Local Union News

Union Warns Hostess Not to Misuse Bankruptcy Process
JAN. 26, 2012 | The Teamsters Union on Thursday warned Hostess not to misuse the bankruptcy process in an attempt to bully its way to unncessary operations changes, saying a consensual resolution with sacrifices by all stakeholders is what is required. The company filed motions on Wednesday to reject its collective bargaining agreements with all its major unions. Read the Teamsters press release here.

Hostess Files for Bankruptcy; Will Continue to Operate
JAN. 12, 2012 | A Local 570 employer, Hostess Brands, Inc., announced yesterday it had filed for bankruptcy protection to confront the enormous debt and labor obligations that it claims restricts its ability to compete. It plans to continue operating while it restructures the company. Hostess employs more than 7,500 Teamster-represented delivery drivers and merchandizers; 29 are Local 570 members. The Teamsters National Bargaining Committee has been working with Hostess management for months to identify mutual solutions that would address the company's problems. "Our members have already given at the well, and this time it will take sacrifices among all parties - management, lenders, equity holders and employees – to restructure Hostess into a viable enterprise that is well-positioned for growth," said Denis Raymond, Director of the Teamsters Bakery and Laundry Conference, in an IBT press release. "We were hoping that could have been done prior to a bankruptcy filing, but unfortunately that did not occur. We remain committed to finding a solution, if possible, over the next few months during the bankruptcy process." You can find additional IBT information and news stories here, download a Hostess Member Update here, and take a look at what a retired Hostess Teamster had to say about this latest company development. Update: Teamsters set the record straight on Hostess (1/16)

Pepsi Members Ratify New 4-Year Agreement; Other News
JAN. 11, 2012 | A new contract was approved by members employed at Pepsi that provides wage increases, an increase in night differential and improvements in seniority language. Read more about Pepsi, Bimbo Bakeries and Cloverland in Local News.
Pepsi bargaining committee members (above) review proposals during a December 16 negotiations session. Seated (L-R) are Patrick McManus, Vice President Richard Brown, and Paul “Pepsi” Smith. Standing (L-R) Butch Heavel, Steve Bonhoff, Secretary-Treasurer Sean Cedenio, Clarance Martin and Ivan Eberhardt.

Elsewhere in the News

In Case You Missed It

• Buy this T-shirt and join the fight to Stop the War on Workers.
• Listen to Hoffa's interview on PA Teamster's radio show.
• Finally, a compromise on labor portion of FAA funding bill.
• 16 policy ideas to build a strong middle class.
• A scribbling Sharpie on one of the biggest threats to democracy.
• 101 Ways to Save $$$ in 2012

Affordable Care Act Helps Real People in Real Ways

Jan. 27, 2012 | This animated video from the Center for American Progress is an excellent reminder at a time when the Affordable Care Act repeal is still a GOP battle cry, with all the presidential hopefuls and most Republicans in Congress vowing to overthrow the law—and trying to scare voters in the process. (h/t workingamerica.org) Watch it.

Is the Union Movement Making a Comeback?

Jan. 25, 2012 | The fate of unionism is all about class power in American society and the ideologies that motivate those who either defend or defame these institutions. The Occupy Wall Street protests have moved issues of economic inequality closer to the top of the contemporary political agenda, but it's the unions that have long ameliorated the stark disparities of wealth and income that an unfettered capitalism so naturally produces. Tax fairness is a big political issue this campaign season, but of far greater impact on the distribution of American wealth and power is the existence of a union movement and the prospect that it might one day grow again. Full story at CNN Opinion

The Top 10 Acts of Congress that Helped the U.S. Prosper

Jan. 24, 2012 | Tonight at 9 p.m. President Obama will deliver his third State of the Union address to Congress and the nation. No doubt he will again challenge Congress to take action on issues critical to rebuilding America. The Center for American Progress wrote last week that Congress would be well served by looking back on their predecessors' record when considering how to strengthen the Middle Class going forward. The legislation that resulted from decisions made at other critical junctures in our nation's history "increased access to health care and education, expanded home ownership, protected the savings of average Americans, and ensured the rights of Americans in the workplace and beyond" and "As Congress debates how to build our economy back up these laws serve as a reminder that helping the middle class helps everyone…" Take a look at the 10 laws (including the National Labor Relations Act) enacted in previous difficult times that helped our nation prosper.

The Survival of Social Security

Jan. 23, 2012 | As we approach national budget time we can look forward to another burst of hand wringing by the Washington elites, who will once again tell us about the need to cut Social Security and Medicare. We can look forward to that famously deceptive graph showing how the cost of Social Security, Medicaid and Medicare are projected to soar as a share of the economy over the next 2 or 3 decades. Those with good eyes will notice that it is the cost of Medicare and Medicaid that are soaring, not Social Security. This is primarily due to the projected explosion of private sector heath care costs, not the impact of aging on the the cost of the programs. That would lead honest people to focus on the need to get U.S. health care costs in line with costs in every other country in the world, but no one ever said that the Washington elites were honest. Full story here.