UNI Swedish Commission of Inquiry Holds First of Three
Hearings in U.S.
BERKELEY, Calif., Feb. 23, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/
-- Teamsters and legal and security experts testified about
workers' rights violations by Loomis, an armored car guard company, before a
public hearing at the UC Berkeley Labor Center on Tuesday. The
hearing was held by UNI's Swedish Commission of Inquiry into the
Labor Practices of Loomis.
(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20100127/IBTLOGO)
The commission, which is comprised of Swedish union leaders and
legal experts, was organized by UNI, the global labor federation
for services sector workers which is headquartered in Switzerland. Members of the commission
traveled to the United States to
investigate reports of workers' rights violations at Loomis US.
Loomis US is a subsidiary of Swedish cash logistics corporation
Loomis AB (STO:LOOMB). Loomis
armored car guards in California
had union representation for the last 58 years, until the company
unilaterally decided that it will not allow its California employees to continue to be
represented by the Teamsters and is refusing to negotiate new
contracts.
Loomis subsequently canceled
its employees' retirement plan, changed to a substandard health
care plan that costs workers up to $700 a month, and can now terminate employees
without just cause. Older employees with years of experience can be
replaced by younger, less expensive employees.
Loomis guards were represented
by Teamsters Local Union 150 in Sacramento; Teamsters Local Union 315 in
San Mateo; Teamsters Local Union
396 in Los Angeles; Teamsters
Local Union 439 in Stockton;
Teamsters Local Union 542 in San
Diego; and Teamsters Local Union 853 in San Jose.
"Those of us who believe in democracy were appalled when
Loomis unilaterally decided that
it will not allow its employees to continue to be represented by
the Teamsters. This has been devastating to these workers," Rome
Aloise, Teamsters International Vice President said.
"Health care is now so expensive that some guards can no longer
afford coverage for themselves or their families."
"Loomis is violating various
international labor standards which protect the right of workers to
be represented by the union of their choice," said David Rosenfeld, Professor at the UC Berkeley
School of Law. Rosenfeld testified that he believes the current
labor board will find that Loomis
violated the National Labor Relations Act when it walked away from
the Teamsters.
"As Loomis employees, we chose union representation, which is a
fundamental right under the law. Even though the Teamsters is our
union of choice, Loomis refuses to
recognize this," said Robert
Avellino, a 15-year Loomis
employee. "We now have no job or retirement security, even though
we put our lives on the line every day for this job."
Armored car guard is one of the most dangerous jobs in America.
Guards are regularly robbed and shot while delivering cash.
Loomis reduced the number of
employees on armored car teams from three to two, and no longer
provides workers with guns or bulletproof vests.
Security experts Fred Gualco and
Bud Stone testified about the
threats Loomis' practices pose to
armored car guards' safety and why using 2-person teams for cash
logistics services is dangerous both for guards and for the
public.
John Logan, a professor and the
Director of Labor & Employment Studies at San Francisco State University, testified about the
union-hostile law firm, Littler-Mendelson, that Loomis US hired as
part of its plan to remove unions from its U.S. workforce.
Teague Paterson, a labor attorney, testified about the class
action lawsuit California
employees have filed against Loomis for violating state wage and hour laws.
To avoid additional wage and hour violations, the company coerced
employees into signing a waiver that allows the company to force
workers to work through their lunch breaks. Paterson also described
Loomis' numerous anti-union labor
law violations since Teamster representation was terminated
The Swedish delegation is comprised of Alice Dale, Head of the UNI Global Union
Property Services Department; Stellan
Garde, legal counsel at the Swedish LO-TCO Trade Union
Confederation and Commissioner of International Commission of
Jurists; Martin Viredius, Vice President of the Swedish Transport
Workers' Union; Goran Larsson,
International Secretary of the Swedish Transport Workers' Union;
and Peder Palmstierna, former press officer of the Swedish Social
Democrat Party.
Tuesday's hearing was the first of three hearings the UNI
Commission will hold in the United
States this week.
Founded in 1903, the Teamsters Union represents 1.4 million
hardworking men and women throughout the
United States, Canada and
Puerto Rico. Visit
www.teamster.org for more information. Follow us on Twitter
@TeamsterPower.
SOURCE International Brotherhood of Teamsters