"I was a Shop Steward and was also on the contract negotiation team. The Union took the time and trouble to learn all about our industry and what we do. This means they are better able to fight for us whether it is on the job or at the bargaining table. We have the best contract in our industry. Thanks guys!"
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A Labour Day Message from Teamsters General President James P. Hoffa
August 27, 2014
On the first Monday of every September, our nation honors the contributions and sacrifices of millions of working men and women. Labor Day is about remembering labor’s triumphs and the workers without whom society would not function. But it’s also about solidarity and celebrating our movement—a movement that today is alive and well and still fighting for a strong middle class.
The labor movement, and the Teamsters Union in particular, is alive and well and is still forcing change. Labor is behind the movement to raise the minimum wage and shining a spotlight on income inequality. And the Teamsters Union is still organizing new members. Many workers know that unions are the key to a better life, and Labor Day is a time to remind everyone else about that fact. That’s why the Teamsters Union has organized more than 40,000 school bus workers in the last few years; why nearly 600 paratransit drivers in Chicago and hundreds more parking workers in Boston just joined the Teamsters; why thousands of taxi drivers nationwide are forming associations with the Teamsters.
For far too many people, Labor Day is seen simply as a day of rest. But for a growing set of U.S. workers, there is no break from trying to earn enough to support their families. Despite a dip in unemployment during the past few years, low pay continues to plague many employees while their corporate bosses rake in record profits.
The roots of the American middle class' economic decline are decades in the making. Spurred by a decline in union membership, fewer manufacturing jobs and an increase in the service economy, it has gotten harder and harder for workers to make ends meet. And those changes have been exacerbated by trade deals like NAFTA that have led to more than a million lost jobs.
Improving the outlook for U.S workers isn't about creating millions of minimum-wage jobs. It is about creating sustainable, skilled employment that allows Americans to earn a fair wage with benefits that allows them to pay for housing and food on the table and sustain a middle-class lifestyle.
... to see the full article please click the link below:
http://teamster.org/news/2014/08/labor-day-message-teamsters-general-president-james-p-hoffa
News Archive
Testimonial
- Gerald Price - Agrifoods
“I look after a lot of members in a very big plant. For years I had to fight for them by myself with no help at all from any of the Union’s representatives or Officers. This changed completely once Bobby, Bob and Paul were in office. Now I have access to my reps 24 hours a day, 7 days a week! They’re always there to back me up.”
- Darrell Lawres – Chief Shop Steward. Saputo, Sperling
For
35 years I have been a Teamster and a Dairyworker, I was a young kid needing a
job in tough economic times. I found a place to work and make a living, I
learned to work together with others having varying and different backgrounds
than my own.
Much has changed for me personally and professionally, I got married to my
beautiful wife of almost 25 years and we have raised two amazing children, both
of whom are presently studying abroad. Both of my children were recipients of
Hoffa Memorial Scholarship Funding.
So much of my success I can credit to having a well paying union job. The
Teamsters have been a great union for me, negotiating strong collective
agreements that held good wage and benefit packages as well as the cornerstone
beliefs of seniority and workers’ rights. The Teamsters gave me a good wage and
a voice.
I have always been an active Teamster, and now I sit on Local 464's Executive
Board.
There can be a great degree of personal feelings when the word union is
mentioned, but so often I look at professional associations and realize the
name may be different, but the thought is the same...strength in numbers.
As I get toward the end of my career, I look forward to the thought of
receiving the Teamsters Canada Pension Plan, and I am so grateful for the
belief others had before me that Teamsters deserved a good and decent
retirement...thank you.
Drew
- Drew Speirs