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UPSers Elect Shop Stewards

UPS twi-midnight steward vote-webUPSers on the Twilight and Midnight shifts got a taste of union democracy when they cast their ballots in the first shop steward elections held on those shifts in decades.

Congratulations to Keith Sobolewski who was elected shop steward on the Twilight shift and to Brian Roberts who was elected shop steward on the Midnight shift.

Shop steward elections were held in Package and on the Preload shift as well. Congratulations to Tom Salvatore (Metro Center) and Bill Gyra (South Center) and Andy Brady who was elected shop steward on the Preload. The UPS West center (package) elected Mike Primrose to steward.

Thanks to all members who voted. Let’s work together to enforce the contract.

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Moving Ahead and Fighting for the Future

matt-taibi-200-225Message from Matt Taibi
Secretary-Treasurer

Welcome to the new Local 251 website. Members voted for new leadership and a new direction in our union last fall. Your new leadership team took office on January 1. Local 251 members are stepping up and together we are getting our union back on track.

As promised, your leadership team has cut the salaries of Local 251 officers and business agents by more than $300,000 a year. These funds will be put to work for you, organizing to win good contracts, representing members, and enforcing your rights.

Local 251 is your union. Members are choosing their Contract Negotiating Committees and shop steward elections are being held and scheduled.

More than 110 stewards filled our Union Hall for a Shop Steward seminar. I felt proud to see shop stewards—new and old—coming together to make plans to enforce members’ rights.

Local 251 Power won’t be rebuilt overnight. But we’re moving in the right direction thanks to stewards and members who are stepping up, getting involved and making a difference.

Come out to union meetings. File a grievance. Get involved.  It’s time to come together and move ahead.

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New Local 251 Leaders Cut Their Own Salaries by More than $300,000

Your new Local 251 leadership team is cutting the fat and putting your dues to work for you.

On its first day in office, the new Executive Board voted to cut the salaries of all officers and business agents by more than $300,000 a year. The money saved will be used on programs to benefit the members.

The highest-ranking officers led by example. Secretary-Treasurer Matt Taibi and President Paul Santos reduced their salary by more than $60,000 each.

“We promised to save the our Union more than $250,000 a year by cutting excessive salaries,” said President Paul Santos. “We didn’t just keep our promise. We made deeper cuts and reduced our pay by more than $300,000.”

“Local 251’s treasury belongs to the members. We will protect the members’ dues money and put it work negotiating strong contracts and enforcing members’ rights,” said Secretary-Treasurer Matt Taibi.

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Moving Ahead, Overcoming Sabotage

The new Local 251 is moving ahead despite shredding and sabotage by outgoing officers.

After the election, Secretary-Treasurer Matt Taibi reached out to Joe Bairos and the outgoing Local 251 leadership to coordinate a smooth transition. Bairos responded by shredding documents, sabotaging computer equipment and impeding the transition at every turn.

As for former President Kevin Reddy. There are no signs that he has even been in the Local 251 Union Hall in the last two years. The only paperwork in Reddy’s office was a stack of direct deposit receipts left for him on his desk and grievance files that are two years old.

It’s a sad reminder of what happens when Union officials forget the Teamster constitutional oath that, “It is the members that put me here and the members whom I will serve.”

Other former Business Agents have worked with Local 251 to keep our union moving forward. We thank them for putting the members first.

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Contract Negotiations Update

The outgoing officers left behind contract negotiations that were never finished and contract files that were disorganized. That’s not stopping the new Local 251.

The new leadership appointed Dave Robbins as Contract Coordinator to keep contract negotiations on track.

Robbins and Business Agents are resuming negotiations with Employers where contracts talks were never finished by the old Local 251 officers. They are also preparing to open negotiations where contracts are set to expire.

The new Local 251 includes a new approach to contract negotiations. In every contract, members will have a voice in setting the union’s bargaining proposals and in choosing the Bargaining Committee that will negotiate with the employer.

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YRC Teamsters Approve Revised Contract

YRC Teamsters nationwide voted to approve a contract extension by a vote of 12,267 to 6,314, following an earlier offer from the company that was rejected by 61 percent. Local 251 members voted 77 to 65 to approve the agreement.

The revised offer eliminated some concessions in the original offer.

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Shop Stewards: Our Union’s Frontline

Local 251 is taking action to increase union representation and fill shop steward vacancies.

Where resignations and vacancies left members without shop steward representation, we have recruited volunteers and made temporary shop steward appointments.

In the new Local 251, every member has the right to elect their shop steward.

Members can call for a shop steward election by turning in a petition for an election that is signed by over 30 percent of the Teamsters in a bargaining unit.

Voting will be fair and transparent with observers present.