Save Jobs, Protect Pensions
America and the Teamsters Union face a jobs crisis. What many people are not aware of is that the jobs crisis is connected to the strains placed on pension funds by the Wall Street financial collapse.
Teamsters General President Jim Hoffa praised the House of Representatives today for passing a bill that will give pension funds more time to improve their finances.
Teamsters General Secretary-Treasurer Tom Keegel addresses the more than 1,600 Teamsters who attended the two-day 
Protecting pensions and saving jobs is the top priority of the Teamsters Union, which has launched a grassroots offensive to win pension relief from Congress, General President Jim Hoffa told trustees this week.
It is an example of that most elusive of creatures these days on Capitol Hill: an issue that finds common ground among Democrats and Republicans, labor unions and businesses.
Teamsters General President Jim Hoffa told a key lawmaker on Feb. 4 that the Teamsters would strongly support legislation that will create new jobs and preserve existing jobs.
From Pensions & Investments
The Teamsters’ grassroots effort to pass the “Preserve Benefits and Jobs” act earned praise last week from the two members of Congress who sponsored the bill.
On behalf of plan sponsors that provide retirement benefits to millions of workers, the undersigned organizations seek your support in enacting legislation as soon as possible to provide much needed relief for both single employer and multiemployer pension funds. Without fundingrelief, many jobs will be lost and the economic recovery will be significantly slowed.
On behalf of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters (IBT) and our membership of 1.4 million, I am writing to express our support for H.R. 3936, the Preserve Benefits and Jobs Act. With the recent collapse of the nation's stock market and dire situation of the economy, it is critical that funding relief be provided to the nation's pension plans, and in particular to multi-employer defined benefit plans.
...The bill, H.R. 3936, which is endorsed by unions, corporations, and nonprofit organizations, provides much needed long-term relief for multi-employer plans. Many of our union retirement plans are multi-employer plans. These plans are collectively bargained pension arrangements involving employers, usually in a common industry, such as construction, trucking, textiles, or coal mining.
Tuesday, October 27, 2009 (Washingon, DC) - Surrounded by representatives of businesses, labor unions and non-profit organizations that have workers participating in defined benefit pensions plans, Congressmen Earl Pomeroy (D-ND) and Pat Tiberi (R-OH) today introduced new legislation that will provide pension funding relief which will enable employers to retain and grow their workforce.
Section-by-Section Summary, Pomeroy-Tiberi "Preserve Benefits and Jobs Act of 2009."
For every two wage-earners in Detroit who have a job, one can’t find a job. That is three times the national unemployment rate. All of us, particularly Detroiters, should be deeply concerned.
From Pensions & InvestmentsTake Action
We need your assistance to save jobs and protect pensions for Teamster members, our families and our communities. Multi-employer pension plans are essential for the retirement security of millions of working families, and relief for these plans is needed immediately to retain tens of thousands of jobs.
The time to act is NOW! The International Brotherhood of Teamsters has been lobbying Congress and working with a broad-based coalition in Washington, D.C., for the last year to raise the importance of this issue and to seek relief through federal legislation. It is now time to engage and mobilize Joint Councils, Local Unions, and members to make our pension plans secure for the future.
Take a few minutes to sign this online petition to save jobs and protect pensions now!
Here are materials you may find useful:
Sample Letter from Members to Congress
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