Teamsters to represent workers at Continental

[Dr.Phool]

Source: Cleveland Plain Dealer


Teamsters to represent workers at Continental
By Associated Press business staff
February 12, 2010, 3:41PM

DALLAS -- The Teamsters Union won an election to represent Continental Airlines ground workers who had rejected bids by the Teamsters and other unions in recent years.

The Teamsters said Friday that about 4,100 workers out of 7,600 voted to join the union.

The airline industry is among the most heavily unionized in the private sector. The Continental fleet service employees were the largest group of nonunion workers in the industry and had rejected unionizing in at least five previous votes, according to labor officials.

The Teamsters will represent a group that includes baggage handlers and cargo agents in bargaining with Continental over wages and other contract terms. The union already represents mechanics at the nation's fourth-largest airline.

"This is a great day for the Teamsters and for the fleet service workers at Continental," said union General President James Hoffa.

The union accused Continental of running an "anti-worker, anti-union" campaign.

(snip)

Read more: http://www.cleveland.com/business/index.ssf/2010/02/teamsters_to_represent_workers.html

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Who says unions are dead?

The good guys win one for a change!

[thunder rising]

1. I was involved with one strike in my life...Teamsters on the line ... nobody crossed it.

[iamtechus]

2. Congratulations to all those good folks at CAL

[Omaha Steve]

3. The union makes us strong!

Bravo for the Teamsters.

K&R!

[pattmarty]

4. I'm a retired Teamster at 54 yo and moved my wife and myself to............

........Arkansas (cheap) and live in a modest home. I make enough to pay my bills (health insur too) and have enough left to live modestly. There ain't too many of us left out there in McJob land, so it's good to see the "union" win one.

[donco]

6. Retired local #600 here..................nt

[pattmarty]

8. Chgo #710 retired from C-F AND remain an FDR liberal till I die.

[donco]

10. Retired from yellow

also worked at Be-Mac had a Chicago run for three years.Rolling Wheels(on Pulaski) rocks. :)

[OldDem_63]

5. That's great news.

We need stronger and more agressive unions in this country.

[scentopine]

7. a union is a good way to fight back and keep the wall street bastards in check ...

if I were in charge of union marketing I'd be working overtime winning hearts and minds and polishing union image - saturate media with positive associations. We need to claw our way back from the hellish abyss called the Democratic party.

[Bravo Zulu]

9. Workers need union protection,

Especially at continental!

[hay rick]

11. Continental anti-union?

I still have some "No Lorenzo" buttons I picked up in 1983 when I walked the picket line with striking pilots. That was one of the early uses of a Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing for the purpose of voiding union contracts. Glad to see a union victory. We need many, many more.

[Teamster-Member]

12. Teamster 20+ Years New Members Beware Of The Unknowen.

Economic Time's Are Changing The Teamster's Union As Well Today
and In Your Future.
Teamster's Union Has Made Their Pharmacutical Debut In Florida,
Owned and Operated Non-Profit.
"Teamster Rx" Beginning 25 Jan 2010
Teamster's Member's Now Have To Mail Order Your New Pharamacy
2 Week's In Advance, Only Generic Is Made Available,
If You Are Fortunate, The Unfortunate, ie; Heart Medication, Not
Made In Generic Form, Is Not/Will Not Be Provided By Them.
You Will Have To Call, They will Check THE/THERE/Not Your's Never Sent You One] List.
You Are NOT ALLOWED To Use Walmart's Pharamacy ??,
From Personal Experiences In The Past, Walmart Had The Best Prices
and Saved My Insurance Provider Money and You Could Get 90 Day Supplies.
Now You Are Allowed 30 Days For "Scheduled II & III" Medication's,
60 days For "Scheduled II" Medication For ADD & ADDHD.
Also Your Medication Co-Pay Has DOUBLED.

Since The Creation Of Teamster-Rx, 25 Jan 2010, Most Member's 90 Day
Supply Will Be Running Out Under The Older System.
Since 25 Jan 2010, Teamster-Rx PBM Call Center Has Been Overwhelmed
By Employee's and Retiree's.
To Date Of This Post, Concern's Relating To, But Not Limited To,
Medication(s) Not Being Process And/Or Misplaced, and/Or Being Filled ... Never Received (Saving The Best Response For Last) "Until Otherwise Notified, (By Who, Not Stated) Mail Order Prescription's
Are Processed In a Timley Manner". Let's Do The Teamster Math... 2 Weeks Prior, Called Them
on 30th Day, Nevered Notified By (Who, They, Them) We (Teamster-Rx) Never Got Your Mail Order.
Wait a Little While, Call Them Back, Most Likely Will Get Another Representative
At Teamster-Rx, Ask The To Check Your Credit Card Information, They Had Our's
On File (THIS WAS SENT WITH MAIL ORDER on Their Form).
Let's See, I Have No Medication, I Need It Really Now (2 weeks ago), They Already Have My Credit
Card Information On File And Could Have Processed In a Reasonable And Timely Manner, But No Go.

Suspecting Neglect, This Author Believe's That As Only Generic's Are
Available, The Quality Control Issue(s) Of Manufacture and Pharmacutical Dispense
Will Be Under Par.

The Color Of Teamster Past Was Alway's Encouraging And Communicating To Paying/Good Teamster Member's
To Participate And VOTE On Local Issues As Well As Voting To Accept/Adopt A New Contract From Negotiations Relating To Their (Member's) Future.
Our LOCAL Union Had No Clue/Meeting(s) To Adopt And Vote On Such An Important (Livlihood) Issue.

This Last Year The Corporation Turned Hand's, Our Contract Carried Throughout Until 3 Years
Hence The 1st Of This Year, 2010... I Was Not Involved With Any Renegotiation Process Of My
Contract Including Our Local, BA Included, As He Has Stated To Membership.

Granted, Insurance Coverage Has Also Changed During The Same Time Span Period, We Had No Communication(s) And Say About This As Well, Including A Substantial Additional Payroll Deduction Every Month. (For A Year (2009)We Had No Contract Between Teamster (us?) And The Company, We Had Contract's With Teamster's For Last 18.5 Year's, We Were Being Misinformed, We Were Left With
The Impression We Had A Contract, Nobody Could Produce A Signed, Current International ByLaw
Contract/Booklet For Us Member's. Toward's The End Of 2009, We Got One And Got This Luggage
To Go With It!. SURPRISE!. The New Company Wanted It This Way, Teamsters In Wash D.C Honored
There Request(s) Without Our Knowledge Or Approvable For Consideration And Acceptance.
Then Comes The Creation Of Teamsters-Rx. This Is Unconsciounable That This Has Occured.

To Date, This New Creation Has Caused Undue And Unnecessary Hardship(s).
This Is The Results Since Creation, I am Wondering What 6 Month's From Now Will Be Like.

Since January 2010 Teamsters-RX Was Started In Manchester, NH. ... It's Now Febuary 2010 And
They Have Relocated To Florida, Hmmm, What's Up with That?.

The Company I Work For Cover's The USA, The US Operations Are Controlled By The Teamsters
and We Thought It's Membership.
International Teamster's Are Not Listening To There Membership. Also, We Have A "No Strike Clause".
I Also Suspect They Are Considered Too Big To Fail.

One Last Occurring Thought, When The Same Teamster Group, Minus J.Hoffa Jr At That Time
Came To The Current Membership To Get The Teamster's Recognized And Have The Vote To Get Them
In The Door To Start Our New Local, They Already Had The Contract Signed a Year Before And
Never Communicated This To Any Of Us, We Found That Out Later, Too Late.

Any Success Of Any Organization Is Based On It's Leadership, Honesty Is Part Of The Equation.
My Pop's Told Me This More Than Once, I Want To Share This With You,
"School Is For Learning, Education Is For Life".

Teamster Veteran