Is he forging his own legacy or continuing the legacy of his father?

Will Mr. Hoffa see that his numbers were low in carhaul and take the steps to support that division in this term?

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Does he represent us well?

Do you feel like Mr Hoffa usually expresses a typical drivers views well?

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(WASHINGTON) – Teamster carhaulers have ratified a new National Master Automobile Transporters Agreement (NMATA), which addresses members’ top priorities of health and pension benefits. Three regional supplemental agreements were also ratified.

Ballots were counted today in Cheverly, Maryland before an independent observer. The agreement was ratified by a 72 to 28 percent margin. The agreement is retroactive to June 1, and runs 51 months, until Aug. 31, 2015. The union successfully negotiated a slightly longer-than-usual agreement so that the contract expiration will secure certain benefit provisions and get the next negotiating committee past the slower summer months of auto production. The agreement covers about 4,500 active workers in the United States.

“This contract reverses some of the difficult sacrifices our members have made and we are hopeful the industry continues to turn around,” said Teamsters General President Jim Hoffa, chairman of the Teamsters National Automobile Transporters Industry Negotiating Committee (TNATINC). “In addition to protecting members’ health care and retirement, the agreement provides for annual wage increases and a cost-of-living adjustment.”

The agreement calls for annual wage increases totaling $1.35 per hour over the term of the agreement in addition to mileage-rate increases. The agreement also includes a cost-of-living adjustment of up to 10 cents per hour each year if inflation exceeds 3 percent. This is the first national carhaul contract since the mid-1990s where the union won wage increases in each year of the contract.

“Our carhaul members clearly recognized that this agreement maintains their health and pension benefits, which were two top priorities,” said Fred Zuckerman, Director of the Teamsters Carhaul Division and co-chairman of TNATINC. “Going into negotiations, we were determined to protect our members’ existing health care and retirement benefits and this agreement reflects that.”

The agreement was unanimously endorsed by leaders of carhaul local unions and the TNATINC.

Founded in 1903, the Teamsters Union represents 1.4 million hardworking men and women throughout the United States, Canada and Puerto Rico. Visit www.teamster.org for more information.

Teamsters has released a press release announcing their alliance with Consumers for Auto Reliability and Safety (CARS) to jointly go after non-union carriers. It appears to be an effort to regain some of the credibility they lost when the “Damaged When Delivered” report was released. The press release continues the Teamsters pattern of inflammatory statements like; “Both groups have concerns about the quality of service being performed by automobile transport companies Fiat/Chrysler has started using, after moving the work away from experienced, professional carriers.”. Since the press release shows no signs of any real influence by the new watchdog group we will have to wait to see if they can really make the necessary changes in this campaign. If CARS can make this a crusade against unsafe and dangerous practices by any car hauler rather than an all out attack on any carrier that has not unionized they will have done the public a great favor. As long as the Teamsters are leading the fight I believe it will stay focused on non-union carriers regardless of how experienced or well trained their operators are

Are the teamsters taking the right approach?

Another blogger’s view “Teamsters try a new angle”

Update 12-8-09: Mr Fred Zuckerman took the time to go over the report with me and address my questions. I miss understood the issue with truck in the picture above. It isn’t a safety/damage issue but rather the manufacturer that this truck is loading for has some specific requirements that prohibit bottomless drop pockets. I would agree with him that if the customer wants it done a certain way then that is the way it should be done. Since that seems to be a whole different set of  issues then I think that picture needs more explanation under it. especially since the rest of the report deals with Damage and safety issues.

Basically the point he is trying to make is that if the manufacturers use the lowest bid model then the rate will be lower than what  is possible to do a safe quality job at.  He states that the typical union driver has had several weeks of training and that often non-union drivers have inadequate training and sometimes they have had no training.

If you have an opposing view point you are welcome to leave a comment but lets keep them professional.

Update 12-8-09: Another update, I spoke with Tom from Accelerated services and he looked up The load that truck 107 did out of Ohio and it appears that the vehicle pictured above is a 2005 Equinox that was a smart auction car that was successfully delivered to it’s destination with no damage.

If you are featured in this report you are welcome to leave your response to the allegations in the comments section.

This is off of PR Newswire:

“Fiat management is seeking to transform the auto transport industry from one that provides stable jobs that support drivers and their families into a cut-throat, low-cost, low-quality segment of its supply chain,” Hoffa wrote. “In the United States, Fiat/Chrysler has recently embarked on an effort that transforms how automobiles are delivered to dealer showrooms. The results are disturbing from the perspective of both business and consumers.”

“Not only is Fiat/Chrysler attempting to destroy thousands of good jobs in the carhaul industry, but they are contracting to brokers that hire improperly trained workers. These inexperienced drivers are securing new vehicles in such a manner that the automobiles are at risk of being damaged while being transported to the dealerships,” said Fred Zuckerman, Director of the Teamsters Automobile Transporters Industry Division. “The consumer is not only getting a product that is not in the same condition it was when it came of the line, but may in fact be at risk of injury due to the damage inflicted on these automobiles by inexperienced carhaul drivers.”

Having been a non-union transport driver for an entire career I have certainly seen drivers damage vehicles while moving them but I certainly don’t think the scope of the problem is as big as Hoffa implies. I also know first hand that the union carriers are not immune form this problem either!

This is off of Rueters:

WASHINGTON, Oct. 27 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- International Brotherhood of
Teamsters General President Jim Hoffa today commended the Obama administration
for its efforts to reopen the GM plant in Wilmington, Del. Hoffa also urged
the White House and Fisker Automotive to ensure that these are good jobs, with
the wages, benefits and retirement security the workers deserve.

"Thousands of workers and their families were devastated when GM closed this
facility in August," Hoffa said. "The decision by Fisker Automotive to retool
the plant and build electric vehicles is an important step in rebuilding our
economy. By rehiring laid-off workers, the White House and the company are
showing a commitment to reinvesting in our national infrastructure. It is
important that they do so in a way that is good for workers and good for the
community."

In addition to workers who build the cars, thousands of hardworking men and
women who are indirectly involved with production of the plant also lost their
jobs, including more than 20 Teamster carhaulers.

“We believe the automotive OEMs are trying to run the unionized car haulers out of business,” Fred Zuckerman, the Teamster’s car haul division director.

I think their experience with Performance has them realizing they need to keep all the union companies they can!