(WASHINGTON) – General wage increases for full-time and part-time UPS Teamsters of 75 cents per hour will go into effect August 1, 2019 under the nation’s largest collective bargaining agreement that took effect earlier this year benefiting 250,000 workers represented by the Teamsters. Also on August 1, part-time workers represented by the Teamsters will get a boost in their starting rate to $14 per hour.

Recently, as a result of the new collective bargaining agreement between the Teamsters and UPS, workers received retroactive wage increases estimated at $660 million for hours earned from August 1, 2018 until final ratification in April. The Teamsters agreement with UPS is the richest in Teamster history.

The Teamster-UPS contract includes wage increases of $4.15 per hour for both full-time and part-time workers over the term of the contract and will increase the part-time start rate by $5.00.

“Our members are dedicated, hardworking men and women who are the backbone of this country’s package delivery system,” said Jim Hoffa, Teamsters General President. “They have well-earned all of the back pay from the company as well as the August 1 general wage increase.”

The Teamsters Package Division has advised local unions representing UPS workers that members should review their paychecks and if discrepancies are found, the union business agent should be contacted so that the matter can be resolved with the company.

Founded in 1903, the International Brotherhood of Teamsters represents 1.4 million hardworking men and women throughout the United States, Canada and Puerto Rico. Visit www.teamster.org for more information. Follow us on Twitter @Teamsters and “like” us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/teamsters.

Here’s to the thousands of activists who wrote and called their members of Congress to advocate for the bill along with wonderful allied organizations including the National United Committee to Preserve Pensions and their member committees, the Teamsters Union, the Machinists Union, the AFL-CIO, AARP, the Boilermakers, Steelworkers, and Bakery Workers Unions, Musicians for Pension Security and everyone else who helped with this effort.

We, of course, want to thank Congressman Richard Neal and Speaker Nancy Pelosi for championing Butch Lewis and all the members who voted for it. We also want to thank Congressman Bobby Scott for his leadership in the Education and Labor Committee.

We are also excited that the Butch Lewis Act was introduced in the Senate by Senator Sherrod Brown and 26 co-sponsors.

When we started, everyone said that stopping pension cuts was impossible but look how far we’ve come.

We thought you’d want to see some of our recent activities related to multiemployer reform:

Karen Friedman wrote an op-ed, published in Newsweek the day the bill was passed urging members to vote for it.

• Blog: Butch Lewis Act approved in the House Education & Labor Committee
• Blog: Butch Lewis Act on path to House floor vote as bill approved by Ways and Means Committee
• Blog: Butch Lewis Act passes House, reintroduced in Senate
• Letter: PRC Letter to the Ways & Means Committee in support of the Rehabilitation of Multiemployer Pensions Act
• Letter: PRC Letter to members of the House of Representatives in support of the Rehabilitation for Multiemployer Pensions Act
• Press Release: Three Cheers for Congressional Committee’s Vote That Paves Way for Bill Stabilizing Financially Struggling Pension Plans
• Press Release: House Passes Bipartisan Bill to Avert National Retirement Crisis

PRC hosts annual National Training Conference:

Thanks to our Summer intern, Katie Jonckheer! Today is our last day with our summer intern, Katie, who is an undergraduate student at University of California, Berkeley. Katie has been with us all summer, learning the basics of pension law, attending markups and other meetings on Capitol Hill, sitting in on our National Training Conference, and getting to see the Butch Lewis Act pass in the House! This was particularly poignant for her because Katie is the granddaughter of Michael Gordon, the principal architect of ERISA who was a long-time board member of the Pension Rights Center. He was also the inspiration for our Michael S. Gordon Fellows Program. Fellows are distinguished retired pension experts who advise us on complex legal and policy issues and consult on cases.

PRC in the News - U.S. House Passes Pension Bailout as Democrats Eye Union-Heavy States for 2020 - Cuts in Multiemployer Pension Plans Hurt Older Americans - America’s retirement accounts are growing, but not fast enough - New tactics being deployed in challenging church plans

(WASHINGTON) – The U.S. House of Representatives voted today to pass H.R. 397, the Rehabilitation for Multiemployer Pensions Act, more commonly referred to as The Butch Lewis Act. The legislation is an essential step to help secure the retirement security of more than 1.5 million workers and retirees nationwide.

The measure, offered by Rep. Richard Neal (D-Mass.), was first introduced in Congress in November 2017. The measure has 209 co-sponsors, including nine Republicans. As in 2017, Rep. Peter King (R-N.Y.) again joined with Rep. Neal in introducing the bill in the 116th Congress. The House approved the measure in a 264-to-169 vote with 29 Republicans voting in support of the legislation.

 “After years of tireless work by Teamster retirees, members and local union officers, the House today rewarded their efforts by passing this critically important legislation,” said Teamsters General President Jim Hoffa. “Lawmakers cannot delay any longer – this legislation must now be approved by the Senate so that American workers retain their hard-earned retirement security.”

There are more than 300 multiemployer pension plans across the country — including the Teamsters’ Central States Pension Fund — that are in danger of failing. The Teamsters have been fighting for years for a legislative solution and have worked with lawmakers on both sides of the aisle to do so.

The measure would boost financially troubled multiemployer pensions plans so they don’t fail. It would create a new agency under the U.S. Treasury Department that would sell bonds in the open market to large investors such as financial firms. Those proceeds would then be used to bolster faltering pension plans as part of a 30-year loan program.

 Founded in 1903, the International Brotherhood of Teamsters represents 1.4 million hardworking men and women throughout the United States, Canada and Puerto Rico. Visit www.teamster.org for more information. Follow us on Twitter @Teamsters and “like” us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/teamsters.

JULY 2019 TEAMSTER HAPPENING

Freight topics

• The YRC/ USF Holland contract was finally ratified by the membership.  Business Agent Steve Bishop who served on the YRC National Negotiating Committee as well as the Carolina Bi-State committee of which he chairs, has also been able to negotiate and ratify the ALL supplements including those of the City, Road, Automotive as well the Clerical and Janitorial contracts.  
• We’ve also been able to bring the UPSF Clerks in the bargaining unit as well adding even more members.

• YRC: Warning letters protests - 353, Suspensions adjudicated - 119, Discharges adjudicated -38 & Complaints settled and paid to date equals over $10,000.
• USF Holland: Warning letters protests – 68, Suspensions adjudicated – 11, Discharges adjudicated – 1 & complaints settled and paid – $8,250.38
• UPS Freight: Warning letters protests -31, Suspensions adjudicated -4, Discharges adjudicated - 4

Complaints settled and paid - $1450.83. Have resolved more than 177 discharges and suspensions. All of this since January 2019

• Shop Steward nominations for the YRC and USF Holland will be conducted in accordance with Local Union Bylaws in the next few weeks.

UPS

• The UPS National Master and the Atlantic Area Supplement was finally ratified on April 29, 2019. The members received their first wage increase the second week of May and their retro check for back wages on July 3, 2019.
• The new Over 9.5 list has been established and is currently being used to eliminate excessive overtime.    
• Charlotte Feeders is still in the process of adding new jobs and Q-list positions with Inside Employees first. However, they may again have to go to “off the street” hires to fill the need.
• FedEx recently announced their intent to eliminate their Smart Post service, which means UPS will have to eliminate their Sure Post service as well. Meaning 100’s of stops and packages will be coming back the UPS driver and taken away from the US Post Office. This will increase an ever growing need for more Package Car Drivers and the new Full-time 22.4 Hybrid drivers.
• We have been able to resolve over 39 off the job discharges and suspensions and returned the individuals to work.
•  Even with the Company’s crack down on Over 9.5 issues, we have still won over $7800.00 in grievance settlement since January 2019.  
• Construction on the new Charlotte West Building (Smart Hub) is continuing. The initial plan is to “temporarily” move several routes from the Arrowood and Rock Hill centers for Peak Season. Once the construction is completed in early 2020 a permanent “Change of Operations” will take place. This will affect most of our jurisdiction including the Charlotte Hub, Lake Norman, Rock Hill, Gastonia and Monroe centers.

White Paper Contract

• We are scheduled for contract talks with BlueLynx Distribution in July. Healthcare, Pension and increased wages are the main topics for discussion.
• The Local has completed filming on the Hallmark Project, “When Angels Land”. The movie will be aired on the Hallmark Channel in December 2019.
• The Local has completed filming on the Project, “The 24th”. This is a WWI era movie based on a true story about an African- American regiment, based in Texas, that was wrongfully accused and convicted of crimes during the war.

Organizing Front

• We just completed a successful organizing campaign with Adams/ Oldcastle of Lilesville, NC with the help of our Joint Council Organizer. They delivery bags of concrete and supplies all across NC, SC, VA and TN. The NLRB just certified the election and we’ve sent a Demand to Bargain letter to the Company. We hope to start negotiation in the next few weeks. We also have several other organizing leads in the area as well.  

Local News

We like to congratulate Devin D. Cox, son of Winston Cox, UPS pre-loader in Charlotte, NC and Gracie Rackcliff, daughter of Donnie Rackcliff, driver at USF Holland in Charlotte, NC for winning Local Union #71 Scholarship this year.