When someone thinks of powerful labor unions in the USA, the Teamsters often come to mind. New York Teamsters have just had their pension cut by almost 30%. These cuts are for current retirees. Future retirees will see a19% cut.
From the Daily News:
Pension payouts to retired Teamsters in New York will be cut by roughly 30% starting next month.
The draconian move is a last-ditch effort to keep the New York State Teamsters Conference Pension and Retirement Fund solvent — and it was taken following a vote among its 34,000 members.
The Teamsters fund covers nine local unions, mostly in upstate New York.
The average cut for those who retired with 30 years of service will be about $2,000 — taking most retirees to $3,550 from $5,000.
The rank and file vote on the cuts was strange to say the least.
From the Daily Gazette:
The U.S. Treasury Department on Wednesday announced that active and retired Teamsters across upstate New York had voted against big pension reductions by a more than 2-1 ratio.
But since most of the 34,000-plus eligible Teamsters didn’t vote — and under federal law, an unreturned ballot counts as a “yes” vote — the cuts are approved, and will take effect Oct. 1.
UFT officer-executive board elections are done by mail balloting and the vast majority of members don't vote in these UFT elections. Even with a gigantic pension cut at stake for the Teamsters, less than half voted. The Gazette reported that over 34,000 ballots were mailed out but only 13,869 were returned of which 9,788 were against and only 4,081 were in favor. The 20,767 non-returned ballots were counted as yes votes. My take is this is further evidence that mail in ballots lead to low turnouts.
The Teamsters are in a tough situation with declining workforces but anyone who thinks pension cuts cannot happen with public sector employee pensions is just plain wrong.
What is occurring with the Teamsters is just another reason why we must vote to protect our pensions by voting NO in the general election on November 7 on a Constitutional Convention (Proposition 1). A convention could put reductions to our pensions on the table.
9 comments:
can we get some citation/confirmation that any "non votes" in uft elections, etc., count as yes votes?
that seems really messed-up.
Maybe, like , the UFT could get the word out? Or do they even care? It takes in a lot of dues but it's are really pushing for extra funds from the members and retirees via COPE to deal with what could be a real disaster for NYC teachers. The UFT seems more concerned with its bureaucratic survival, and is hunkering down by preparing for a cut to its extravagant existence via it's god of destruction, Janus. (Don't retire to Florida by the way - what a nightmare.)
Harry
Just as a point of clarification, and not to suggest that this isn't a very big deal, but on a micro level this is issue is not directly related to us. On a macro/class conflict level it is, and on a human/union/solidarity level it most certainly is.
The Teamsters pension funds across the country are in dire straits because they are "multi-employer" funds, dependent on an ever-shrinking number of union signatories paying into the them.
Before becoming a teacher I worked for the musicians union (Local 802, NYC) just long enough to become vested in their pension plan, which is similar to the Teamsters in that it's based on a multitude of employers contributing. With the decline of unionized work, the American Federation of Musicians pension plan is also dangerously underfunded; thus my knowledge of the situation. Fortunately for me, my pension from the AFM is a pittance, and not something I ever planned to rely on.
As a single-employer, public employee fund with state constitutional protections, teachers are in a very different situation, though you are of course correct that the vote on the ConCon is crucial to us, and of course the terrible situation faced by retired Teamsters is inseparable from the class warfare being conducted against working people across the country.
Vote NO! in November.
Michael, I think this is part of the whole attack on working people. You are totally correct that it isn't directly related to us.
The only thing keeping working in the Hellhole that is The South Bronx is my pension. They cut it and I cut out.
Yes, that and the retro owed, and tda contributions.
Anonymous 3:24,
Then vote NO in November...
Harry,
The UFT should be sending some of their reps down there to help you guys, they sure may do a lot more good than they do up here. Mulgrew came down quick with a pack of lies to get your COPE money. Florida in a hurricane is better that a Bronx high school coverage as you know.
In the DOE they are targeting and discrimination against veteran teachers because of pay and pensions. What is the UFT going to do? Nothing like always.
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