June 5, 2005

What is going on with the Teamsters supporting President Bush in his plan to dismantle Social Security, and the Teamsters playing kissy-face with a congressman who want to eliminate the Federal Employers’ Liability Act (FELA)?

I can’t figure this one out. Maybe the BLET, which is now absorbed into the Teamsters, will explain just what is going on.

Social Security is very important to railroaders because the Tier I component of Railroad Retirement is directly linked to the financial health of Social Security. Tier I benefits are calucalted the same as Social Security benefits. If Social Security is privatized, or changed in any way, Tier I of Railroad Retirement will be affected.

Of course, the BLET, even before it was absorbed by the Teamsters, was not in step with the rest of rail labor.

You will recall that when the fight began to lower the retirement age under Railroad Retirement for full benefits from age 62 to age 60, and to increase survivor benefits, the BLE (as it was then known) opposed reform.

In fact, the BLE was joined in that opposition by the Brotherhood of Maintenance of Way Employes (which also has been absorbed into the Teamsters.)

By contrast, the UTU was the leader in Railroad Retirement reform. Indeed, all other rail labor organizations (with the exception of the BLE and BMWE) were part of the UTU-led effort.

Only when it became apparent we were going to prevail on Railroad Retirement reform, and make it possible for thousands and thousands of rail workers to retire with full benefits at age 60, did the BLE change its position and say it would no longer oppose Railroad Retirement reform. Sadly, the BMWE remained opposed right up to the time the president signed the reform bill into law.

Now, we find the BLET and the BMWE (as obedient servants of a truck drivers’ union) again out of step with the rest of rail labor – as well as with the AFL-CIO (which the Teamsters keep threatening to quit).

As the newspaper USA Today said in a headline, “Hoffa Praises Bush on Social Security.” The Detroit News said, “Teamsters Leader Hoffa Commends Bush.”

What?

Yes, Jim Hoffa and the Teamsters are praising the Bush administration, which wants to privatize Social Security. What the Teamsters support, the AFL-CIO and all of rail labor -- except the BLET and the BMWE -- oppose.

In return, President Bush has praised Teamsters President Jim Hoffa (remember that Hoffa was a guest of the president – and sat next to Mrs. Bush -- at a State of the Union address by Bush).

Also praising Hoffa is Republican Congressman Sam Johnson of Texas, chairman of the House Employer-Employee Relations Subcommittee.

Remember Congressman Johnson? He is the congressman who said, on the House floor, that Railroad Retirement reform “is a fake, a fraud and a phony … it is absurd that the federal government allows one group of people to retire at age 60.”

More recently, Congressman Johnson made derogatory comments about the Federal Employers’ Liability Act (FELA), and it is said he is sympathetic to the carriers (who contributed $7,000 to his re-election campaign in 2004) in eliminating FELA.

What rail labor (except, apparently, the BLET and the BMWE) understand is that you cannot open up Social Security for change without also opening up Railroad Retirement.

We just fixed Railroad Retirement for the long term and, unlike the Teamsters' Central States Pension Fund, Railroad Retirement is not bankrupt. In fact, Railroad Retirement is in dandy financial shape.

While Teamster drivers are having their pensions frozen because of the sorry state of the Teamsters' pension plan covering truck drivers, railroaders with at least 30 years service are retiring at age 60 with full benefits.

As the BLET, the BMWE and the labor member of the Railroad Retirement Board have acknowledged, it would take an Act of Congress to reopen Railroad Retirement and – God forbid – allow the Teamsters to get their hooks into it.

But if you open Social Security to congressional change, as the president, Jim Hoffa and the Teamsters want, then all bets are off and Railroad Retirement could be in jeopardy, because Railroad Retirement would be open for congressional change, as well.

The Teamsters and the BLET would have you believe that UTU is the one out of step with its members. But consider:

The UTU, but not the BLET and BMWE, supported Railroad Retirement reform.

The UTU (as well as all the rest of rail labor plus the AFL-CIO, but not the BLET and not the BMWE) are saying “hell, no” to the Bush plan on Social Security.

The UTU has applied to rejoin the AFL-CIO. The Teamsters are blocking that request while, at the same time, threatening to quit the AFL-CIO.

Only the UTU is in federal court to block the carriers’ attempt to negotiate an end to FELA; and only the UTU is in federal court to protect crew consist agreements. The BLET is nowhere to be seen or heard on this issue.

Perhaps the rank-and-file of the BLET and the BMWE will recognize just what they have gotten themselves into by joining the Teamsters, and start demanding the Teamsters stop lobbying on behalf of truck drivers only. The Teamsters General Executive Council, the Teamsters' ruling body, is dominated by truck drivers and contains no members from railroad unions.

What the Teamsters and Jim Hoffa are pushing is pretty bad medicine for railroad workers and their families.

 

by the BLET

June 7, 2005

CLEVELAND, June 7 -- While the BLET does not expect the National Mediation Board to rule in favor of the United Transportation Union’s request for a single-craft representation election, the Brotherhood is still prepared for an all-out campaign to protect its membership and the historical operating crafts at the Union Pacific Railroad.

BLET National President Don Hahs today said that one of the reasons the BLET merged with the International Brotherhood of Teamsters nearly two years ago was the inevitability of another UTU attack upon the BLET’s membership.

“At last count, the Teamsters’ Strike and Defense Fund stood at $48 million,” President Hahs said. “The Fund will be used for the purpose of defending ourselves from attacks by the UTU and for aggressive organizing campaigns.”

President Hahs noted that the UTU has unsuccessfully searched for a merger partner in recent months. Leaders of the former BLE ended merger talks with the UTU several years ago after questions regarding the UTU’s finances were brought to the forefront.

Currently, the BLET is responding to demands from UTU members to take over the trainmen’s contract at Norfolk Southern.

“We have committed to the trainmen that any changes to their contract will be voted on by the crafts affected by those changes,” President Hahs said. “The UTU’s 1996 national agreement, which was overwhelmingly rejected by UTU membership, was still put into effect when the UTU’s President overruled the vote and agreed to binding arbitration. So even though they had rejected it, the contract was forced on the membership by arbitration. That would not be possible under the BLET.”

President Hahs noted that the BLET’s organizing drive at NS is vastly different from the UTU’s raid at Union Pacific. While the BLET’s NS campaign merely seeks to alter union representation, the UTU’s single-craft campaign recklessly seeks to alter the basic structure of the operating crafts.

“The UTU is taking a dangerous gamble that is not worth taking,” President Hahs said. “The UTU is seeking to combine existing operating crafts to form a new operating craft — and there are no contract agreements in place for that new craft. Do you trust the carriers to simply abide by the current contracts for the new craft? I, for one, do not.”

The UTU also claims that its crew consist agreements would not be affected by the single-craft ruling.

“That’s pure speculation,” President Hahs said. “I am sure the Carrier has a different point of view.”

President Hahs said that contrary to UTU’s allegations, the BLET has done more to protect Federal Employers’ Liability Act than the UTU ever has.

“We have flatly refused to discuss with the Carriers their proposal to alter FELA,” he said. “UTU leaders have already done enough to damage FELA’s reputation.”

President Hahs also stood firmly on the position of separate operating crafts in the rail industry.

“UTU couldn’t care less about operating craft autonomy in the railroad industry,” President Hahs charged. “As evidenced by their Letter of Intent regarding Seniority Maintenance and Seniority Retention fees, they are only concerned about collecting your dues money and the almighty dollar.

“How can they keep a straight face and claim that their campaign is all about preserving craft autonomy when they are asking the NMB to abolish historical operating craft lines? It’s a joke and all rank-and-file members are insulted by UTU’s pandering and spin doctoring.

“Regardless of UTU rhetoric, engineers are engineers and trainmen are trainmen. They’re separate crafts. It’s as simple as that.”