain for 705.
If that is the case, so be it.
The problem is one of honesty and integrity, qualities missing in these 705 leaders.
To carry out a deal through the back door was unconscionable underhanded, wrong and stu**d.
The negotiator was on the brink of quitting the local over the Skull Duggery.
Which says volumes about his integrity and very little about theirs.
Shades of Tom N and Ø, yes indeed!
Not only that, how about the New York debacle.
The stewards asked to go were sworn to secrecy, not even other negotiating committee stewards knew.
Not even stewards that work in the same barns together!
Then the presence of the infamous TDU/UMW (coal miner) eunuch Rich dV and others from within the TDU world.
Holding up that now infamous banner, silently shouting, not, about Local 705 and its dilemma, but calling the entire world to see TDU poking their fingers into the eye of JPH and company.
Once again, with approval of our Secretary-Treasurer, S P.
Not only that, but they thought it righteous to send the pictures to TDU so they could put them up on the TDU web site and flaunt their escapades.
Again poking the eye of JPH.
Outdoing even themselves, they sent the TDU web-site pictures to Yellow Freight in an e-mail to rub it in that they proudly disrupted the Wachovia meeting.
Then they told the story that “Yellow is pretty laid back about it, but Roadway is screaming loud and long”.
Later, they PROUDLY posted the pictures on the 705 web site with further impunity.
Now there is a good reason for you to intervene in 705 business if there ever has been.
But alas, you intervene not on the side of justice but on the side of the Captains of Industry
To the “common man” membership reading this.
Please, please do not think these reportages as crying because we in Chicago are getting the NMFA for breakfast.
We have an extremely serious problem within the Teamsters nationally.
Local leadership around the country has laid down on us consistently and we must stop the bleeding.
We must elect leadership of Quality, Heart, and Intellect with the willingness to do the right thing for the membership, always!
Experience is not necessary as we can see where that has gotten us!
Well-known names alone are not enough. It is the quality of the man that is most paramount.
As long as whoever is elected understands that they do not need to know all.
Hence, they must surround themselves with the individuals skilled/schooled to utilize the resources along with the expertise required to conduct Union affairs properly.
Moreover, to be able to manage those resources and individuals to reach their full potential.
They, our current leadership, local as well as national, have been too long in the company of the employers!
This thought process must be engaged not next year, not next month, not next week but NOW.
As another Teamster once said,
“what is done to one of us is done to all of us”
“if not now, when, if not us, who”
Shakespeare said:
“To be, or not to be: that is the question".
This question must be answered by the membership, we cannot continue as we have.
A new paradigm is upon us.
A new awareness.
The time is NOW
righteous post on teamster.net, and I thought they didn't have anything to say over there 
Black Monday posted on teamster.net 
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