Teamsters Call on PTS to Return to Multiemployer Talks

www.teamster.org

May 31, 2008

Teamster carhaul local unions will be holding strike votes this weekend after Performance Transportation Services, Inc. (PTS) filed 1113-E relief in bankruptcy court and requested 15 percent wage concessions.

PTS’ filing followed the company’s decision May 29 to withdraw from multiemployer contract talks that have been under way.

“PTS management’s actions during the late stages of talks are completely unacceptable and we are pursuing options in federal court to compel PTS to return to the multiemployer negotiations immediately,” said Fred Zuckerman, Teamsters Carhaul Division Director and lead negotiator. “We simply cannot allow PTS to walk away from negotiations at the 11th Hour — PTS is acting in bad faith by walking away now after several months of negotiations.”

I just heard PTS will loss Toyota Traffic as of midnight May 31

Allied and Cassens are among the bidders

We’ll see

TDU - Teamsters for a Democratic Union

Performance Transportation Services (PTS) is the latest Teamster employer to ask a bankruptcy court to impose concessions on its workers–and 1,300 carhaulers are facing cuts.

The company has not specified the details, but the wage cut request will be at least 10 percent and could be as high as 17.5 percent, which would match the concession that the International gave to Allied Automotive Group a year ago.

The move comes at a terrible time, on the eve of the contract expiration on May 31. PTS is also attempting to pull out of the employers’ joint bargaining group to bargain separately with the union.

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The International Union issued a statement calling on PTS to return to joint employer bargaining, and is conducting strike votes at PTS terminals this weekend.

Unfortunately, just six months ago, the International Union negotiated and supported a proposal that would have stuck the PTS Teamsters with a 17.5 percent wage cut. That was when the IBT signed a deal with Allied to acquire PTS, and cut PTS Teamster wages without PTS Teamsters being allowed to vote on it. Instead, the International Union conducted a vote of Allied Teamsters to modify their concessionary contract, and promised each voter a $2,000 bonus if the deal went through.

That deal fell apart, but IBT Carhaul Director Fred Zuckerman continues to act as if he works for Ron Burkle, the billionaire who owns Allied.

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Teamster Negotiators Call on Company to Return to Multiemployer Talks

May 29, 2008

Performance Transportation Services, Inc. notified Teamster carhaul negotiators late on Thursday, May 29 that it has withdrawn from multiemployer contract talks. Union leaders quickly informed the company that it has no right to withdraw from the multiemployer bargaining negotiations, which have reached a critical stage after several months of intense bargaining.

The deadline for bargaining is midnight Saturday, May 31.

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DETROIT — While General Motors is restarting truck production it had halted because of the UAW strike at American Axle & Manufacturing Holdings Inc., auto dealers say they’re in no hurry to get more trucks on their lots. They have plenty.

Even though GM stopped filling orders for some trucks this month, dealers around the country interviewed today said they’re not losing truck business because of American Axle-related inventory problems.

“We’ve got a lot of inventory that’s still sitting on the ground,” says Doug Niemeyer, sales manager for Buick, Pontiac and GMC at Bommarito Automotive Group in Ellisville, Mo.

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Legendary names Hugh E. Sawyer president

Founder Peter Bos to still serve as CEO

April 25, 2008 - 8:18AM

Thomas J. Monigan, Florida Freedom Newspapers

DESTIN — Hugh Sawyer said he was just trying to enjoy his retirement in the area. But Legendary Inc. had different ideas.

After signing on as an executive with Legendary Marine last August, Sawyer has recently stepped up to become president of all of Legendary’s holdings. Company founder Peter Bos will remain chairman of the board of directors and chief executive officer, according to a press release from Legendary.

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Now here is a story.

In his 30-year business career, Sawyer has earned a reputation as a “turnaround specialist.”

His last mission as CEO of Allied Systems Holdings was to lead it out of Chapter 11 bankruptcy. The Atlanta-based hauler of cars, trucks, and sport utility vehicles did just that in May 2007.

Total units lost to American Axle strike: 285,503General Motors is starting to make up production it lost because of the UAW strike at American Axle & Manufacturing Holdings Inc.

But the automaker won’t say how soon it expects to be able to bring production up to normal levels if UAW members approve a tentative contract later this week at the supplier.

Today, GM resumed full production at its Arlington, Texas, truck plant. On Monday, May 19, the company resumed production on one shift at its Moraine, Ohio, assembly plant. The Moraine plant had been closed, and the Arlington plant had been producing on one of its two shifts because of parts shortages.

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DETROIT (Reuters) — UAW officials on Sunday urged American Axle & Manufacturing Holdings Inc. workers to ratify a contract that would cut wages by almost 40 percent, shutter three plants and end a three-month-old strike with a subsidy of $218 million from General Motors.

Some 3,650 UAW-represented workers, including almost 1,900 in Detroit, will vote this week on a four-year contract that would cut hourly pay to between $10 and $26 and offer payments of up to $105,000 over three years for workers who remain.

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DETROIT (Reuters) — Auto parts supplier American Axle & Manufacturing Holdings Inc. on Tuesday said contract talks with the UAW aimed at settling a three-month-old strike had stalled since Sunday.

The Detroit supplier, which relies on General Motors for about 80 percent of its sales, said negotiations were snagged on two issues: health-care benefits and supplemental unemployment benefits.

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American Axle said the UAW had asked for a signing bonus of $5,000 for each of its workers under a new contract and had asked for one-time buyouts of up to $140,000 for American Axle workers who agree to leave the supplier’s payroll.

Money would be used for UAW buyout program
DETROIT — General Motors has agreed to pay $200 million to help with employee buyouts and “buy-downs” to help resolve a crippling strike at American Axle & Manufacturing Holdings Inc.
In a regulatory filing today, GM said the agreement is “predicated upon an expedited resolution to the ongoing strike called by the International UAW against American Axle.”
About 3,650 workers at five …  story 

UAW STRIKE AT AMERICAN AXLE

DETROIT — General Motors has told its dealers it has suspended production of some 2008 full-sized trucks and SUVs because of the American Axle & Manufacturing Holdings strike.

The vehicles:

• GMC Yukon

• GMC Denali

• GMC Sierra heavy-duty regular cab

• GMC Sierra heavy-duty extended cab

• GMC commercial heavy-duty

• Chevrolet Tahoes and same variants for Chevrolet full-sized trucks.

“Essentially, we’re not accepting any more orders,” says Randy Fox, GMC spokesman

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POSTED: 2:54 pm MST February 1, 2008

UPDATED: 3:16 pm MST February 1, 2008

Ariz. — An elderly couple was seriously injured Friday when their car slammed into the back of a big rig unloading new cars at a Scottsdale Lexus dealership.Police said the woman was driving when the couple’s sedan, heading east on McDowell Road at about 40 mph, collided with an 18-wheel car hauler that had stopped in the roadway to unload cars.The new vehicles had all been unloaded from the truck, allowing the couple’s sedan to go up the car hauler’s ramp and slam into the back of the cab before coming to rest hanging halfway off the ramp.Police said the couple was taken to a Scottsdale hospital, the man with life-threatening injuries.

READ MORE…

May 1, 2008

Teamster leaders negotiating the National Master Automobile Transporters Agreement said both sides remain apart on key issues, but they are cautiously optimistic that the issues will be resolved.

National contract talks resume May 18-31 in Arlington, Virginia.

“We remain apart on key issues but we are making progress and we are cautiously optimistic that we will resolve the differences by the end of this month,” said Fred Zuckerman, Director of the Teamsters Carhaul Division.

The agreement, when reached, would be retroactive to May 31, when the current contract expires.

“When we are done, I fully expect that we will have protected our members’ health, welfare and pension benefits, and increased their job security,” Zuckerman said.

The current contract covers about 9,000 workers.

Meanwhile, carhaul Teamsters are invited to attend two of the remaining meetings at local unions to give input on what issues should be the priorities at the bargaining table.

Meetings have already been held in Detroit; Toledo, Ohio; Fort Wayne, Indiana; and in Louisville, Kentucky.

The following meetings are scheduled:

• Dallas, Texas, Local 745, noon Sunday, May 4,

• Buffalo, New York, Local 449, 9 a.m. Saturday, May 10, and

• Lansing, Michigan, Local 580, 7 a.m. Monday, May 12.

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May 2, 2008

Leaders from Local 89 in Louisville, Kentucky are trying to stop a Canadian company from assisting Ford in eliminating 450 Teamster jobs at a carhaul rail-loading and vehicle-handling company in the city.

Since 1956, Teamsters have been loading Ford vehicles since Ford’s Louisville Assembly plant opened that year. Teamsters have also loaded Ford vehicles since its Kentucky Truck plant opened in 1969.

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UAW official: Half of striking workers will take buyouts

Two American Axle forging plants likely to close
DETROIT — The outgoing president of a key UAW local at American Axle & Manufacturing Holdings Inc. said today that he expects at least half of the 3,650 striking workers at the axle maker to take a buyout once a contract is completed.
Adrian King, president of UAW Local 235 representing workers at American Axle’s Detroit complex, said talks probably will last beyond the weekend. He said it … story Published: May 2 4:17 pm U.S. Eastern time [REG]

Ford to launch more UAW buyouts

DETROIT — Ford Motor Co. will offer more buyouts to hourly workers at assembly plants in Chicago and Louisville, Ky.
Mark Fields, Ford President of the Americas, confirmed in an interview with Automotive News that those two plants will be part of another round of buyouts the automaker is about to begin. The new round will target only certain plants, and the offers have not gone out, … story

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