Copyright 2012 -Teamsters Local 17. All Rights Reserved.
Fed Ex = Fed Up!
Tax Savings Used To Lobby GOP Members
It's no surprise that the right wing is delighted with the outcome of the "compromise" legislation. House Speaker John Boenher claimed victory over the inclusion of the "long-overdue" anti-union provisions, while the Chamber of Commerce praised the reauthorization bill.
This one sided middle class war the GOP is waging on workers must stop if this economy is to ever fully recover. Remember that the next time you go to vote.
That's my opinon.
MICHAEL A. SIMEONE
Principal Officer and
Secretary - Treasurer of Teamsters Local 17
March 18, 2012
Between 2008 and 2010, FedEx paid 37 million dollars in taxes. While that sounds like a lot, consider in the same time period, they earned 4.2 billion dollars in profit. That comes to less than one percent of taxes paid on profits.
FedEx spent 25 million dollars lobbying to protect a rule that makes it virtually impossible for it's express delivery drivers to unionize. That's 67 percent of what in paid in taxes!
FedEx claims it was "educating lawmakers" about a proposal that would "cripple competition in the express delivery industry and hinder our nation's future economic success".
Oddly enough, FedEx's competition, United Parcel Service has been in business for over 100 years and seems to do just fine with their bottom line. UPS also pays their employees 53 to 104 percent higher (per hour) wages than FedEx thanks to their Teamster contract.
On February 14, 2012, President Obama quietly signed into law the FAA Modernization and Reform Act, which will provide $63.6 billion for the agency's programs between 2012-2015. The House had passed the bill on February 3, and three days later the Senate voted for the conference agreement. 157 House Democrats and 18 Senate Democrats opposed the bill, while Hill Republicans supported the bill only after forcing the adoption of controversial provisions that will make it more difficult for airline and railroad workers to form unions.
This watered down version of what should have been "a law for the working people" has become a toothless substitute. The anti-labor provisions make it harder for airline and railroad workers to form unions in several respects: They place limits on National Mediation Board rule-making, increase the threshold for unions to petition for elections, make it more difficult for unions to win run-off elections, increase the likelihood of litigation, strengthen employers' ability to delay organizing and bargaining, and make union authorization cards subject to discovery, thereby making it less likely that employees will sign them in the first place.
SPECIAL NOTICE:
The next General Membership Meeting will be held on Sunday, May 20, 2012 at 10:00 am.
This is by order of Teamsters Local 17 Executive Board.