WELCOME TO TEAMSTERS LOCAL UNION 229 

TEAMSTERS LU 229 MERCHANDISE

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SCHOLARSHIP INFORMATION

 November 13 , 2023

 

PLEASE POST ON BULLETIN BOARD

 

 The 29th Annual Teamsters Local 229 Scholarship Golf Tournament will be held on Saturday, August 24, 2024 1:00 p.m shotgun start, at Stone Meadows Golf Course, Bear   Creek, Pa. 

 

 

YRCW/New Penn

TO ALL LOCAL UNIONS HAVING MEMBERS EMPLOYED OR FORMERLY

EMPLOYED BY YELLOW CORPORATION AFFILIATES

I. YELLOW CORPORATION BANKRUPTCY UPDATE

Yellow Corporation and its operating companies (“Yellow”) filed for bankruptcy in the District of Delaware Bankruptcy Court on August 6, 2023. The International Union and TNFINC (the “Union”) have entered an appearance in the case on behalf of Local Teamster Unions whose members hold claims against Yellow’s operating companies—YRC Inc., USF Holland, LLC, New Penn Motor Express, LLC, and USF Reddaway, Inc. Claims filed by the Union include contract claims for vacation pay, sick pay, and other paid time, as well as grievance pay. Yellow is continuing the process of selling its assets to fund repayment to its creditors.

Yellow’s secured creditors have been paid in full. Teamster members hold both “priority” and “general unsecured” claims against Yellow. Priority claims cannot be paid until after the estate completes its sales and reconciles the priority claims. General unsecured creditors cannot be paid until a “plan of reorganization” is confirmed. A plan of reorganization accounts for all of Yellow’s debts and describes how and when the debts will be repaid. While the sale process thus far has garnered positive results, the union cannot predict the amount of repayment employees will receive. The Union is also unable to guarantee a specific repayment timeline. Part of the claim reconciliation process involves Yellow objecting to claims that it believes it does not owe, either on procedural or substantive grounds.

I. MEMBER WARN ACT CLAIMS

The Union filed claims on behalf of members citing Yellow’s failure to comply with the Federal Worker Adjustment and Retraining Act (“WARN Act”) and its State law analogues. Not every Teamster member affected by the Yellow bankruptcy will be eligible to receive potential WARN Act damages. The Union will work, however, to ensure all eligible members receive the WARN Act damages to which they are entitled . As part of the claims reconciliation process, Yellow objected to the Union filed claims, as well as any individually filed WARN Act claims, on March 12, 2024. The Union filed a response on behalf of all bargaining unit members, stating that all WARN Act claims should be deemed allowed, on March 28, 2024. By responding to Yellow’s objection to Teamster WARN claims the Union has put member WARN claims into issue, which will require a trial to resolve.

Some members may have filed their own WARN Act or other claims through the proof of claim filing process. Such members may have received an objection from Yellow entitled: DEBTORS’ [THIRD, FOURTH, FIFTH] OMNIBUS (SUBSTANTIVE) OBJECTION TO PROOFS OF CLAIM FOR WARN LIABILITY

The Union’s response to the above referenced objections was styled to encompass all Teamster member WARN Act claims, and therefore, individuals do not need to respond to the objection. Moving forward, the Union will continue to pursue members’ Federal and State WARN Act claims in the Yellow bankruptcy proceeding. Importantly, the Union does not charge members any fee for this representation. Some members may have retained their own independent counsel to represent them in this bankruptcy, and that independent counsel may charge a contingency or other fee for this service. If you are a member who has retained independent counsel, the Union encourages you to ensure you understand the fee arrangement to which you have agreed. Members can choose to forego independent counsel in light of the Union’s continued representation of all bargaining unit members in regard to their WARN Act claims. The Union will continue to update members about the bankruptcy process and the status of member claims.

UPDATE

To: Yellow Corp. Local Unions (including YRC Freight, Holland, New Penn and Reddaway)

From: John A. Murphy, National Freight Director and Co-Chair, TNFINC

Date: January 26, 2024 Re: Yellow Corporation Bankruptcy Update

TO ALL LOCAL UNIONS HAVING MEMBERS EMPLOYED OR FORMERLY EMPLOYED BY YELLOW CORPORATION AFFILIATES

This memorandum is an important update to the Yellow bankruptcy proceedings. Please review this memo carefully.

I. YELLOW CORPORATION BANKRTUPCY UPDATE Yellow Corporation and its operating companies filed for bankruptcy in the District of Delaware Bankruptcy Court on August 6, 2023. The International Union and TNFINC (the “Union”) have entered an appearance in the case on behalf of Local Teamster Unions whose members hold claims against Yellow’s operating companies—YRC Inc., USF Holland, LLC, New Penn Motor Express, LLC, and USF Reddaway, Inc.

Yellow Corporation is currently in the process of selling off its assets to gain cash to pay its debts. In December 2023, Yellow successfully auctioned 130 properties for $1.88 billion, selling primarily to existing transportation companies. In January 2024, Yellow successfully auctioned 23 properties for $83 million. Yellow has engaged the services of Ritchie Bros., an asset management and disposition company, as its agent to sell trucks, tractors, and all other rolling stock assets. Rolling stock asset sales are ongoing. The union is also hopeful that asset sales will complete within this year. The proceeds from the effectuated and remaining sales are not immediately available to creditors. Bankruptcy law mandates a specific order of repayment of debts with specific conditions. Yellow must first pay down its secured debt. The secured debt totals approximately $1.5 billion. January 26, 2024 Page 2 After asset sales are complete, Yellow must confirm a “plan of reorganization.” A plan of reorganization accounts for all of Yellow’s debts and describes how and when the debts will be repaid. As a member of the Unsecured Creditors Committee, the union has the opportunity to vote for or against confirmation of a proposed plan of reorganization. Only after a plan is confirmed can priority and general unsecured claims be paid.

The process of plan confirmation can be lengthy. After confirmation of a plan of reorganization, Yellow must pay down the administrative costs of the estate, usually consisting of the professional fees associated with managing the bankruptcy proceedings. Next, Yellow must pay employee priority claims. Employee priority claims are limited to the amount employees are owed by its operating companies that accrued within six months of the companies’ bankruptcy filings.

The priority amount is capped by the court at $15,150. Any employee claims accrued outside of the six months prior to Yellow’s bankruptcy filing date, or any employee claims in excess of $15,150, are categorized as general unsecured claims and may not be paid before any other general unsecured claims. General unsecured claims are the lowest priority claim that the union expects to receive even partial repayment. While the sale process thus far has garnered positive results, the union cannot predict the amount of repayment employees will receive. The union is also unable to guarantee a specific repayment timeline. The union is optimistic, however, that the ongoing sales will garner proceeds in excess of the secured debt and administrative expenses, guaranteeing employees to at least some repayment. The union will continue to advocate for member claims to be repaid in full and as quickly as practicable.

II. DEBTORS’ OBJECTIONS TO CLAIMS Yellow Corporation received approximately 19,285 claims from various creditors. Some of these claims are redundant, such as identical claims that were submitted both through the internet and sent by mail. Some claims are moot, such as claims that were amended at a later date. Yellow is objecting to claims on these and other procedural bases. If you filed multiple proof of claims that are identical, or you amended a proof of claim, you may receive a notice from the bankruptcy court stating that Yellow is attempting to disallow one of your claims. If you receive a letter with the following heading: “NOTICE OF DEBTORS’ [FIRST, SECOND, THIRD, etc.] OMNIBUS (NON-SUBSTANTIVE) OBJECTION TO CLAIMS PURSUANT TO BANKRUPTCY CODE SECTIONS 502(B) AND 503(B), BANKRUPTCY RULES 3003 AND 3007, AND LOCAL RULE 3007-1” January 26, 2024 Page 3 Please review the claim number specified by Yellow to be disallowed. You can look up your claim numbers at . Reviewing the claim on the Epiq website will inform you of the value of the claim to which Yellow is objecting and whether you submitted multiple or amended claims in this case. The union has also filed four omnibus proof of claims against each of the operating companies on behalf of affected Teamsters on November 13, 2023. The union’s omnibus proofs of claim include claims for vacation, sick personal, and grievance related pay as well as WARN Act damages and additional compensatory damages. Where Teamsters have also filed their own proofs of claim, Yellow Corporation and the union will have to compare and reconcile such claims with the omnibus proofs of claim. The process of reconciling claims will take extensive time. Yellow has not yet begun reconciling duplicative claims. JAM/ae

UPS

                   Here is a link to the 2023 UPS Master and relevant Supplement/Rider vote ratification results for each UPS Teamster local:    

  https://teamster.org/ups-ta-2023-2028/?fbclid=IwAR2mijIk6E8Fx0zHDaTbSwRQEIwC9pf_HsEqz6hl6PLtI1XDGz7TK9BoOK0

Locals Representing 340K UPS Workers Nearly Unanimously Recommend Contract

Press Contact: Kara Deniz Email: (202) 497-6610

(WASHINGTON) – Teamsters local unions representing 340,000 full- and part-time workers at UPS voted 161-1 on Monday to endorse the tentative agreement reached with the delivery giant on July 25 and recommend its passage by the full membership.

Of the 176 local unions with UPS members, 14 affiliates failed to show up to a meeting in Washington, DC, to review the tentative agreement.

At least two representatives from all other local unions discussed more than 60 changes and improvements to the UPS Teamsters National Master Agreement, the largest private-sector collective bargaining agreement in North America. The gains achieved during negotiations, which occurred regionally and nationally since January, are larger and more lucrative than any previous Teamsters contract at UPS. The tentative agreement, valued at $30 billion, establishes record wage increases for all workers for the life of the contract, installation of air conditioning in new vehicles, the end of an unfair two-tier wage system, catch-up raises for part-timers, Martin Luther King Day as a paid holiday for the first time, new language to prevent forced overtime on days off, and other huge wins.

Now that local unions have nearly unanimously endorsed the tentative agreement, all rank-and-file UPS Teamsters will have the chance to vote on ratification from August 3-22.

“The entire UPS Teamsters National Negotiating Committee stands behind this historic contract and our UPS local unions have resoundingly voted to endorse it,” said Teamsters General President Sean M. O’Brien. “Our tentative agreement is richer, stronger, and more far-reaching than any settlement ever negotiated in the history of American organized labor. The Teamsters are immensely proud of reaching agreement with UPS to improve the lives of our members, their families, and working people across the country.”

Founded in 1903, the International Brotherhood of Teamsters represents 1.2 million hardworking people in the U.S., Canada, and Puerto Rico. Visit Teamster.org for more information. Follow us on Twitter @Teamsters and “like” us on Facebook at Facebook.com/teamsters.

TForce

New Contract Protecting Nearly 8,000 Workers Overwhelmingly Approved

Press Contact: Daniel Moskowitz Phone: (770) 262-4971 Email: dmoskowitz@teamster.org

(WASHINGTON) – Teamsters have overwhelmingly ratified a new national contract at TForce Freight by 81 percent. The five-year master agreement provides members with significant improvements to wages and benefits, and safeguards against subcontracting and technology.

“Teamsters at TForce have set a powerful example for how to take on the employer and win a strong agreement. Over the next five years, TForce workers will continue to establish better standards for freight under this contract, including the most lucrative economic package in the industry and vital protections for technology, pension, health care, and safety,” said Sean M. O’Brien, Teamsters General President and Chair of the Teamsters National Freight Industry Negotiating Committee (TNFINC).

The agreement will go into effect August 1, 2023, and expire July 31, 2028. Contract highlights include:

• Wage Increases: The highest wage increases in the history of the national contract. Full-time local cartage and clerks will receive increases of $4.50 per hour over the life of the agreement. Road drivers will receive industry-leading increases to their current mileage rate over the length of the deal, starting at $0.7557 in August 2023 and increasing to $0.8257 by January 2028. The agreement eliminates split wage increases and two-tier wages.

• Health, Welfare, and Pension Contributions: TForce is required to increase its contributions to health, welfare, and pension plans. These contributions will provide vital support for members’ health care and retirement needs.

• Technology Safeguards: The agreement includes provisions to safeguard members’ rights and well-being from invasive technology. It prevents discipline from cameras and prohibits the use of robots, driverless vehicles, drones, or other technology to move freight or replace drivers, clerks, or dockworkers.

• Additional Holiday: Martin Luther King Day has been added as a paid holiday.

• Safety: All newly purchased equipment and vehicles must have air conditioning.

• Discretionary Days and Vacation: Starting January 1, 2024, two additional discretionary days will be added to the contractual floor, increasing the minimum number of paid days from four to six. There will be no blackout dates.

• Work Rule Protections: Shuttle and drayage work will not count towards the guarantee covered under the agreement. Road drivers will only perform road work and cannot work the docks except for the current mini-hub operations. TForce must have approval from the Teamsters for any other expansion of mini-hub operations.

• Protections Against Subcontracting: Road drivers would be protected against subcontracting. Penalties have been put in place to ensure rail and subcontracting come back into the bargaining unit.

“Our members at TForce have spoken loud and clear, and they overwhelmingly agree this new contract will deliver massive economic gains and non-economic improvements,” said John A. Murphy, Teamsters National Freight Director and TNFINC Co-Chair. “The entire union thanks our lead negotiators Kris Taylor and Ed Thompson and the full negotiating team for their efforts to bargain an industry-defining agreement. Most of all, we thank the tireless and dedicated rank-and-filers who served on the negotiating committee to improve the lives of their fellow Teamsters at TForce.”

Teamsters voted in-person last week and ballots were counted on Sunday. The agreement covers approximately 7,800 Teamsters at 126 local unions throughout the U.S. 

Founded in 1903, the International Brotherhood of Teamsters represents 1.2 million hardworking people in the U.S., Canada, and Puerto Rico.

Visit Teamster.org for more information. Follow us on Twitter @Teamsters and “like” us on Facebook at Facebook.com/teamsters.

EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY

COVINGTON TOWNSHIP NEW FULL-TIME AND PART- TIME POLICE OFFICERS

PIPELINE/CONSTRUCTION

April 1, 2023

TO ANY MEMBERS WORKING PIPELINE/CONSTRUCTION IN TEAMSTERS LOCAL UNION 229

Effective immediately the following procedure will be followed in regards to the pipeline list, due to the fact that notification by letter will be sent to those on the call out list for the Pipeline in regards to how Teamsters LU 229 will send out workers to jobs that become available in the Local and Pipeline contract:

1.    The pipeline list is good for 180 days, you must let the Agent know that you want to be retained on the list with your name, phone number, qualifications every 180 days, it is the members responsibility to be renewed every 180 days.  If your qualifications change it is your responsibility to let the agent know to change it on the list.

2.    If a member is called for a job they can refuse once and are skipped, the second refusal they are removed from the list until the next list is effective and they must call in to be put on that list.

3.    A member must be available immediately for work, example you are called at 8:00 a.m. for work at 9:00 a.m. you are working elsewhere, you refuse, your name is removed until  you quit that job and let the agent know they are available your name then goes back on the list.

4.    Stewards put to work – Being a Steward, you must be able to do all aspects of the job, you are only a Steward for that job, when that job is finished you must put yourself back on the list available for work.

Fraternally,

Joe Secor

Vice President

Business Representative

Major Energy Construction Projects Prepare to Break Ground

Hundreds of positions need to be filled for two major energy construction projects set to get underway in Alaska’s North Slope.

The two projects are the Willow Project and the Pikka Project — ventures that took years to come to fruition following critical input from the International Brotherhood of Teamsters and Teamsters Local 959.

Among the hundreds of open positions are lowboy hauling, pipe stringing, side dumps, line haul/over-the-road, semi-end dump, water tankers, construction drivers, surveyors, and hostlers. Experienced drivers are needed as well.

The jobs will employ Teamsters from Anchorage to Prudhoe Bay in various positions with many contractors. Wage packages will be competitive, with health care and pension benefits included.

Join Alaska Teamsters and help build American energy independence in some of the most unique worksites on the planet. Visit akteamsters.com/freight-surveyors-line-haul-construction-pipeline-jobs/ to access the application portal and find frequently asked questions. For more details, contact the Local 959 dispatcher at (907) 751-8566.

April 4, 2023

PLEASE POST ON UNION BULLETIN BOARD

Teamsters Local 229 current Executive Board has been notified by the International Brotherhood of Teamsters General Counsel, that the recent appeal of the decision of JC 53 was upheld favorably for Teamsters Local Union 229. The Appeal was filed by former Executive Board member Brother John McAdarra, Scranton Counseling Center in regards to the Officers Election which was held in October 2022.

The decision of the IBT General Counsel to uphold the original decision of Teamsters JC 53, is an honest and fair one, based on facts presented to both Counsels.  Teamsters Local Union 229 will continue to always work for members rights.

Teamsters Local Union 229 will continue to follow the IBT Constitution and current LU 229 By-Laws and any future revisions to either.

Teamsters Local Union 229 Executive Staff and Principal Officer would like to thank the IBT General Counsel for their time in the review of the appeal.

Fraternally,

Eugene Allen

President Teamsters

Local Union

Executive Board

POLITICAL

TEAMSTERS JOINT COUNCIL 53 ANNOUNCED AT THE 2023 PA CONFERENCE THE ENDORSEMENT FOR THE FOLLOWING:

JILL BECK, CIVIL LIGTIGATOR AT BLANK ROME AND CANDIDATE FOR PA SUPERIOR COURT

JUDGE PAT DUGAN, CANDIDATE FOR PA SUPERIOR COURT

DANIEL MCCAFFERY, SUPERIOR COURT JUDGE, CANDIDATE FOR PA SUPREME COURT

  TEAMSTERS LOCAL UNION 229 WELCOMES THE OPPORTUNITY TO MEET WITH AND DISCUSS HOW WE CAN HELP TO BUILD A STRONGER WORKFORCE

we represent ALL work fields i.e.,(trucking, warehouse, law enforcement, township DPW, manufacturing, health care, social worker and many more)  

If you work for an employer whose workers are not part of a Union and you want to help to build a Union in your workplace, CONTACT US button on our MORE PAGE. Fill out the questionnaire, and push the submit button.  We'll immediately put you in touch with a LOCAL Union Official who can talk to you about Unions and what it takes to organize.  

Teamsters Local Union 229 has organized Milford Pike CID Unit, congratulations to these hard working ,dedicated employees and now members of Teamsters Local Union 229!