Posts tagged drivers
Union Gets Big Pay Raise at Inefficient West Coast Ports
June 21, 2023 // The disruption tactics the ILWU has been using over the past few months to gain leverage in negotiations appear to have hurt its own members this year, with paid work hours down 25 percent through April 14 compared to the same period last year. That’s partly due to shippers choosing other ports and partly due to dockworkers working less on union orders. Common work actions include assigning fewer workers and slowing down the pace of work. The JOC said that cranes at the port of Seattle–Tacoma went from 25 container moves per hour to fewer than ten. As Peter Tirschwell argued on June 6 in the Wall Street Journal, by delaying negotiations for as long as it did, the ILWU might have missed an opportunity for a bigger pay raise. Ocean carriers earned extraordinary profits due to soaring container rates in 2021 and 2022, but those rates came back down to Earth at the end of last year and are largely back to normal now. And the constant uncertainty every time a West Coast contract expires contrasts with the relative ease with which the International Longshoremen’s Association, which represents East Coast dockworkers, has come to contract agreements for decades. The delay-and-prolong approach of the ILWU helps encourage shippers to go elsewhere, leaving less demand for longshore labor on the West Coast.
Amazon drivers, dispatchers stage walkout at Palmdale warehouse
June 16, 2023 // The 84 workers involved in the one-day walkout are employed by logistics partner Battle-Tested Strategies and subcontracted by Amazon. They voted in April to join Teamsters Local 396 in hopes of boosting their wages to $30 hourly by September and securing immediate safety protections. In a statement issued Thursday, Amazon spokeswoman Eileen Hards said facts are “being intentionally misrepresented” by the Teamsters and Battle-Tested Strategies. “This company has a history of underperformance and not providing a safe environment, and was notified that Amazon was ending their contract before the Teamsters got involved to try and re-write the facts,” Hards said.
Northern California workers at cannabis delivery service Grassdoor unionize
March 27, 2023 // “These workers are critical to the success of the cannabis supply chain, and they deserve to have prosperous, sustainable careers that reflect the value they bring to their employers,” Peter Finn, Western Region International vice president and Teamsters Food Processing Division director, said in a statement. “We look forward to working with them on securing better wages, benefits, and working conditions.” Grassdoor driver Alexander Torres joined the union to secure paid vacation and paid time off, according to the release.
TARC management, TARC Union to meet for new contract negotiations Wednesday
November 2, 2022 // The union has already voted to authorize a strike if necessary. Per Kentucky law, public employees like TARC drivers aren't allowed to strike or engage in work stoppage. In a statement, a TARC spokesperson said they're hopeful they'll finalize a contract that provides employees with the best possible wages while also meeting TARC's budgetary responsibilities.
Labor attorney Shannon Liss-Riordan snags government employee union endorsement in AG campaign
April 4, 2022 // The National Association of Government Employees, a Quincy-based union which represents 22,000 public-sector employees in Massachusetts and more than 40,000 nationwide, announced Tuesday that its members unanimously voted to back Liss-Riordan, who hopes to succeed Attorney General Maura Healey, who is running for governor.
Pennsylvania Task Force Wants To Import California’s Catastrophic ‘ABC Test,’ Crush Independent Contractors
March 3, 2022 // However, since the PRO Act is currently stalled in the U.S. Senate—and may be impossible to pass after the 2022 mid-term elections—unions and their political allies are trying to put the ‘ABC Test’ into effect in the statehouses.
NLRB considering overhaul of test for approving smaller unions
December 7, 2021 // The National Labor Relations Board on Tuesday called for input on whether it should revive an Obama-era standard making it easier for unions to organize small groups of employees within a workplace, which had been sharply criticized by trade groups.