NEWSPAGE

    The Plumbers and Pipefitters Local 51 Pension Fund, a shareholder of FedEx Corp since 2000, has filed a lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Tennessee against the package delivery company's board alleging the directors exposed the company to damages by misclassifying employees as contractors.  A FedEx spokesman dismissed the lawsuit as frivolous.  Reuters explains.

      In a just filed brief, FedEx Home Delivery is requesting a review of a National Labor Relations Board determination that drivers at two Massachusetts terminals are employees and not "contractors" as contended by FedEx.  PR Newswire has more.

     FedEx has disclosed in a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission that it was facing taxes and penalties of more than $319 million for 2002 related to an IRS ruling regarding the classification of independent contractors at its FedEx Ground unit. The NY Times has the report and the IBT has released Jim Hoffa's reaction to the announcement.

     FedEx Home Delivery has agreed to pay five former and present drivers a total $253,000 to settle a series of unfair labor charges brought by the National Labor Relations Board against the company.  PR Newswire has the update.

     FedEx sought to thwart a Teamsters organizing drive in Northborough, Massachusetts by firing four workers who showed interest in the union, the National Labor Relations Board said in a complaint.  Bloomberg and PR Newswire carry this story.

    Unions should be required to make public more details of their internal finances, according to the Labor Department, as it proposed more detailed union disclosure forms and penalizing small unions who get into trouble with the law by prohibiting them from filing a simple form.  This story is reprinted from the Associated Press.

     An article from the Las Vegas Sun details a trend being followed closely in strong union communities where businesses are moving to improve relations with workers in anticipation of the Employee Free Choice Act. It would for the first time in 60 years allow workers to organize without putting the issue to a secret-ballot vote.

    An hour before the contract was due to expire, Local 294 approved a new three-year agreement with Sysco and the contract was ratified by members by close to a three-to-one margin during an expedited voting session.  The Albany Times Union has the announcement.

    Teamsters at Sysco moved a step closer toward a possible work stoppage as members voted to give the Local 294 executive board authorization to call a strike if need be.  The Albany Times Union continues its coverage.

    While May 1 is the expiration date for the previous three-year agreement at Sysco, Teamsters Local 294 has agreed to extend the contract through May 7 as talks continue, with health care costs being one of the top issues in the negotiations.  The Albany Times Union has more details.

      Unionized workers at Sysco Food Service have agreed to continue working at least through May 7 as they seek to negotiate a new contract with the company. The current one expires 05/01/08.    Sysco, meanwhile, has been advertising to hire replacement workers should members of Teamsters Local 294 choose to strike.  The Albany Times Union provides coverage.

     For those trying to understand the reasoning of the Teamsters (and other unions) in supporting Barack Obama's candidacy, the video below detailing Hillary Clinton's years on the board of  Walmart may enlighten.

     Saying his position on trade makes a difference, and that it's time for the Democratic presidential nomination race to end, the Change to Win federation has also endorsed Sen. Barack Obama.  Workday Minnesota has the story.

    Senator Barack Obama has won the endorsement of the Teamsters Union for his presidential bid.  "There was very, very strong support for him" among the union's members, James P. Hoffa, president of the 1.4-million member union, said in an interview with The Associated Press.

     Senate Democrats have spared FedEx, for the time being, from language being placed in the labor-backed Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) reauthorization bill being debated on the Senate floor that would make it easier for unions to organize workers at FedEx, giving a big boost to its rival, UPS.  The Hill has the story.

     The New York Teamsters Conference Pension & Retirement Fund has mailed a notice to participants informing them that the Fund is expected to be 76% funded in 2008 which places it in the newly government-created category of "endangered".  The result of this is that the Fund is now required to adopt a "Funding Improvement Plan".   

   Teamsters Central States Pension Fund is in “critical status” with a funding level in the so-called "red zone,” less than four months after receiving a $6.1 billion payment from UPS, that raised assets to $26.8 billion.   Pension and Investments Online has more.

    The Teamsters Central States Pension Fund has  hired Mellon to manage a $5.4 billion S&P 500 index fund as part of the plan’s allocation of the $6.1 billion payment made by Atlanta-based United Parcel Service to withdraw from the pension fund. The UPS payment raises the Central States fund to $26.8 billion in assets.  Pension and Investments Online has the details. 

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