A Call to Arms  D.R.I.V.E.

"Labor Unions were not built by men and women who got their feelings hurt or quit after the first disappointment."...                                                                                                    Mrs Josephine Hoffa

Why Should I Get Involved?

How would you like to become more politically influential than ninety-nine percent of the population?

Would you like to become so influential for the things you care about that candidates and public officials come to you for support, seek out your opinions and come to know you on a first name basis. Or so important that your opinions help shape the political debate. How is this possible? By getting involved in a political party.


Political Parties Are Just People

Political parties in some form or another have existed since the foundation of our country. Their “philosophies” have changed over time however, as members come and go. In other words, they're no better than the people that comprise them at any given time.

For example, think of a political party as a bus that a group of people use to get from one place to another. Every few years the bus pulls over to the side of the road, people get on, others get off, they fight over the steering wheel, and then it goes down the road for a few more years

D.R.I.V.E

 

Democratic, Republican, Independent Voter Education

In 1959,The Teamsters recognized the need to develop comprehensive legislative and political programs within the union following the passage of the Landrum-Griffin bill and other anti-labor legislation.

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Teamters, BMW Agree to Contract Extension

TEAMSTERS, BMW AGREE TO CONTRACT EXTENSION

 
August 11, 2011
BMW Had Planned To Lay Off California Employees At End Of August
PRESS CONTACT
Ed Rendon, (626) 712-7907

(ONTARIO, Calif.) — An agreement has been reached between Teamsters Local 495 leadership and BMW to extend the current contract for six months at BMW’s parts distribution facility. BMW management also committed to work with the Teamsters during this period to reach a mutually acceptable solution that addresses long-term employment for the current BMW workforce in Ontario, Calif.

Teamsters Local 495 represents 68 workers at the Ontario parts distribution facility. BMW had planned to fire all its Ontario workers at the end of August, and immediately re-open the facility with an outsourced, low-paid managerial, clerical and warehouse work force.

“This agreement shows what Teamsters can do when we stand together and fight back,” said Teamsters General President Jim Hoffa. “Teamsters across the country, and unions that represent BMW and supply-chain workers across the globe, took part in numerous solidarity actions this summer in support of these workers. I am hopeful that the contract extension signals a new path for BMW and the Teamsters.”

“Many of these employees have worked at BMW for decades,” said Bob Lennox, Secretary-Treasurer of Teamsters Local 495. “They were facing foreclosures on their homes and loss of their health insurance at a time of record unemployment in Southern California. BMW had hired union-hostile law firm Jackson Lewis to outsource these jobs, but I am confident that BMW will honor its promises to find a solution to keep their longtime, dedicated workforce and ensure that these jobs remain good, middle-class jobs.”

The German automobile giant Bavarian Motor Works AG is America’s most popular automaker for luxury-class autos. BMW had the highest earnings ever in its 95-year history last quarter. It had global sales of almost $81 billion in 2010, or about $848,000 per employee, ranking it number 82 on Fortune’s Global 500 list. BMW also received over $3.6 billion in secret low-interest loans during the 2008-2009 U.S. taxpayer bailout.

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

Action Checklist

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  • Find out who your City representatives are
  • Sign up for D.R.I.V.E.
  • Contact your Teamster Political Department 
  • Get involved in your community. 
  • Take our message to the public
  • Join the get-out-the-vote-phone bank for your local union
  • Check this website for updated information and bulletins  

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