The Hostess Bankruptcy
Bankruptcy judge denies Hostess' motion to reject Teamster contracts.

Local Union News

May 1934: Minneapolis Truckers Make History
MAY 16, 2012 | n 1934, Teamsters Local 574 In Minneapolis set out on a campaign to organize all the transportation workers in the city. When employers refused to recognize the union, Local 574 struck the city's trucking companies. What followed ultimately transformed a city and played a decisive role in the history of organized labor in the U.S. Learn more at 1934 Minneapolis Strike.

Judge Denies Hostess' Bid to Scrap Teamsters Contract
MAY 15, 2012 | A judge Monday denied Hostess Brands Inc.'s bid to shed deals with its biggest union, the Teamsters, sending the bakery company back to the drawing board as it tries to claw its way out of its second bankruptcy in recent years…During the hearing Monday, [Judge Robert] Drain commended the Teamsters union's "level of knowledge" about Hostess and the company's problems. Full story at Dow Jones.

The Union proves it had good cause to fight the company's terms. Teamsters General Secretary-Treasurer Ken Hall said in a press release:

"We told our Hostess members all along that we would vigorously oppose the imposition of unjust working conditions since Hostess first filed bankruptcy and we have done just that. It's a rare day when a bankruptcy judge denies a company's request to reject its union contracts, and I attribute it to the resolve of our members and the team we assembled to fight the company's motion."

In Radio Interview, Straight Talk from IBT Ken Hall re Hostess
APRIL 27, 2012 | Teamsters General Secretary-Treasurer Ken Hall was interviewed earlier this month on Working Family Radio Network, a labor-oriented radio talk show with a national audience. "…by the same token that workers will have to take a cut - so should the banks," Hall told The Union Edge radio host Charles Showalter. "So should all the hedge funds and the private equity people. You know, let all the rich people share in it as well as the workers." Listen to it here.

LU 570 Hostess Workers Conduct Informational Picket
APRIL 13, 2012 | Several dozen members of Teamsters Joint Council 62 joined a one-hour informational picket line Friday, set up by Local 570's Hostess workers at the company's Glen Bernie, Md., bakery location to protest concessions the alleged bankrupt bread maker is demanding of its employees and to draw public attention to its corporate greed. "We're really stressed out about this," said Mark Gribble, a CDL driver with the company for 19 years. "It's our jobs that are on the line here. We took a $110 per week pay cut the last time it went into bankruptcy and they said they wouldn't come back for more. Now they're back, and now they want our pension too." Full story at Local News

General Secretary-Treasurer Ken Hall Blasts Hostess Execs' Looting
APRIL 12, 2012 | Teamsters General Secretary-Treasurer Ken Hall went on TV yesterday to blast Hostess Brands Inc. executives over reports they looted the company and then demanded concessions from workers before declaring bankruptcy. "Despite what the company has put out in media reports, our members have taken over $70 million per year pay cuts, and that's been going on since 2008. Other unions like the Bakery Workers Union took similar cuts, so this company has enjoyed about a $140 million in concessions from their workers since 2008 and what they have done with that is essentially squandered that money." His comments on Hostess begin 5:18 minutes into this video.

Elsewhere in the News

Economists Upping Their Forecasts for 2012

May 17, 2012 | The U.S. economy will grow faster than expected this year, despite the headwinds of higher gas prices and Europe's financial crisis, according to USA Today's quarterly survey of economists. The biggest reason: Consumers have bought more vehicles and gone out to eat more often, even though gas prices had been expected to make them spend less, says Jeff Rosen, an economist at Briefing Research in Chicago. More at What IS Working.

Judge Overturns Rules on Union Votes

May 15, 2012 | A federal judge on Monday struck down new regulations governing union elections, saying the National Labor Relations Board did not follow proper voting procedures when it approved the rules last year. Judge James E. Boasberg of United States District Court said the board had lacked a quorum when it voted on the rules that expedite union representation elections. He did not address the merits of the rules and said the board could simply vote again. Business groups and Republicans had challenged the rules, which took effect April 30, saying they did not give managers enough time to counter union organizers. Unions contend the new rules curb needless litigation used to stall the election process. Under the decision, the old rules apply. Full story here.

President Hoffa's response: "This is just another attack on workers and the American middle class. The decision lets anti-worker extremists game the system...The board and the courst must reconsider this issue as soon as possible so that the board can do its job of protecting workers' rights."

The Trade Agreement You Never Heard About

May 14, 2012 | Did you know, beyond closed doors, there is a massive trade agreement being crafted? Its called TPP or Trans Pacific Partnership and this one makes NAFTA look like the stepping stone that it is. This is one bad mother. This is a trade agreement between Chile, Australia, Brunei, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore, Malaysia, Vietnam and the United States. Japan as well as China may also join. The countries involved isn't the problem. What's being negotiated is. TPP will outlaw Buy American. Full story at Economic Populist. Sign the petition imploring U.S. Trade Representative Ron Kirk to "stop the secrecy and publicly release all TPP proposals."