Download - Teamster Voice #295, spring 2016
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8/18/2019 Teamster Voice #295, spring 2016
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TEAMSTER SPEAKING OUTSTRONGER UNIONFORMERLY CONVOY DISPATCH
TM
Teamsters for a Democratic Union
(313) 842-2600 www.TDU.org
Spring 2016 Issue #295
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VOICE
“TDU has been with us every step of the way in the
fight to defend our pensions. And it didn’t just start
last year, they’ve been doing this work for decades.
$25 a year for retired Teamsters and spouses is a
small price to pay to have them in our corner. Iencourage folks to join and help sustain the fight.”
Mark Dray, Local 638
UPS Retiree, Minneapolis
While Teamster members fight
concessions and pension cuts, theHoffa administration is rocked byyet another corruption scandal.
Four hundred thousand Teamsters
in 25 states are being threatened with
pension cuts.
Over 9,000 Teamsters are gearing
up for a potential strike at United
Airlines.
Teamster Organizers are trying to
make headway at FedEx Freight.
And Hoffa and Ken Hall? They’re battling yet another corruption scandal
and circling the wagons around Vice
President Rome Aloise who is charged
with taking gifts from employers while
he gave them concessions.
Aloise is likely to be banned from
the Teamsters by the union’s new disci-
plinary officer. But Hoffa stands by his
man. It’s no accident.
Our special report reveals Hoffa’s
own ties with the shady characters in
the Aloise scandal, the long history of
Hoffa administration corruption, andwhy Hoffa will never kick the corrup-
tion habit.
Teamster members depend on
focused leadership and public support
to beat concessions and pension cuts
and to win organizing drives.
There’s a straight line from corrup-
tion to concessions and declining union
power—and for 17 years it’s run right
through the Hoffa administration.
Interview: Fred Zuckerman
Fires Back
Teamster Voice sits down with theTeamsters United candidate for General President—and he pulls nopunches. Page 3
Pension Crisis: It’s About
More than Central States
What caused the pension cut crisis andwhat will it take to save the retirementdreams of 400,000 Teamsters and mil-lions of Americans? Pages 10-11
SPECIAL REPORT:Why Hoffa Can’tKick the CorruptionHabit– Page 5-7.
CORRUPTION AGAIN?
Hoffa and Ken Hall are standing by Vice President
Rome Aloise, who is charged with racketering.
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2 — TEAMSTER VOICE SPRING 2016
LETTERS
Teamsters for a Democratic Union is a grassrootsorganization of thousands of members across NorthAmerica, working together to rebuild Teamster Power.
We’re truck drivers, dock workers, warehouse
workers, clericals—every kind of Teamster, and retirees
and spouses, too.
We fight for good contracts and oppose concessions
and benefit cuts.
We bring Teamsters together to enforce our rights
and to hold union officials accountable to the members.
TDU is run by Teamsters for Teamsters. Our leadership body, the International Steering Committee, is elected
each year at our TDU Convention.
Not controlled by any official and answerable only
to the rank and file, we are an independent voice for
working Teamsters.
For more than 30 years, TDU has been uniting
Teamsters to put our union to work for the members.
Find out what we’ve won and where we stand.
If you believe in rebuilding Teamster Power by
getting members informed and involved, then Teamsters
for a Democratic Union may just be the group for you.
TEAMSTERS FOR A DEMOCRATIC UNION:WHO WE ARE, WHAT WE’VE WON, WHERE WE STAND
Where’s Our Share of YRC Profits?
Dear Teamster Voice:
YRC Teamsters were supposed to get profit-sharing if we made 97 % operating ratio. YRC just reported 98%,
so we don’t get a dime. Nonunion Reddaway employees
do get one. They can afford a CEO making over 10 mil-
lion a year and cameras going in tractors.
I call on Hoffa and Tyson Johnson to get into this and
stop any further nonsense.
Alex Aguilar, YRC, Local 104, Arizona
Aloise Must Give Up Multiple Pensions
Dear Teamster Voice:
If Rome Aloise is found guilty of this corruption, no
way should he be able to collect those multiple pensions
and $1 million lump sum from our Teamster treasury.
I’m sick and tired of these Teamster brothers going up
the ranks to local and international Teamster officials and
becoming crooks. Not all of them, but it happens way
more than it should.Joe Hoyt, Local 299, Detroit
Pension Movement Needs to Grow
Dear Teamster Voice:
Our fight to defend our pensions has grown by leaps
and bounds over the past year. We've ignited a grassroots
campaign that needs to spread to other unions as well as
the millions who face potential cuts to social security. Our
efforts have planted the seeds for what needs to be a mas-
sive movement to defend retirement security.
Bob McNattin, Local 120, Minneapolis,
Cemstone Retiree
CONTACT TDUP.O. Box 10128, Detroit, Mich., 48210.
Phone: (313) 842-2600 - Fax: (313) 842-0227
E-mail: [email protected]
Website: www.tdu.org
NY Office: 104 Montgomery St.,
Brooklyn, N.Y. 11225.
Phone: (718) 287-3283 - Fax: (718) 287-3287
TDU INTERNATIONALSTEERINGCOMMITTEE
Co-Chairs:Dan Campbell, Milwaukee Local 200Michael Savwoir, Kansas City Local 41Mark Timlin, New Jersey Local 177Julian Tysh, New York Local 814
Organizer:Ken Paff, Detroit
Trustees:Gina Alvarez, Chicago Local 743Willie Hardy, Memphis Local 667Nick Perry, Columbus Local 413
Members:Dave Bernt, Chicago Local 705Kioma Forero, New York Local 804
Frank Halstead, Los Angeles Local 572Tim Hill, Spokane Local 690Stephen Mohan, New York Local 553Stefan Ostrach, Oregon Local 206Brooke Reeves, Rhode Island Local 251“Kas” Schwerdtfeger, Milwaukee Local 344Leonard Stoehr, Oregon Local 206
Alternates:Charlie Jordan, New York Local 804Dustin Ponder, New York Local 804Joan-Elaine Miller, Philadelphia Local 623Copyright © 2016 by Teamsters for a Democratic Union.
Contents may be reprinted by labor unions or rank and
file organizations for use in the promotion of union
democracy. Employers and all others may not use these
materials without the specific, written permission of
Teamsters for a Democratic Union. If material is used, its
source, TDU Teamster Voice, must be cited.
A New Direction for Our UnionTDU helped vote the old
guard out of office in 1991
and started to put our union
on the right track.
Under new leadership our
union reversed a 16-year
decline in membership.
Mobilized members won the
1997 UPS strike—labor’s biggest victory in decades.
Fighting CorruptionTDU takes on Teamster
officials who abuse members’
trust by using our union to
advance themselves, not
the membership.
We oppose excessive salaries
and multiple salaries for
Teamster officials which
waste millions we could be spending to win strong
contracts and organize new members.
Protecting Our BenefitsTDU mobilized members to
win 25-and-out pensions
and record pension increases
in the 1990s. Now we’re
fighting to protect those
benefits from pension cuts.
Uniting Teamsters to protect
our benefits and healthcare—
and win quality benefits for all Teamsters—is a top
priority of TDU.
Education for Union PowerInformation is power.
TDU sponsors educational
workshops to train Teamsters
how to overcome apathy,
involve members, enforce
their rights and develop as
union leaders.
A Teamster Civics Lesson
Dear Teamster Voice:
Our eleven year old granddaughter, Isabella, joined my wife Barb
and me for a trip to the Senate Finance committee hearing on
MPRA. Isabella is keenly aware of the impact the proposed Central
States pension cuts will have on her grandparents and thousands of
other middle class families. Her favorite class in school is Social
Studies and she got a great lesson in civics when it came to hearing
Rita Lewis speak out in support of working and retired Teamsters.
I encourage other Teamsters to reach out to their families and
involve them in our campaign to find meaningful solutions to protect
our retirement security and all of our family's futures.
Whitlow Wyatt, CF Retiree, Local 413, Columbus
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TEAMSTER VOICE SPRING 2016 —
Teamster Voice: Why are you running for
Teamster General President?
Fred Zuckerman: Because I couldn’t stand it
anymore. That’s the truth.
Every day, Teamsters are paying the price because
Hoffa and Hall refuse to stand up to the employers
and refuse to stand up for the members.
Real wages are going down. Part-time throw-
away jobs are going up. Hundreds of thousands of Teamsters face the threat of living out their retire-
ment years in poverty because of pension cuts.
Corporate greed is out of control and we need to
get off our heels. Contract negotiations with UPS
were a chance to draw a line in the sand—and win.
Instead Hoffa gave concessions to a company that
was making $4.5 billion in profits. The other
employers stepped up and said, ‘We want some of that too.’
In national contracts covering 300,000 workers,
Hoffa and Hall gave healthcare cuts, wage cuts, pen-
sion cuts, concessions. It didn’t have to be this way.
Members were ready to fight concessions. They
voted No across the country. In my local, they Voted
No by 94 percent.Teamsters unite when there’s leadership and a
plan to win. Hoffa and Hall have shown they won’t
lead. They need to get out of the way for Teamsters
who will.
TV: Hoffa’s defenders would say the problem is
the employers and you’re blaming Hoffa for
problems that aren’t his fault.
FZ: Of course, it all starts with the employers. But
surrender isn’t a strategy.
A union is about standing up and fighting back—
but you’ve got to do it smart and have a plan to win.
Let me give you an example. Across the country, wehave a major problem with grocery employers using
subcontractors to leverage concessions. They hand
over the trucking and warehousing operations to an
outfit like C&S—and then the subcontractor says,
“We need concessions or we’re going to move, or
we’re going to lose the work.” This has been going
on for years and Hoffa has no strategy for it.
Kroger tried to pull this crap in Louisville. We
refused to negotiate concessions. The subcontractors
said, “Then we’re keeping the workforce but we’re
going nonunion.” We geared up to strike for union
recognition and they brought in replacement work-
ers from all over the country and put them up in
hotels. We weren’t about to walk into that ambush;
instead we set one of our own. We waited for theKentucky Derby when every hotel room in
Louisville is sold out for two weeks. Sure enough,
the hotels kicked the replacements to the curb and
they flew back home. Then we struck their ass. We
won a contract that has better healthcare, retiree
healthcare and stronger job security.
By the way, Hoffa told other Teamsters to stay out
of our fight. When you don’t know how to take on
employers, you don’t like people who do.
TV: You mentioned pension cuts. This is a huge
crisis….
FZ: More than 400,000 Teamsters and retirees
have gotten a letter saying their pension will be cut
in half—or worse. I’m one of them.
Hoffa has done everything wrong. For 17 yearsthey did nothing to bring employers into the funds.
Worse, they let big employers abandon Teamster
pensions and start their own company retirement
plans: UPS, Waste Management, now they’re trying
it with Kroger. The members at these companies got
substandard retirement benefits and the Teamsters
who stayed in Central States were abandoned to a
declining fund.
Then Hoffa teamed up with employers and joined
the group that drafted the pension cut legislation
that’s allowed the plan to slash our pensions. It’s
criminal and we’d be fools to trust the people who
created this problem to fix it.
This is another case where the rank-and-file have
shown twice the backbone of the International.
Teamsters and retirees and these pension commit-
tees have done a tremendous job—educating, organ-
izing, getting in the media, building political sup-
port. They deserve a lot more than the lip service
and photo ops they’re getting from the IBT. In the
short term, we need an all-out mobilization to pass
the Keep Our Pension Protections Act. Looking
ahead, it’s about contract campaigns to protect our
pensions at negotiations and making strategic long-
term commitment to organizing the nonunion com-
petition and bringing employers into our pension
funds.
TV: You’ve made a point of talking very directly
about corruption. Why?
FZ: Because there’s a direct line from corruption to
concessions and benefit cuts.
The vast majority of officers are hard-working,
honest people who are doing the best they can for
the members. When we talk about corruption,
you’re talking about the clique that’s around Hoffa.
This Rome Aloise scandal makes me sick. Here’s
a guy who was taking gifts from employers and ask-
ing them for favors while he was in negotiations
with them. The same executives who gave him thegifts told him what a great job he did twisting the
arms of local officers to settle short in contract nego-
tiations. You sell out the members and walk away
with tickets to a Playboy Super Bowl party for
Hoffa’s chief of staff.
This is how Hoffa and his boys roll. Hoffa is golf-
ing buddies with the investment firm owner that
Aloise negotiated a sham contract with. They go to
Europe together to golf. It’s all there in the report. It
will turn your stomach.
Look, there’s corruption in every organization.
The question is what do you do when it’s uncov-
ered? Hoffa will never act on corruption. First,
because that’s how he rolls himself. And second, he
will never punish the power brokers that deliver thevotes that keep him in office—no matter how cor-
rupt they are. He has only ever acted when the
Independent Review Board has forced his hand.
TV: You’ve been a harsh critic of TDU in the
past. Now you’re running with TDU’s support.
The Hoffa Campaign says you’ve flip-flopped.
FZ: Well, TDU’s been tough on me too through the
years. Maybe you’re the flip-floppers (laughs).
I’m not a TDU member, never have been. But I’ll
say this—TDU exposes and condemns corruption
within the IBT. Hoffa covers it up. That’s why the
members don't trust him. When you cover up cor-
ruption and sell out the members, it makes organiz-
ing almost impossible. Anti-union employers have a
field day against us in organizing campaigns.On the big issues in our union, from concessions
to pension cuts to corruption, TDU members have
taken up the good fight. We’ve built a coalition and
that’s the right thing to do.
I’m sick of the phony accusations from the Hoffa
crowd about us dividing the union. Hoffa sides with
the employers. That’s what divides our union. We’re
uniting Teamsters to take on the employers. That’s
what Teamsters United is all about.
Fred Zuckerman Fires Back“A union is about standingup and fighting back—but
you’ve got to do it smartand have a plan to win.”
Teamster Voice interviews the straight-shooting candidate forTeamster General President.
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4 — TEAMSTER VOICE SPRING 2016
Hoffa AdministrationHides from Carhaulers!It has been nearly six months since carhaulers rejected the conces-
sionary deal offered up by the Carhaul Division, with 85% saying
“hell no.” Since then, Carhaul Division directors Kevin Moore and
Roy Gross seem to be “ghost employees” who draw a salary but
don’t do anything. Are they hoping the members will tire of the wait
and vote for concessions? Carhaul Teamsters are too united to let that
happen!
“The automotive Industry is hav-
ing record sales and record profits.
And the carriers are cashing in.
We need a fair share of the pros- perity too—improved contract lan-
guage, benefits and wages. Our
85% rejection showed solid
unity—now we need a leadership
that’s ready to help us win what’s
ours.”
James Stricker, Cassens
Local 299, Detroit
In February the mechanics sent a
unified message to the corporation
with a 93% strike vote, after thecompany tried to sell the deal. The
union has asked the National
Mediation Board for a release to
move toward a strike, as required by
the Railway Labor Act.
It’s going to be a hot summer for
United Airlines, if management
refuses to bargain seriously. Their
bogus “final offer” contained two-
tier wages, health care cuts, and
inadequate job protection from sub-
contracting—as United makes
record profits.
The mechanics have rallied inmultiple cities with the support of
United’s flight attendants, pilots
and community leaders. Solidarity
is strong from the bargaining com-
mittee and the ranks, including for-
mer Continental and United work-
ers.
A victory for United’s mechanics
is a victory for all airline workers
and all Teamsters.
United Airlines Mechanics Contract Rally9000 Teamster mechanics at United Airlines have voted toauthorize a strike if necessary to stop concessions and winan industry-leading contract.
Non-union independent subcontractors line thedock at the UPS Freight terminal in SouthHolland, Illinois waiting for freight.Local 710 Teamsters sit at home without work,waiting to be dispatched.It’s a familiar scene to UPS Freight Teamsterswho have been sold out by Hoffa-Hall.
“We have seen every single well-
documented subcontracting
grievance lose at the regional andnational panels. Road drivers sit
at home while subcontractors
pull our loads...and Hoffa and
Hall fiddle while Rome burns
down around our ears.”
George Stokes, Local 81, Portland, Ore.
“When I got a job at UPS Freight,
I thought I hit the lottery. Now as
they constantly use contractors,I’m sitting home wondering how
to pay the bills. We desperately
need a new Teamster leadership
to help us take on the bully on
the playground—UPS Freight
management—and give us a fair fight.”
Brandon Curcio, Local 509, Gaffney, S.C.
No Answer from Hoffa-Hall onUPS Freight Subcontracting
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TEAMSTER VOICE SPRING 2016 —
Why Hoffa Can’t Kick Corruption Habit
On February 10, International Vice President Rome
Aloise—Hoffa’s chief operative in the West—was hitwith 122 pages of corruption charges by the
Independent Review Board, involving almost every
conceivable labor crime, including:
racketeering
requesting things of value from employers duringnegotiations
taking employers’ gifts, including admissions toPlayboy’s Super Bowl Party for Hoffa’s Executive
assistant and his friends
trying to leverage jobs for his relatives fromemployers, including UPS, Costco and others dur-
ing labor negotiations
negotiating a sham collective bargaining agreement
using union resources to punish political opponentsand prevent a fair Teamster election
Hoffa has not stepped away from Aloise—quite theopposite. Aloise remains on the Hoffa-Hall slate and
his facebook page brags that Hoffa-Hall have his back.
Employer pay-offs? Denying members’ rights with
threats? Sham contracts? Hoffa says “No problem!”
In fact, Hoffa has his own close ties with each of the
shady characters at the center of the Aloise corruption
charges.
Aloise’s fate will be decided by the Independent
Review Officer, former US Attorney General Benjamin
Civiletti. The charges against him are exhaustively doc-
umented. Aloise will almost surely be barred from the
Teamsters Union.1
Rome Didn’t Fall in a DayThe IRB notes that Aloise has a documented history
over many years of illegally denying members’ rights.
He was caught threatening to hurt a Teamster strike
against Safeway because the local president was
running for IBT office;2
He was caught and fined $5000 for threatening a
member who wanted to run for delegate in Aloise’s
local;3
He was fined and assessed $29,561 for using union
dues for his campaign and then lying to the Election
Officer to cover it up.4
Why Hoffa Can’t Kickthe Corruption Habit
Hoffa came into office 17 years ago promising to
run a clean, democratic union. But time and again,
Hoffa has covered for corruption in his own ranks. TheAloise scandal is only the latest example. (See Hoffa
Can’t Kick the Corruption Habit, pages 6-7).
When he was first elected, Hoffa hired an anti-cor-
ruption czar: Edwin Stier, a respected former federal
prosecutor.
But when Stier’s inquiries into corruption and
organized crime influence got too close to Hoffa’s top
ally in Chicago, John Coli, Hoffa shut down the
investigation.
Stier resigned in disgust, writing that when it comes
to cleaning up corruption: “The problem is Hoffa.”
When members won the right to elect our
International Union leaders for the first time in 1991,
they elected a reformer who challenged the union’s
power structure.
Teamster power brokers chose Hoffa, a lawyer with
the most famous last name in labor, as their front man
to take the International Union back.Hoffa is beholden to that devil’s pact two decades
later. Hoffa will never act against corruption when it
implicates one of the power brokers that keeps him in
office. And that’s why Hoffa can never kick the
corruption habit.
1Independent Review Board report of Charges on Rome
Aloise, February 10, 2016.22000 EAD 57 December 6, 2000, Office of Election
Supervisor 32011 ESD 286 June 28. 2011, Office of Election
Supervisor 42006 ESD 341 August 23, 2006, Office of Election
Supervisor
Western Region power broker Rome Aloise has been hit with corruptioncharges that even Hoffa and Hall cannot protect him from.
Charged with racketeering, taking employer gifts and
other corruption violations, Aloise brags about Hoffa-
Hall’s continued support.
Hoffa-Aloise Corruption ConnectionHoffa’s top power broker in the West, Rome Aloise, has been charged with serial corruption violations,involving a shady cast of characters—each one with their own ties to Hoffa.
Investment firm owner Charles Bertucio
is an employer pal and golfing buddy.
In 2013, Hoffa joined Bertucio on a
golf trip to Scotland along with Aloise
and Hoffa campaign operative Richard
Leebove. In 2014 the same gang went to
Ireland for a golf junket, joined by
International Trustee and Carhaul Director Kevin Moore.
Aloise was caught signing a sham
contract with Charles Bertucio,
the owner of an investment firm.
The phony contract provided
Teamster benefits to Bertucio, a
golfing buddy of Hoffa and Aloise.
Hoffa’s Executive Assistant Willie Smith was given six
tickets to an exclusive Playboy Club Superbowl Party in New Orleans. The gift from corporate executives to a
labor official violated federal law. An executive from
SWS, an employer of 2000 Teamsters, wrote to Aloise
that he was “happy to pay” for “Hoffa’s key guy.”
Aloise faces charges for soliciting the illegal gifts from
SWS executives—along with other employers. SWS bosses praised Aloise for pressuring Teamster Local 792
to go easy on the company in contract negotiations. The
members’ loss was Willie’s Smith’s gain.
Richard Leebove is a high-paid consultant to the IBT and a
Hoffa campaign operative specializing in attacking union
reformers. Leebove was caught shaking down employers
for illegal contributions to the Hoffa Campaign—and making
illegal contributions of his own to the tune of $167,675. He
was banned from one International election and suspended
from another for violations. After each scandal, Hoffa has
put Leebove back on the IBT gravy train.
When members ran for office against a friend of Aloise in
Stockton Local 601, Aloise hired Hoffa’ hatchet man
Leebove to run an attack campaign to discredit the
members. Investigators have now charged Aloise with
using employer and union resources to illegally finance
his dirty campaign against the rank and file.
The Golfing Buddy
Illegal Employer Gifts
The Hatchet Man
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Cashing In While Central
States Pensions BurnedBill Lichtenwald’s close friendship withHoffa has paid off—literally. Lichtenwald collected multiple union salaries, pensions as a localofficer, the President of the Ohio Conference of Teamsters and a trustee of the Central States PensionPlan. Last September a 59-page IRB report exposedthat the Ohio Conference exists for the purpose of paying extra salaries. Lichtenwald has resigned from the Central StatesPension Fund under pressure from the US Department of Labor. To date,Hoffa has made no move to abolish the Ohio Conference.3
Corruption Cover-UpJohn Coli, a Hoffa-Hall Vice President and head of Chicago Joint Council 25, inherited the leadership of Local 727 in 1992 after his father stepped down and
his brother was removed by the IRB. Coli’s father was amember of the mafia, according to Edwin Stier the former
federal prosecutor Hoffa hired as an anti-corruption czar. Stier resigned after Coli used his influence with Hoffa to shut down Stier’s investigationsinto organized crime influence in the Chicago Teamsters. Stier wrote to theIBT General Counsel that “efforts to shut down our investigation were theresult of pressure from Chicago-area Teamsters who in turn were acting atthe instigation of racketeers.”4 Hoffa shut down the investigation. Coli joinedthe Hoffa-Hall state, and has become a top Hoffa advisor.
Family BusinessThe Teamsters Union has been a lucrative family businessfor the Coli family. Together, Coli, his son, and hisbrother make over $859,000 a
year from our union. A fourthColi, Joseph, was hired to be the
exclusive provider of legal servicesby the Local 727 Legal Assistance Plan.
The baby-faced Coli was two months out of law schoolat the time of his hire and was paid $2 million in hisfirst 14 months on the job—nearly twice as much asthe previous firm charged.5
6 — TEAMSTER VOICE SPRING 2016
Bribes & PayoffsThe Hoffa campaign, along with Ken Hall, Rome Aloise
and Tyson Johnson, were found guilty by the ElectionSupervisor of attempting
to bribe Teamster leaders out of running against them in the lastelection by offering them lucrativepositions on the International Unionpayroll. To their credit, FredZuckerman, Henry Perry and FrankGallegos turned down the bribes.2
Hoffa Can’tthe Corrup
Corruption Czar:
“The Pro blem is Hof f a” Former federal prosecutor Ed Stier was
hired
b y Hof f a in 1999 to direct the Pro ject Rise
anti-corruption task f orce. Stier resigned in
disgust f ive years later, sa ying when it comes to
rooting out corruption:“The pro blem is Hof f a.”1
Hof fa and Ed Stier
Hoffa Corruption Slate
John Coli
Hoffa and Lichtenwald
1
2
3
4Coli’s Kid
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The Tough GuyInternational Vice president Sean O’Brien was suspended fromunion office for illegal threats—including vowing to “punish” any member who runs for local union office against his friends.6
Rhode Island Local 251 members defied the threats and elected reformleaders anyway. Hoffa kept O’Brien on the Hoffa-Hall slate and gave him a
promotion—putting O’Brien in charge of negotiating the supplements to theUPS national contract in 2013. When members rejected 18 of them, O’Brienand Ken Hall launched a nationwide campaign to sell the concessions. UPSTeamsters in three of thesupplements refused to cave in.The Hoffa administration ratifiedthem anyway and imposed theconcessions—even though themembers had Voted No three times!O’Brien’s tough guy routine isreserved for the members;employers get a pass.
TEAMSTER VOICE SPRING 2016 — 7
1. April 21, 2004 resignation letter of Edwin Stier. Also see “Teamster Crime Watchdog Quits; Hints Union is Corrupt”, Oakland Press, May1 2004.2.2011 ESD 73, January 20, 2011.3. Independent Review Board report on the Ohio Conference of Teamsters, September 25, 2015.4. Ed Stier, Report on Organized Crime Influence in the Teamsters ,May 2004.
5. “Family Biz Pays Off for Joseph Coli” Sun-Times, September 5,20156. Independent Review Board report on Charge Against InternationalVP Sean O’Brien, October 17, 2013.7. “YRC refinances $1.15 billion by closing on two 5-year loans”, DCVelocity Feb. 14, 2014. See also SEC filing by YRC, Feb. 7, 2014.8. Independent Review Board report on Charges against John Perryand JoJo Burhoe, September 29, 2010
9. Indictment of John Perry and JoJo Burhoe, September 13, 2012and “Two former Boston Teamsters are Sentenced in ExtortionCase”, April 20, 201510. Independent Review Board Decision barring Billy Hogan andDane Passo, May 20, 2002 and decision of Judge Loretta Preska, August 22, 2003.
All documents available at www.TDU.org
CHECK THE FACTS
Kicktion Habit5
Hoffa’s Concessions TycoonOver 25,000 freight Teamsters at
YRC suffered wage and pensioncuts since 2009, but their loss
delivered big gains for one Hoffaappointee. Harry Wilson, a hedge fund tycoonappointed by Hoffa to the YRCW board, waspaid a $5 mill ion bonus when employeesapproved the concessions and a bank dealwas consummated. YRCW paid Wilson$125,000 a month retainer and a $1.5 million bonus for his work on the company’srestructuring and concessions package—plusa $175,000 a year salary as Hoffa’s appointee
to YRCW’s board. The $5 mill ion concessionbonus was icing on the cake.7
Violence & ExtortionWhen Boston Local 82members organized to
unseat Hoffa’s NationalTrade Show Division Director
John Perry in his home local,Perry brought in professional muscle. Hisenforcer Joseph “Jo Jo” Burhoe smashed the face of one opposition supporter with a brick and unleashed a reign of terror on members who repeatedly wroteto Hoffa to ask for protection fromblacklisting, threats and violence.8
After Perry sent a letter to a Local 82 member threatening him withbeing “put in a trunk of a car, having your ribs broken and being hospitalized” Hoffa sent a letter back saying: “The International Uniondoes not have agents in the Boston area to provide protection to you or your family and does not have the capacity to investigate all of your numerouscomplaints.” In fact, Hoffa did have agents in the area: namely John Perry,the official behind the violence, and International Union Vice President JohnMurphy who’s pictured here with Burhoe. Perry would still be in office—theHoffa administration held a hearing and found him innocent. The IRBbanned him from the Teamsters in 2011 and Perry was sentenced tofederal prison for racketeering. Burhoe got a five-year sentence for hiscrimes, including extortion.9
Sweetheart DealsHoffa’s original running
mate Bill Hogan, Jr. wasbanned from our union
by the IRB after he was caughtengineering a sweetheart deal witha nonunion temp agency to undercutTeamster convention workers. The
scheme would have slashed wagesto $8 and eliminated all benefits.10
6
7
8Harry Wilson
John Murphy and JoJo Burhoe
Hoffa and Bill Hogan, Jr.
Sean O’brien
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8 — TEAMSTER VOICE SPRING 2016
UPS Eyes Pension Cuts & Pension Fund PulloutsThousands of UPS Teamsters and retirees are
being threatened with massive pension cuts under
a new pension law.
Much of the attention has been on the Central
States where over 400,000 Teamsters and retirees
will lose half or more of their monthly pension—
including 8,737 UPS retirees.But the threat to UPS pensions goes beyond
Central States.
Thirty-five thousand Teamsters and retirees in
New York State were put on notice in February
that their pensions will be cut, including UPSers
in Albany, Buffalo, Rochester, Syracuse, and
across Upstate New York.
You can bet UPS will be looking for opportuni-
ties to turn the pension crisis to their advantage.
UPS has made a priority of cutting costs by
reducing its liabilities for our retirement securi-
ty—from our pensions to retiree healthcare.
UPS has made no secret of its desire to get out
of Teamster pension plans as part of that strategy.
The company already pulled out of Central
States—effectively sinking the fund. Fifty thou-
sand Teamsters are now covered by a company
plan and have the lowest pension benefits of any
UPS Teamsters in the country.
Brown also pulled out of the New England
Teamsters & Trucking Industry Pension Fund in
2012, by going into a “hybrid” arm of the New
England Fund at a lower rate with a 10-year
freeze on benefits.
Like most corporations, UPS’s ultimate goal is
to eliminate union pensions altogether and replace
them with 401ks.
UPS signed a letter-of-agreement that it would
not move to withdraw from Teamster plans. But
that agreement expires in 2018 when the next
contract is negotiated.
Corporate America is coming after pensions.
UPS Teamsters need to watch their wallets.
Need New Leaders to Negotiate Next Contract“UPS came after our benefits and retiree healthcare in the last contract and Hoffa-Hall failed
the test. If we want our pensions to be there when we retire, we need to make sure our nextcontract is negotiated by leaders that will stand up to UPS.”
Joan-Elaine Miller, Local 623, Package Driver
The attack on UPS Teamster pensions goes beyond Central States.
UPS’s Facebook Faceplant
When UPS claimed the right to
discipline Teamsters based on an ille-
gal “Social Media Guidelines”,
Hoffa-Hall gave management a pass.But Teamster action by a local union
has forced UPS to make a U-turn.
As Facebook and Twitter took off,
UPS issued employee “Social Media
Guidelines” governing everything
from online chat rooms and forums to
blogs, and Facebook.
Management warned that
“Activities that violate the standards
outlined in these guidelines can lead
to disciplinary action, including job
termination.”
TDU pointed out that, “Brown’s
guidelines banned virtually any
online speech on union or workplaceissues and clearly violate the
National Labor Relations Act.”
The International Union had the
right to bargain with UPS over the
policy. But they never did. And sure
enough, the company took advan-
tage. Management disciplined mem-
bers in multiple local unions for vio-
lating its social media guidelines.
Rhode Island Local 251 stepped
up. When the company cited viola-
tions of its social media guidelines to
justify disciplinary action, the local
filed an Unfair Labor Practice charge.
Brown backed down. The compa-ny was forced to post a notice that
members’ labor rights would be
respected and that UPS would
rescind Social Media Guidelines that
“improperly restrict employees’ pro-
tected right to discuss wage, hours
and working conditions with others.”
UPS has now issued new guide-
lines, including deleting language
that allowed the company to disci-
pline workers for criticizing man-
agers or supervisors by banning
“offensive posts that could harm
someone’s reputation.”
The stand made by Local 251strengthens the protections of all UPS
Teamsters. But that doesn’t mean
members can post anything they want
about UPS without consequences.
You can be legally disciplined in
some cases for what you post, even if
it’s on your own time and on your
personal Facebook page.
What are your rights? What are the
limits? And what are some do’s and
don’ts?
Protected PostsUnder federal law, you can use
social media to criticize your
employer, management or working
conditions as long as you are engaged
in “protected, concerted activity.”
Concerted activity happens when:1) employees discuss wages, hours,
or working conditions or union or
TDU activity together, or; 2) one or
more employees voice concern on an
issue that impacts other co-workers
(safety, for example) or 3) one or
more employees discuss lawful union
activity.
In short, if you are discussing your
working conditions with coworkers,
you have legal protections. But this
does not mean that “anything goes”.
Posts that May
Cross the LineHere are some missteps that couldstill get you in trouble.
If you are posting comments about
your employer that could be consid-
ered “egregious” or “disloyal” or if
you’re posting work-related photos
that have nothing to do with the
union, the contract, TDU or improv-
ing wages and working conditions,
then you may not be protected.
Extreme personal attacks against
bosses or co-workers may not be pro-
tected. The legal test is whether your
post is so “egregious” that it makes
your continued employment unten-
able. Posting racist or sexist com-
ments about co-workers or manage-
ment is not protected. Neither are
violent threats.
Criticizing your employer’s prod-
uct, service or customers may not be
protected. The issue here is “disloyal-
ty” particularly if your comments
could hurt the company’s business
and are not made as part of a labor
dispute.
Posting photos from when you’re
on the job may or may not be protect-
ed. It’s one thing to post a photo of an
unsafe working condition. It’s anoth-
er to post a photo from the job that
could hurt the employer's business or
image.
Think Before You PostUse common sense. Don’t post
when you’re on the clock, unless you
are clearly on break. If you would
have to deny saying it if you were
confronted by management, then you
shouldn’t say it online.
Use social media to build Teamster
unity and solidarity. Share informa-
tion and have a laugh. But think
before you post.
Brown is forced to revise its illegal Social Media Policy.
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TEAMSTER VOICE SPRING 2016 —
Building the Teamsters United CampaignTeamsters will vote for new International Union leadership this fall. Get involved in the Teamsters Unitedcampaign to elect General President Fred Zuckerman and the Teamsters United slate.
Gate with aCandidate to Spreadthe Word“We brought Fred Zuckerman
to Cincinnati and took him to
Teamster barns to meet mem-
bers. Everyone who stopped to
greet and talk to Fred walked
away feeling better about being a Teamster. When a candidate comes
to town, you should make a gating schedule, know the best times to
visit each facility, and be prepared with all of the materials you will
need—flyers, members to visit facilities with the candidates, and
clipboards for collecting names and phone numbers.”
- Jason Smith, Local 100, Cincinnati
Donate to the Campaign“I make monthly donations to Teamsters United.
It's an easy, convenient way to show my support
and confidence in our candidates and I consider it
an investment in my future. Please join me and
give what you can. Do it monthly. It demonstrates
we are committed to our team for the long haul.”
- Jack Chatburn, Local 2727, Louisville
Wear Campaign Gear“I'm a road driver and I wear my Teamsters
United hat every day. At the terminals, hotels,
when I stop for breakfast, Teamsters from dif-
ferent parts of the country ask questions and
learn more about Teamsters United.”
- Scott Franciskovich, Local 179, Illinois
Organize a LocalNetwork“Five years ago we only had
one delegate running and this
time we have a full slate of
11 for Teamsters United. The
movement to get rid of Hoffa
is growing and we’re going
to keep campaigning and
building momentum to finally get rid of him for good this fall!”
- Phil Richards, Local 630, Los Angeles
TEAMSTER ELECTION 2016
Hoffa-Hall are trying to head off an election by blocking Zuckerman and
his running mates from securing the delegates they need to get on the ballot.
Candidates need to be backed by at least five percent of the delegates to
get on the ballot.
Regional candidates—for positions like Western or Central Region Vice
President—need to meet that bar in their region. The Hoffa Campaign’s sec-
ondary goal is to block Teamsters United regional candidates from getting on
the ballot.
Most local officers are running as Hoffa delegates—but they are facing an
increasing number of contested elections from Teamsters United supporters.
In a major setback for Hoffa, the Rebuild 710 Slate won the delegate elec-
tion in the 17,000-member Chicago Local 710.
The local is in trusteeship—and the trustee is Hoffa’s running mate John
Coli. The Hoffa-Coli candidates lost in a four-way race. The other threedelegate slates all opposed Hoffa.
Other members have used their delegate races to lay the groundwork for
victory in the fall. Past election results show that opposition candidates do
well in the fall in locals where they have contested the delegate elections.
“Our local officers went unchallenged in delegate elections for 25 years.
Not this time,” said Local 745 member Mario Leyva. “We won 42 percent of
the vote and we woke up a lot of Teamsters. Our main goal is to beat Hoffa.
In October, when the ballot says Hoffa versus Zuckerman, we are going to
carry the vote from Dallas to El Paso for Teamsters United. We lost this
battle, but we will win the war.”
What’s At Stakeat the Teamster Convention?
Teamster Democracy: Hoffa-Hall want to prevent an elec-tion by blocking Teamsters United candidates from securing
enough delegate support to get on the ballot.
Majority Rule to Vote on Contracts: Hoffa-Hall changed theConstitution and imposed concessionary contracts that had
been rejected by the members. Convention Delegates can
vote on Constitutional changes.
Concessions & Pension Cuts: Convention delegates willdebate Teamster policies—and how to reverse Hoffa-Hall’s
failures to negotiate good contracts, protect our pensions and
healthcare, and organize the nonunion competition.
Teamsters United volunteers are organizing in their localsand gearing up for the Teamster Convention in June whereFred Zuckerman and Teamsters United candidates will benominated to run against the Hoffa-Hall slate this fall.
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10 — TEAMSTER VOICE SPRING 2016
PENSION CRISIS TIMELINEHoffa promised a “Real 25 & Out” Pension to every Teamster. Instead, he’s overseen the worst pension crisisin Teamster history. Over 400,000 Teamsters face pension cuts. The pension crisis timeline reveals how wegot here. The Save Our Pensions movement points the way forward.
2000: Hoffa comes into officewith 185,000 working Teamsters in
the CSPF, a healthy ratio of almost
1:1 with retirees. Under Hoffa,
companies are allowed to exit the
fund, and next to no companies are
bargained into it. This is the root cause of the CSPF disaster.
2003: TDU obtains and reveals CSPFdocuments that prove that Hoffa knew
about the CSPF shortfall by May 3, 2002,
and lied to members to settle short in the
Freight, UPS and Carhaul contracts.
2007: There’s no sh*t-kicking. Instead, KenHall lets UPS abandon the CSPF. The new
UPS-IBT plan provides lower benefits than
other Teamster plans. TDU and some officers
warn that CSPF will now be in grave danger,
including thousands of UPS Teamsters who
retired prior to 2008. Hoffa and Hall call the
warnings “TDU lies.”
2009: The Hoffa administration launchesa series of concessions with YRC, the
CSPF’s largest participating employer.
Supposedly pension contributions wouldsnap-back in 2011. They don’t, and YRC
contributes a tiny fraction of the contract
pension rate to this day.
2012: Hoffa signs a national pipeline con-tract to allow yet another pull-out from the
CSPF. More pull-outs follow, and CSPF
falls into more trouble.
October 2013: CSPF Director Thomas Nyhan is the star witness at the
Congressional hearing on “Solutions NotBailouts.” One day before the hearing,
Hoffa issues a new letter, now hedging his
bets on “Solutions not Bailouts.” While
praising “Solutions not Bailouts” as
“extremely thoughtful and sophisticated,”
for the first time Hoffa also says that “we
cannot at this time support any proposal to cut accrued benefits.” Ten
years too late, under growing pressure, Hoffa starts to change his tune.
2002: Following the 9/11 attacks, Teamster pension fund suffer stock losses. A report pre-
pared by CSPF Special Counsel William Saxbe
warns Teamster President James Hoffa that
more money will be needed to shore up the
CSPF in upcoming bargaining. Hoffa keeps it
secret and assures members that the contracts
will “provide the necessary funding to protect
members’ pensions.” It’s a lie.
2006: Ken Hall tells the Teamster Convention in LasVegas that if UPS comes after the Teamster pension plan,
then they will “get the sh*t kicked out of them by the
Teamsters.”
2008: Wall Street gambles and Teamsterslose. The housing bubble brought on by Wall
Street, especially Goldman Sachs, crashes the
US and world economy. The CSPF loses bil-
lions of dollars as a result. Hoffa remains
silent, and continued warnings about CSPF’s
future are ignored.
2012: The Hoffa Administration, concernedabout the funding of their own special officer-
only pensions, boosts dues payments to the
plans. $12.5 million to the Family Plan, and
$9 million to the Teamster Affiliates Plan.That kind of money could launch a massive
political campaign to save the CSPF, but
Hoffa denies there is any need.
February 2013: The move to slash CSPF benefits begins in earnest with the issuance of
“Solutions Not Bailouts”, the outline of what
would become the pension-cut law.
“Solutions Not Bailouts” lists its supporters
as the IBT and UPS, among others. James
Hoffa is on the Board of Directors of the
NCCMP, the sponsor of it. TDU, the Pension Right Center, the AARP and
a few unions begin working seriously to protect pensions and head off this
train wreck. TDU begins a series of meetings to inform members. The
Hoffa administration denounces the warnings as “TDU lies.”
December 2014: The Multi-employer PensionReform Act (MPRA) is attached literally in the mid-
dle of the night to the omnibus budget bill, with no
vote on MPRA in either the House or the Senate.
Hoffa finally opposes the bill at the 11th hour. A
secret memo from Thomas Nyhan reveals it’s a
political show: “[Hoffa’s] minions are preparing a
letter to the Hill in opposition to the legislative…I do not believe they are
planning on dispatching any troops to the Hill or making any visits but
simply writ[ing] a letter they will likely post on their website to offset
some of the TDU noise.”
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TEAMSTER VOICE SPRING 2016 —
Corporate America will do anything for a
buck. They’ll move our jobs to China to lower
wages; they’ll move their headquarters to
Bermuda to cheat on taxes; they’ll try to destroy
our pensions and impose 401Ks to lower costs
and shift the risk off of companies and on to
retirees.
The Central States crisis is just the beginning.
The pension cut cancer has already spread to the
New York State Fund with more to come.The Hoffa administration has been caught flat-
footed or worse. The pension movement is show-
ing the way forward and what it will take to win.
Mobilizing:
The pension movement is holding
organizing meetings and taking action to inform
and involve Teamsters and build public support.
Our story is on TV and in the press every day.
Political Action: The pension movement
has won the support of a number of
Congressional Reps and Senators. We need more
to win.
Alliances:
Teachers
and public workers are
fighting to save their
pensions . Others are
mobilizing to defend
Social Security. To
win, we need to go
from a Teamster issue
to a broad united campaign for retirement
security.
Demanding IBT Support: The pension
movement has forced the Hoffa administration to
flip flop on the Central States cuts and to support
the Keep Our Pension Promises Act. But we need
more than endorsements and photo ops.
The Hoffa administration spends $25 million a
year to fund their officers-only pensions.
We need Teamster leadership that will put real
resources into this movement and fight for our
pensions like they protect their own.
On April 14, Teamsters will rally in Washington to tellpolitical leaders to Save Our Pensions. They are fightingnot just for Teamster retirees, but for the pensions of millions of Americans.
Fighting for Pensions & the
American DreamUnion pensions are under attack from the public
sector to the Central States. Teamsters in the Central
States didn’t create the pension crisis that threatens
the retirement of millions of working families. But
they are leading the fight to stop it.
On April 14, more than a thousand grassroots
pension activists will rally in Washington to call on
Congress to support the Keep Our Pension PromisesAct (KOPPA) and other reforms to save the pen-
sions earned by a lifetime of hard work by millionsof retirees and their families.
They will also ask the U.S. Treasury Department
to reject proposed pension cuts put forward by
Central States that will affect over 400,000
Teamsters.
“We’ve been organizing against the proposed
cuts for over two years,” said Mike Walden, the
chair of the Northeast Ohio Committee to Protect
Pensions. “This rally is the culmination of efforts
large and small to convince Congress—and the
Treasury Department—that the cuts proposed by
Central States will not achieve solvency nor stability
going forward. And, it’s absolutely wrong that the
burden for the problems of Central States should
rest on the backs of the Teamster retirees and active
members who earned their benefits.”
The Treasury Department has until May 7 to
determine whether they will accept or reject the
Central States submission to slash pensions by 50%or greater. Thousands of these Teamsters have
organized Committees to Protect Pensions acrossthe Central and Southern regions. Many of these
committees, some with support of local unions, have
organized buses or planned car caravans to travel to
Washington on April 14.
With the Upstate New York Pension Plan now
moving to slash pensions, Teamsters are expected
from the Empire State as well.
Tom Krekeler, co-chair of the Cincinnati area
Southwest Ohio Committee to Protect Pensions,
stated, “We’re in touch with other committees in
Ohio and we’re up to ten buses and multiple car
caravans that plan on being in D.C.”
“We’ve got two buses coming from St. Louis,”
said Susan Cole, the spouse of a retired Local 604
carhauler. “We’ve got about twenty flying too!”
Activists in North Carolina report they have three
buses ready to go. Michigan reports the same. Many
others will make the trip by car or plane.
The rally program will take place from 11 a.m. to1 p.m. at the grounds of the Capitol Building.
Announced speakers include CongresswomanMarcy Kaptur (D-OH), Karen Friedman from the
Pension Rights Center and Rita Lewis, the widow of
pension movement leader Butch Lewis.
Other speakers and events are to be announced.
The International Union has endorsed the rally.
The pension movement made its voice heard on
Capital Hill when Rita Lewis addressed a Senate
hearing in March. Rita (pictured with Ohio Senator
Sherrod Brown) is the widow of Butch Lewis, a
Cincinnati Local 100 retiree, and leader in the pen-
sion movement until he passed away in December.
Her full testimony can be found at www.TDU.org.
“This is an issue of fundamental Americanvalues, of keeping promises to this nation’sretirees. We are Republicans andDemocrats and Independents. We live inyour states. We are your constituents. Weworked hard our whole lives and did every-
thing right so we could have a comfortableretirement. Not an extravagant retirement;we just wanted to have enough income tolive our sunset years with dignity and inde-pendence, to pitch in to help our kids andgrandkids.”
“[Butch] fought to right this injustice byworking with 50 retirees’ committees acrossthe country, all organized to stop the cuts.
As he said, this was a war just like he hadfought in Vietnam, and the cuts being forcedon retirees are a “war against the middleclass and American values.”
PensionMovement
Speaks Out at
U.S. SenateThe Corporate Attack on PensionsWhat’s at Stake, How to Win.
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TEAMSTERS UNITED: The Final Push to Get Out the Vote“I came to my first Convention last year, joined TDU and now I'm running for dele-
gate. I'm going to back this year to meet up with Teamsters United supporters fromacross the country to plan our final push to get out the vote and win new International
leadership.”
William Thompson, UPS, Local 71, Charlotte
Get the Education We Need to Organize“To rebuild Teamster power, we have to take on the boss at our workplaces, get people
involved in their local areas, and build stronger locals. It starts from the ground up,
and the TDU Convention is where can get the tools to become better organizers.”
Luis Marquez, Republic Services, Local 396, Long Beach
2016 TDU CONVENTION
Sept. 30 Oct. 2 Chicago
SAVE THE DATE! The Convention is early this year—a couple weeks before the ballots in the IBTelection are mailed out. Don’t wait to make you plans to be in Chicago Sept. 30 to Oct. 2.
Call TDU at 313-842-2600 for more information.
Confirmed Guest Presenter: Robert SchwartzRobert Schwartz is a labor attorney and author of The Legal Rights of Union Stewards, How To Win Past Practice Grievances, The FMLA Handbook and other works.
Stay tuned for more updates on presenters and guest speakers at the 2016 TDU Convention