Financial Turmoil Affects New Owners of Stuyvesant Town-Peter Cooper Village

Oct. 4, 2008 - Unable to convert as many rent-controlled apartments to market rates as anticipated, Stuyvesant Town-Peter Cooper Village purchasers Tishman Speyer Properties LP and BlackRock Realty are feeling the pinch of the mortgage-backed securities market. The property is now worth 10% less than it was one year ago. Full story: Bloomberg News

Local 808, Lessons Learned and Preparing for the Future

August 8, 2007 - First , thank you for your patience and support during the past four and one half years. We have survived an economic tsunami with the dramatic increase in the cost of living, lead by the price of home heating oil and gasoline going through the roof.

On June 22nd, 2007, Local 808 members from Metro North’s Harlem, Hudson and New Haven Lines came together at the union hall to determine whether or not this latest agreement was worth the wait. When the ballots were tallied the results were 338 members voting to approve and 124 members voting to reject the Memorandum of Agreement. With this new agreement all Local 808 members are now at 95% of the applicable Long Island Railroad (LIRR) wage rates. Members choosing to work an “exotic” shift have the opportunity to equal or exceed the LIRR wage rates.

With this new agreement, we have regained the twelve percent (12% wage increase) that was deferred in 1981. This agreement has corrected a grave injustice to all former ConRail employees who chose to remain with the “newly created” Metro North or NJ Transit. Teamsters are now positioned to get to 100% of the Long Island Railroad wage rates and beyond. We must now prepare to intensify the struggle for FULL parity and more.

Just for information, our brothers and sisters on New Jersey Transit are also victims of this ConRail wage deferral and to date, they have not recovered their lost wages. They became casualties of the subsequent, spin-off and creation of NJ Transit suburban commuter railroad.

Since 1983, when Local 808 took over representing track and bridge and building workers, until 1994,total wages have increased 76% for Teamster represented workers on Metro North. During that same period, LIRR workers received 66% in wage increases, New Jersey Transit workers received 49%, SEPTA workers 59% and ConRail workers received 43%. The 76% that Local 808 negotiated is 16% above the New York Consumer Price Index and 26% above the national Consumer Price Index.

Teamsters Local 808 has produced real results for its members at Metro North. However, we cannot celebrate too long; we must now prepare for the future.

We are now involved in a quasi - state pension plan. We must become active participants in its destiny. We must demand a seat for Teamsters on the Board of Managers of the MTA Pension Plan. We must seek the advice of many professionals to ensure the long term growth and financial health of this pension plan to which we are contributors. We must investigate and understand our health benefits funding and administration in order to combat the cost shifting that continues to occur without abatement.

Local 808 had requested support from our International, to date we have not received any. We will never again stand with the coalition and so all future costs must be borne by a financially strong and independent Teamsters Local 808.

Our Union must begin to prepare its future leaders. Our future leaders are those who have become shop stewards and activists, and they Must be educated in labor relation, etc. in order to effectively protect the interests of our members. Currently, Cornell University has one of the most recognized schools for Industrial and Labor Relations. Our future leaders must be able to understand the language of the actuaries, economists and consultants that this union movement now requires in order to gain and process accurate and timely information.

We must become more effective players in the New York and Connecticut legislative arena. We must create a more effective political lobbying machine. Our future is tied to the decisions being made in Albany, NY and Hartford, CT. Issues such as funding, service expansion and merging railroad entities are of critical importance to us and we must endeavor to have influence in determining the outcome of the legislative agendas.

Our main goals in the next round of bargaining must be, lifetime retiree medical coverage, ending the Tier II pension offset and a demand for closure of the 5% wage differential between MNRR and LIRR.

We are working to maintain an up to date website to keep our members informed of news and information regarding Teamsters Local 808 and its members. The website address is www.Teamsterslocal808.org. We urge you to help keep our website interesting, informative and of service to our members.

All of these progressions and improvements towards our growth will require additional funding to our war chest. We were able to make extraordinary strides with a very modest war chest. We can’t fight the coming battles unprepared and we cannot depend on our International to provide assistance. We must be prepared to provide for our own sustenance.

We must maintain our momentum and diligently prepare for our next battle.

Chris Silvera

Secretary-Treasurer, Local 808

Local 808

22-43 Jackson Ave

Long Island City, NY 11101

Tel: (718) 389-1900
Fax: (718) 389-2171