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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GM: Profitable in North America by 2010 or 2011

Automotive News
February 12, 2008 - 7:30 am ET
UPDATED: 2/12/08 4:10 p.m. EST

GM CFO Fritz Henderson

For all of 2007, GM’s global operations reported a record net loss of $38.7 billion. But much of that came from the way GM calculated certain tax assets. When stripping away one-time charges and write-downs, GM’s worldwide automotive operations were profitable last year. GM earned $553 million in 2007, after losing $339 million in 2006.