Teamsters Local 391

What's New at Local 391

Updated On: Jul 20, 2010 (15:23:00)

Contact Senator Kay Hagan

Local 391 UPS members -

President Claude Gray advises fellow UPS-Teamsters that Fed-Ex has enjoyed an unfair advantage over UPS for decades. Fed-Ex drivers are subject to the same organizing rules as ailrine pilots, making organizing very difficult. There is legislation moving through the US Senate to correct this injustice and properly classify Fed-Ex drivers. Please call and urge Senator Hagan to support the Express Carrier Employee Protection Act and that Fed-Ex drivers are not pilots.

UPS Members Call Senator Hagan at (202) 224-6342 as soon as possible!

Local 391 Law Enforcement members

Local 391 Trustee Rick Armstrong advises fellow law enforcement Teamsters that the US Senate is considering legistation (Senate amendment 4174) that would give law enforcement officers across the US the right to negotiate working conditions, salary, and benefits with their government employer. Please call and urge Senator Hagan to support Senate amendment 4174, the bill that would allow NC law enforcement officers to collectively bargain.

Law Enforcement Members Call Senator Hagan at (202) 224-6342 as soon as possible!

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Teamsters & NC State Budget

Posted On: Jul 15, 2010 (17:21:17)

Teamsters Beat Back Furloughs In State Budget

Everyone knows that times are tough and North Carolina’s state government is feeling that pinch as bad as anyone. Facing an $800 million dollar shortfall, the General Assembly was faced with some tough choices and in the end, everyone felt a little pain.

No Pay cuts

“The state budget is not like the federal budget,” said Rob Black, Lobbyist for Teamsters Local 391. “The state of North Carolina can’t just print money or engage in deficit spending. By order of the state’s constitution, we have to have a balanced budget. During tough economic times, as jobs are lost so is the state’s tax revenue, so legislators are forced to run the government with less money.”

The General Assembly passed into law a $19 billion dollar budget that scales back many public services. Fortunately, there are no across the board pay cuts, layoffs or furloughs for public employees. And there are no tax increases. A provision was left in the budget that gives local school boards the authority to furlough if the need arises, but the provision also included a “floor” of $32,000, so that no one making less than that could be furloughed.

Floor Protects Teamsters

“In this tough budget year, we were pleased to get the furlough floor,” said Rachel Wells, Teamsters Local 391 Public Employees Representative. “The final number of $32,000 actually represents a six percent increase that we fought for and won. The goal is always to spare economic pain for as many of our members as possible.”

Collective Bargaining Lobby Day

Updated On: Jul 12, 2010 (16:17:00)

Collective Bargaining Day - Local 391 participated on June 15, 2010 in Raleigh, NC

Watch the video of Stephanie Daye's speech - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IyV24CPpVl8

Teamsters Lobby for Collective Bargaining Rights for

Public Employees

Teamsters Local 391 is well-known for its members’ political activism. The union can flood a legislative office with phone calls and emails in a moment’s notice. As effective as those methods are, nothing beats meeting with a legislator in person, looking them in the eye and asking for their support. Recently, members from sectors across the union – public, private and retirees went to the NC General Assembly to garner support for school district members issues.

The Teamsters are part of the multi-faceted HOPE (Hear Our Public Employees) Coalition that is trying to overturn the state’s ban on public employee collective bargaining. Every year, organizations in the HOPE Coalition hold a Lobby Day, for rank and file members to come down to the NC General Assembly and let legislators know that the injustice of public employees being barred from collective bargaining needs to be overturned.

Teamsters member Stephanie Daye is a school bus driver in Durham Public Schools and spoke to a rally in front of the General Assembly. “Every day, I ensure that the precious cargo of North Carolina parents gets to and from school safely,” said Stephanie Daye.

“Because of my professionalism, and that of my fellow bus drivers, parents can rest easy knowing their kids are safe. Safe transportation for our school children is just one of the many services provided by public employees that add to our quality of life here in North Carolina. Unfortunately, many policymakers don’t fully value the services that we provide. They don’t want our input and they don’t want to partner with us in trying to achieve cost effective measures to save taxpayer dollars. I’ve got both insight and knowledge from the front lines of being a bus driver that I would gladly share across the bargaining table.”

Collective bargaining was not the only issue that Teamster members let their legislators know about. “This is a tough budget year, but we wanted the Representatives and Senators to know that cutting classified school employees would only cost the state more money in the long run,” said Pedro Rivera, a Teamster school bus driver in Wake County. “I was able to meet with several legislators and find out exactly where they stood. Fortunately, many of them pledged to do all they could for Teamster members.”

The Lobby Day visits were brief but intense. After a full morning of meetings, a bus came to take Triad-area members back home to their families. “I’m glad that I came and did this today,” said Winston Wellington a custodian at Guilford County Schools. “The local union may have political representatives working constantly on my behalf, but it felt good to engage in the process for myself. We must never forget that all of these members of the General Assembly work for us.”