Owners-Operators and Drivers Have Been Exploited For Too Long

It's Time For A Change!

Join The Teamsters Union To... Win The Power To Make Positive Changes In  Our Lives
Q. How much does it cost to join the Teamsters?

A. For owner-operators and drivers who join the Teamsters during the Union organizing campaign, Union Dues are $25 per month. There is No Initiation Fee for any owner-operator or driver who joins the Teamsters during the organizing campaign and remains a member until we win our first contract.

Owner-operators and drivers are encouraged to pay their Union dues through direct bank draft deduction. The money is directly deducted from your bank, so you don't have to worry about fading behind. People who choose to pay directly (not through bank draft deduction) will be required to pay in six month increments.

Q. How can joining the Teamsters Union help?

A. Right now, everyone is competing with everyone else, which only drives down the rates and prevents us from working together. Instead of competing with each other, owner-operators, drivers and Teamsters should work together to stop the downward spiral that is dragging us all down.
Once we have an industry-wide organization, we can demand better rates and a Union contract that guarantees a livable income, health insurance, retirement and a better future for ourselves and our families with security.

Q. Why are owner-operators and drivers joining the Teamster Union?

A. Lots of reasons, but here are a few good examples:

· Rates are falling or staying the same, but costs keep rising.
· There is not enough money to maintain the trucks.
· Insurance costs are too high.
· Cant afford to pay taxes.
· No health insurance or retirement
· Waiting for hours without getting paid.
· After expenses, our income is barely minimum wage!
· All the responsibilities.
· No security.

Q. What are Union dues used for?

A. Union dues are just like membership fees in any other organization. They pay the salaries and expenses of running the Union office, for organizing expenses, contract negotiations and lawyers to work for the members, for office supplies and equipment utility bills, etc. Teamsters Local 174 has over 6,500 members, with assets over $3 million. Teamster members have a legal right to review the financial documents of their Union to see how their dues money is spent

Q. Who exactly runs the Teamsters?

A. The workers are the union. The members of the Teamsters Local 174 elect their Local Union officers every three yearn. Every five years, all 1.4 million Teamsters sled the officers and the Executive Board of the International Union. The Teamsters Union will provide legal assistance to anyone who is fired for Union activity. We have won 4 out of 4 cases defending the owner-operators right to organize and not be fired for exercising their legal rights. Employers do break the law, and when they do, the Union does everything in its power to bring them to justice. The companies don't own the trucks, and the freight isn't going away. If enough people stand together, intimidation wont work!

Q. Why does thie Union want us to be classified as "Employees?' Won't we lose our independence and our tax write-offs?

A. We are already treated like employees when it suits the companies, but we have none of the legal rights of employees; such as minimum wage for our labor or the right to join a Union. If we join together as independent contractors" and demand more money, we are accused of price-fixing because we are considered to be businesspeople, not employees. By winning employee status, we will have the right to unionize, and will be protected by U.S. labor laws. As employee owner-operators and drivers, we would still own our trucks, and could negotiate the right to refuse a dispatch into our Union contract. Concerning taxes, even as employees we could still write off our business expenses, and we would only pay half (1/2) of the taxes we pay now, because our employer would have to pay the otter halt.

Q. What happens if we don't go Union?

A. Just the treat of a Union gets company owners talking about improvements; but we must build a Union to win permanent gains. Without a Union, owner-operators and drivers will continue to earn poverty wages, and have no control over our trucks or our futures. By joining the Teamsters Union, owner-operators and drivers can unite with thousands of already unionized Teamsters, and stop getting run over by the shippers and railroads. Without a Union, owner-operators and drivers will remain below industry standards, and will have no protection as the industry changes. Together, we can win a better future for our families, and ourselves but it will take the guts and conviction to overcome management opposition and peoples individual fears, Is it worth it? Just ask Teamster drivers; the answer is "Yes!'

Q. Does joining the Teamsters Union mean we have to go on strike?

A. No one can force owner-operators and drivers out on strike. We have to vote by secret ballot to strike. Strikes are rare, but like at United Parcel Service and Boeing, they can be an important tool for workers to win fairness on the job. A strike is a tactic of last resort, but it would be extremely powerful. More than 98% of all Union contacts are settled without a strike The possible organized action of the owner-operators is the strength that will get us to the negotiating table. That is how the International Longshore Union built their Union POWER over the years. That is why ILWU members have a good Union contract and the respect they deserve.

Q. How much will we earn under a Teamster contact?

A. We can't predict the outcome of our Union campaign, since the level of support from owner-operators and drivers will decide it One thing is for sure; by unionizing the majority of owner-operators and drivers in Seattle and Tacoma, we can't fight for higher rates and win a better standard of living. There are many owner-operators already in the Teamsters Union today. Under a Teamster contract, we will demand a "Two-check System"; we want one check for our truck, and another check for our labor. That way, we can negotiate the money we need to maintain our equipment and also negotiate decent wages far ourselves.

What does being a Teamster Organizing Committee Member Mean?

An active organizing committee is the most important element in a successful Union campaign. It is the foundation upon which a strong union is built The inside organizing committee provides the Leadership. Inspiration, & Hard Work to win and sustain majority support among the workforce. The organizing committee teaches people what a union really is, and shows people they don't have to be afraid to stand up to management.

The organizing committee has a number of critical functions during the union organizing campaign.

· Provides Leadership: By openly supporting the union, taking part in planning and carrying out campaign activities.
· Educates by:
1. Home Visits to discuss the issues people are concerned about and answer their questions about what a union really is.
2. Distributing literature and information to educate drivers about what our rights are, building union power and what having a voice on the job really means.
3. Sign up other drivers for Teamster membership and other support petitions and union events.
4. Building lists of names and addresses at each company so our campaign can communicate with everyone on the waterfront.
5. Answer questions from our fellow drivers about what a union is and how this campaign will build the power we need to solve the many difficult problems we face.

We are the union; No One can hand us a voice on the job and the fairness we deserve. WE MUST WORK FOR IT! Now is the time for owner-operator/drivers to make a positive change... It's OUR union, it's OUR responsibility to build it!!!

Join the Teamster Organizing Committee and LET'S GET ON WITH IT.