Now I know why I live in Florida Looks a little cold

FROM THE WEB SITE TRUCKING WITH PETE

Thanks davecampbell for the Link

How do you think your Terminal is going to vote on this contract?

I’ll Start,

Tampa Florida

I can not find anyone that will vote yes to this. As a matter of fact they are quite upset over this contract,

Only one other person from Tampa posts here, maybe only 2 others have even read this site but everyone knows it’s here and they know what your saying.

TDU - Teamsters for a Democratic Union

Original Article

July 25, 2008: Carhaulers across the USA are speaking out against the concessionary national contract that is being voted on right now.

Many are angry about the outright lies being told on the Teamster website about members’ sentiments.

You can read a letter from a concerned steward in Kansas City Local 41, who calls on president Hoffa to pull the plug on the lies and on those who abuse members. Click here to read the letter.

The International Union has even screwed up the ballot mailing, although most locals provided them with a clean list of carhaulers entitled to vote. The deadline for ballots has been extended to August 12.

If you need a duplicate ballot, contact your local union as soon as possible, and definitely before August 1. Encourage everyone to get a ballot and vote. Organize a big No vote at your terminal.

A jittery industry stomps on the brakes

AUTOMOTIVE NEWS
12:01 am U.S. ET | July 28

That high-pitched wail of grinding gears you hear coming from the auto industry these days? It’s the sound of carmakers downshifting madly as they swerve into the third quarter. So how low will second-half production go? Anal… [SUB]

Toyota cuts ‘08 outlook, says output to fall

Toyota Motor Corp. on Monday cut its 2008 group-wide global sales forecast by 350,000 units to 9.5 million vehicles due to a pronounced downturn in the U.S. market, in a rare setback for the world’s biggest automaker. The weaker sales outlook also means global production at the parent company would fall 1 percent from 2007 to 8.43 million vehicles, marking the first decline in seven years. [REG] 6:45 am U.S. ET | July 28

Ford banks on Mulally’s small-car plan

Ford executives knew they needed more small cars. The solution: A makeover of the Michigan Truck plant. The move is concrete evidence of the intense effort Ford executives are mounting to deal with rising gasoline prices. The result: Ford Motor is doubling down on CEO Alan Mulally’s small-car bet. The new Ford is going to look a lot different from the Ford he took over in 2006. [SUB] 12:01 am U.S. ET | July 28

Chevy plans new U.S. subcompact by ‘11

By 2011, Chevrolet will get a version of one of the three minicar concepts that General Motors unveiled at the 2007 New York auto show, company executives say. The vehicle, expected to replace the Aveo, will be expanded to the size of a subcompact. [SUB] 12:01 am U.S. ET | July 28

Dealers fresh out of Mini Coopers

The nation’s 82 Mini franchises are out of cars, and dealers can do little more than take orders and deliver preordered units for the rest of the year. As fuel prices have risen, demand for the Mini Cooper has outstripped supply. [SUB] 12:01 am U.S. ET | July 28

TEAMSTERS

It has come to our attention that the list used in the current Carhaul Agreement ratification vote
was incomplete and that, as a result, a number of members employed by several companies did not
receive ballots. Ballots are now being mailed to them. Accordingly, so that those affected members
are afforded the opportunity to exercise their vote, the ratification period for all members has been
extended to Tuesday, August 12, 2008. This extension applies to all Carhaul members, including
those who have already received ballots and were not affected by the above-described issue. All
ballots, including those that have already been mailed in to the post office, will remain secure at the
post office and will not be collected until the close of the balloting period. Ballots must be received
at the Lanham, Maryland Post Office no later than 10 a.m. Eastern Time, August 12, 2008. The
ballot count will commence that day.
We are also extending duplicate-ballot requests through noon Eastern Time, Friday, August 1, 2008.
For contract information, visit www.teamster.org and click on “Carhaul Contract Update” button.

READ MORE

One of the biggest locals in our industry has about 40 members that have not yet received ballots in the mail. The members have contacted there local and are trying to get replacements. The IBT is giving them the run around, and this is concerning. What game is the IBT playing with our members? I will have more information on this matter later today. This seems fishy in my book, and can you imagine how many other members, have the same problem? How do we get a fair vote?

Well it seems that We are being invaded by Cassens Transport, here at my old Terminal. They called the first 25 guys back today, for physicals and drug screen this Wednesday july 23rd. Thats all I know !!!

I just saw the posting on the union website “Carhaul Members Voice Strong Support for Tentative Agreement”, and Loius Miller who is our BA and the local Vice President at Local 120 saying, “About 75 carhaulers attended meetings July 8 and 9 at Local 120 in St. Paul, Minnesota.”

“The members had lots of questions and concerns, but I think that after hearing the answers, they were very positive,”

I don’t know what meeting Louis was at but I can tell that things at these meetings were not very positive, in fact it was a total joke the way he is trying to sell this contract using the excuse that times are hard and this is the best we can do. He even tried to sell to us that this is the biggest raise that has been negotiated in a long time, around $2.70 over the three year term…..the catch……you won’t see it in your pocket, it all goes to the health and welfare fund. Let me just say the health and welfare fund doesn’t pay my bills or put gas in my car or food on the table, so if this is a raise then I’m Santa Claus.

The union committe at my terminal is 100% against this contract, they are encouraging everyone to vote no and send the union back to the bargaining table. In no way shape or form were things positive after the meetings as the union wants you to beleive.

If the negotiating committee seems to think this is the best they can get us and they need to apologise for their lack of understanding of our needs then maybe they should all step aside and let someone else negotiate a new contract instead of bending over backward to try and kiss the carriers rear ends.

All the changes that have been proposed completely gut our contract and take away rights that prior brothers and sisters fought hard to get. The negotiating committee wants us to agree to a two tier pay system, they obviously don’t remember 1985 when this was a main factor in the strike back then. They also want to redo Article 22, why??? So the carriers can take our hard earned freight, throw it on rail for a year, and then get it back at cut rate which will reduce our wages. And Article 48???? The way Loius described this to us is that basically the company can now force you to go out and be gone all the time…..AWAY FROM YOUR FAMILY AND LOVED ONES. The description was that we could show up for work on Monday and run a turnable load, and do the same on Tuesday, then say Wednesday you go to Kansas City, well for the 5 tours that they are trying to sell Wednesday would be considered your first tour, so your fifth tour, when you need to be back home, you are either in a hotel waiting for a reset without pay, or you just do whatever the company says…..but he says he’ll fight for us if they abuse it….YEAH RIGHT, I’ve heard that before and taken it up the tail pipe because they don’t want to fight the good fight. There is other language that is disturbing, and yes it WILL ultimately cost us jobs if this goes through.

We here in the Twin Cities of Minnesota can see right through all this junk and the overwhelming majority are against this. We need to send a message and get the committee back to the bargaining table. I don’t know about you but I’m sick and tired of giving back, lately it’s been give, give, give and we get nothing in return, and now they want us to give more. I just can’t do it, for the sake of my family and all my union brothers and sisters I WILL VOTE NO!!!!!!

Wow, some of these Google Ads are out of control.

I’ll have to work on that when I have time.

As for now Chains is on Vac. Chainsdraging is on layoff Status

Also I need to look at those pamphlets they sent with the ballot package.

Anything interesting in there?

I have sent a letter to every major news outlet in America! Well just about! If that doesn’t work, then we are on our own! If thats the case then I’m going to get with a labor attorney and start an escrow account for donations for the cause. If this comes back as a YES VOTE, it must be investigated. The leadership of the Teamsters are doing everything in there power to change the outcome of this vote, and I would not put it past them to fix it. It seems strange that they are calling for a survey after the ballots have been sent out. It should be pretty easy for them to pull the no votes, before they are even opened.