To the credit of the unity of our membership, several collective bargaining agreements were approved by near-unanimous margins in recent months.
“When we speak with one voice, the employer listens,” said Local 445 Secretary-Treasurer/Principal Officer Adrian Huff.
In all of these negotiations, the Negotiating Committees were able to argue that our members deserved decent contracts because of our strong productivity.
“Productivity is our most effective weapon at the bargaining table,” said Brother Huff.
Among the workplaces ratifying new agreements by large margins were the Valley Central School Bus Employees, The Chester Department of Public Works, The Ulster County Resource Recovery Agency, the Dutchess LOOP Mass Transportation Employees and the College of New Rochelle Housekeeping and Maintenance Staff. Ratifying by a close margin were Teamster bus drivers and valets at Yonkers Raceway, and Teamsters employed by American Lumber in Dutchess County.
Brother Huff led negotiations for Valley Central Teamsters. The members were determined to win decent raises, medical benefits for all fulltime employees, and other improvements. Although they did not strike, they voted to authorize a strike, and were making strike preparations before the deal was reached. “They showed real determination, at a time when school districts are trying to cut costs,” said Brother Huff. The contract was approved by a 52-7 vote.
Likewise, Chester Department of Public Works employees, led in negotiations by Brother Huff, unanimously approved their new contract with decent raises and other improvements. “We won this contract by demonstrating to the Town Board that these employees were well worth the raises they sought,” he said.
Ulster County Resource Recovery employees voted unanimously to approve their new one-year deal. Local 445 President Barry Russell was chief negotiator for the members. “The company wanted the employees to give back on benefits and other items, and we held the line,” he said. “We may not go as forward as we want, but we never go backward.”
College of New Rochelle housekeeping and maintenance staff employees voted 22-0 to approve their new deal. It took over a year of tough negotiations, led by Business Agent Jerry Ebert, for the employees to preserve their free medical benefits while winning a decent raise. At one point during a break in the very tense negotiations, one of the housekeeping staff led the union negotiating committee in the singing of a gospel song to keep everyone’s spirits up. The committee also asked for the support of the entire college staff and students in their struggle for a decent contract settlement. “We must reach out for support to all who are affected by our work when we are challenged in negotiations,” said Brother Huff. After authorizing a strike but not striking, the employees’ patience was rewarded with a great new deal.
Dutchess LOOP Mass Transportation Teamsters voted 57-1 to approve a contract negotiated by a committee led by Brother Ebert. The employees were thrilled to win a guarantee of free medical/dental/optical benefits for the next four years, along with many other improvements. Management agreed to reenter negotiations in October on the subject of raises for next year. The LOOP Teamsters often resort to strike votes in order to achieve their goals; during this round of negotiations, no such vote was needed.
Two smaller workplaces also unanimously approved their contracts: Taylor Oil, and Gorr Trucking. Both contracts were negotiated by Business Agent Tom Small. Approving their contracts by close margins were employees at Yonkers Raceway and American Lumber. “These workplaces face tough economic challenges, and it was much more difficult to win deals that everyone liked,” said Brother Huff. Business Agent Marty Smith led the Yonkers Raceway negotiations, while Brother Small was in charge of American Lumber negotiations.
“In these tough economic times, our union is working very hard to win contracts that increase wages, benefits and protections,” said Brother Huff. “Sometimes it seems like an uphill climb, but we must never lose hope.”
Brother Russell added “Our members are not responsible for creating the Great Recession, and we shouldn’t be required to pay the price for it.”
The effort to negotiate better wages, benefits, working conditions and job protections for our members continues in upcoming months at many workplaces.
Our nearly 600 St. Luke’s/Cornwall Hospital Health Care employees are in tough negotiations right now for a new contract. President Barry Russell, who leads a strong member-Negotiating Committee, said that the hospital is seeking “serious givebacks” because of cutbacks in state and federal funding. “We are standing strong; our members work hard for the money they make, and nobody’s going to take it away from us.” Brother Russell is also in charge of bargaining for Hess, Highland Falls DPW, and Southern Wines and Spirits members.
All of our leadership is involved in negotiations to renew the Construction Division Heavy and Highway Agreement. As the article above notes, we are doing all we can to gain more jobs for our construction Teamsters.
Local 445 Vice-President Cindy Garlinghouse has negotiations underway at several construction workplaces as well as DPWs in New Paltz, Saugerties and Woodstock. She also will be busy with negotiations at Kingston and Pine Bush First Student locations, and Morgan Linen. “It’s a rough road this year with the economy the way it is,” she said, “but we have some good committees being elected by the members, and we expect to push ahead.”
Recording Secretary/Business Agent Marty Smith leads the charge in negotiations for the Yonkers Raceway Maintenance Staff, Metroplex, and Tilcon Quarries.
Business Agent Sandy Shaddock is at the helm of negotiations for the Village of Washingtonville Department of Public Works and the Greenwood Lake Police.
Business Agent Jerry Ebert is in negotiations right now for NES Rentals, Wappingers Falls public employees, First Transit bus drivers, CPL construction drivers, the CSEA Local 860 office staff, and the College of New Rochelle Dining Hall employees.
Organizer Jack Sullivan is in tedious negotiations on behalf of our Town of Fishkill public employees, while Business Agent Tom Small is preparing for negotiations for the Village of Florida Department of Public Works.
“I give much credit to the elected Negotiating Committees at these workplaces,” said Brother Huff. “I know these are tough times, but if we stick together and use intelligent strategies we will continue to improve our contracts, for our sake and the sake of our families.”
Nearly three years ago, our 700 Sullivan County Government Employees overwhelmingly approved a decent contract, with no raise the first year but a four percent raise due this year.
A deal is a deal, right? In the long history of our union, even our worst employers have always known they are legally required to honor the terms of the contract.
However, two months before the raises were to be paid, the county manager dropped a bomb on our members.
He announced that in his proposed budget for 2011 he would not pay any union employees their raises and longevity bonuses unless those employees surrendered other benefits. To drive the point home, he hinted there might be 200 layoffs if the employees did not agree to his deal. His proposed budget called for no county tax increase. Besides the Teamsters, he included the members of three other smaller unions representing county employees.
“Not acceptable,” said our union’s Principal Officer Adrian Huff. He called a meeting of the Teamster county employees’ large Negotiating Committee, and the committee voted unanimously not to enter negotiations with the county manager. Their position was later widely endorsed by a vote of the membership.
“We will not negotiate down the barrel of a gun,” said Brother Huff.
At the same time, former Teamster county Business Agent Lou Setren accepted a promotion within the county Probation Department. Brother Huff convened the union’s Executive Board, and they voted unanimously to name county Emergency Control Center Shop Steward/Negotiating Committee member Sandy Shaddock to the position.
“She kicked butt and took no prisoners,” said one member after the struggle was won.
Her first move was to sit with members, the leadership and organizers of Local 445, and the leaders of the other three unions representing county employees, and devise an intelligent strategy.
What emerged was a three-pronged approach: convince the taxpayers of the justice of our cause, analyze the proposed county budget to uncover any hidden money, and mount a legal challenge to the county manager’s denial of the contract.
The three prongs worked like a pitchfork to undo the county manager’s strategy.
Within days county residents were reading the truth about our county employees: we average only $31,000 per year, our departments are at skeleton-crew levels, our work is vital to the communities. “We are the ones who respond to your emergencies, who provide for your needy, who take care of your veterans, your elderly, your mentally ill,” said Sister Shaddock.”We explained how county residents would be hurt if there were any layoffs. And we convinced them we deserved our raises.”
Also within days, Sister Shaddock used her accounting background to uncover several areas of the proposed budget where the county manager might have been hiding money. “We discovered he had deliberately not included more than $1 million in federal grant money due the county, among other things,” she said.
All the unions cooperated on the legal challenge to the county manager’s maneuver. “Our attorneys assured us it was a slam dunk, that no judge in the country would allow the county manager to break the contract,” said Brother Huff.
In late December the county manager’s proposed budget was passed by a 6 to 3 vote of the county legislature. Only legislators Kathy LaBuda, and Frank Armstrong stood with the union and voted against the budget. Alan Sorensen voted down the budget for other reasons.
Then the tide turned.
County residents, the press, and even some politicians began to voice support for the county employees. The members distributed letters throughout the county, and participated in a large rally outside the government center. Sister Shaddock’s questioning of the budget calculations began to pay off, and the press began to ask questions.
By late January, the county manager announced he would pay the raises and longevity bonuses due the employees. Further, since the county had found extra money in its budget, there would only be 18 layoffs countywide, with nine eventually coming from the Teamsters.
“We were standing up for the dignity of the contract process,” said Sister Shaddock. “We are a nation of laws, including contract law. If we had allowed the county manager to get away with this, we could expect it to happen again in the future. It was better to fight now, and put it down now.”
Added Brother Huff, “We will never negotiate on our right to negotiate.”
The county employees’ current contract expires at the end of 2012, and by next year at this time we will be taking contract proposals.
We can expect the county to honor the negotiating process.
If you have a child or grandchild graduating high school this year who intends to pursue higher education of any kind, please give them this article.
To qualify for a guaranteed scholarship (ranging from $500 to $2000), the student must simply fulfill a few requirements.
All applicants to the Local 445 Scholarship Fund in Memory of Douglas L. McCauley must:
1.Be a son or daughter or grandchild of an active or retired Teamsters Local 445 member who has had at least twelve consecutive months of membership in good standing with Teamsters Local 445.
2.Be in his/her last year of high school; individuals who have already graduated from high school are not eligible.
3.Plan to attend an accredited college, university or trade school.
4.Submit a completed application form. The forms are available by emailing local445@hvc.rr.com, or by calling 845-564-5297, EXT. 118. Applications must be submitted by June 30, 2011. The application must be accompanied by a letter of recommendation by a teacher/counselor from the applicant’s school, an official transcript and SAT or ACT scores, and an essay of 500 words on the topic: “How a union contract has helped my family.”
The applications will be reviewed by the Local 445 Scholarship Committee. Monies for the scholarships are raised in a fund separate from union dues, at functions such as our annual Family Picnic. The scholarship is in honor of our beloved former leader Douglas L. McCauley, who passed away in May 2007.
“Please pass the word on this scholarship,” said Local 445 Principal Officer Adrian Huff. “It’s very important we do all we can to encourage our children and grandchildren to seek higher education.”
Our Union’s 550 Registered Nurses and Licensed Practical Nurses will benefit from a new law passed by the state legislature that makes it a Class D felony to assault them. (We need the same protection for our Certified Nursing Assistants!) Two other favorable proposals are being debated in the state assembly. A921 would create nurse-to-patient ratios in all healthcare facilities. A1270/S2470 would require all healthcare facilities to implement a “safe patient handling policy” to reduce the dangers of manual lifting of patients by staff. “These proposals are strongly supported by the Teamsters and other labor unions,” said Local 445 President Barry Russell. “We will continue to monitor their progress through the legislature
Our Union Hall on Stone Castle Road is technically located in Rock Tavern, which is a hamlet of Newburgh (just north of 17K, on the Newburgh/Montgomery border).
For many years we kept the Newburgh mailing address, which required that we maintain a large mailbox at the Newburgh Post Office. However, in order to save several thousand dollars per year in pick-up and maintenance costs, our union has decided to gradually transfer our mailing address to Rock Tavern.
The union will keep the Newburgh mailbox for at least another year, while we phase in this change.
Our new mailing address is: 15 Stone Castle Road, Rock Tavern NY 12575. Please use it!
Teamsters Local 445 was greatly honored recently when our leader Adrian Huff was chosen as the labor movement’s top honoree this year for its “Labor Heroes” award. A celebration of the award will be held June 3 at the Dutchess Manor. “It is our members who deserve this honor,” said Brother Huff, “for they are the ones who have established the Teamsters as the toughest, most successful labor union in the region.” The event is sponsored by the Hudson Valley Area Labor Federation, which represents all major labor unions in the area. The federation was recognizing Local 445's strong advocy on behalf of area workers in recent years.
In a unanimous vote recently, the 22 members of the Mount Hope Police Department chose Teamsters Local 445 to negotiate and enforce their contract.
They join our other law enforcement Police Benevolent Association Teamsters in Chester, Walden, and Greenwood Lake.
“We are honored to welcome these new members,” said Teamsters Local 445 Secretary-Treasurer Principal Officer Adrian Huff. “We pledge to do our best to convince the politicians and the taxpayers that these dedicated professionals deserve a better deal.”
Presently the Mount Hope police have a starting wage of $15 per hour. Their benefits and other contractual protections are well below the regional average for law enforcement professionals.
“Every time a policeman approaches a car with a broken headlight, he or she risks their lives and their careers,” said Brother Huff. He urged all union members who live in Mount Hope, Chester, Greenwood Lake and Walden to support local grassroots efforts to improve police contracts, especially by attending municipal meetings when called upon.
“Our diversity is our strength,” said Brother Huff, speaking of the various professions our union represents. “Our adversaries know that our union’s influence derives from the fact that we represent a broad range of people within our communities: health care professionals, truck and bus drivers, public employees, industrial, freight and warehouse workers, police and many others. We have strong alliances with other unions in our region, which adds to our collective power. This gives us the strength we need to gain better contracts for all of our members.”
Various Teamster locals throughout the country represent over 10,000 law enforcement units at this time. Besides the great political and legal protection the Teamsters offer, the International Teamsters led by General President James P. Hoffa has created a unique, low-cost insurance program that provides legal representation to law enforcement members who use their weapons off-duty or who are otherwise at risk of civil actions in the course of their jobs as well as off-the-job, or on second jobs.
The organizing drive was conducted by Director of Organizing Jerry Ebert and Organizer Jack Sullivan, with much help from law enforcement Teamster Marc Miller and Mount Hope PBA leader Jose Serrano.
Our union has won 34 of the last 36 organizing elections it has faced in the past five years, adding nearly 1500 new members. We also have organized many new construction companies that have provided work for our Construction Division members (see related story, page 2).
If you are a non-union employee considering gaining the right to negotiate a contract, think about this: if police choose our union, maybe you too should ask us for help.
Call Jerry on our 24-hour organizing hotline: 845-857-4768.
Hundreds of members of Teamsters Local 445 gathered in late September for the annual ritual of our Family Picnic. The wide variety of foods and salads kept everyone at the buffet tables, and the crowd enjoyed dancing and even some karaoke! Meanwhile, the kids were treated to special activities, and dozens of prizes that included several bicycles. The picnic is a benefit for the Teamsters Local 445 Scholarship Fund in honor of Douglas L. McCauley.
Leading the picnic committee was Vice-President/BA Cindy Garlinghouse, helped by her dedicated committee people Scott Andrejeski, Frank Arndt, Theresa Cowton, Mike D’Orsi, and John Lau.
The long line of sponsors included The Hudson Valley Renegades, Gigi’s Pizza, Greenbaum and Gilhooley’s Restaurant, Newburgh Auto Spa, Lia Sophia, Teamsters Local 812, Washingtonville Auto Parts, Loughran’s Restaurant, Cohen Milstein Sellers and Toll PLLC, Anna’s Restaurant, Merrill Lynch, the Contractors Association of Rockland County, Bella Luna Restaurant, Washingtonville Soccer Shop, Summit Actuarial Services, Theresa’s Hands and Nails, Stacy Braun Associates, Johnston Illington Advisors, Milliman, HGK Asset Management, Wright Investors, MSPC, Systematic MGT, and Dive Master Services. A big thanks to the committee, and to the picnic’s sponsors, for another very successful family time.
In the wake of tragic bus accidents throughout the nation in recent weeks, bus employees everywhere are under the microscope. Our Union urges its 750 bus employees to follow every rule and procedure, and when in doubt, always err on the side of caution. In one recent case, the Union saved a bus mechanic’s job after a wheel lug nut was discovered loose, by proving he did a thorough inspection, and arguing the bus route was loaded with potholes that jarred the lug nuts loose. In another case, we won back-pay for a bus driver who was falsely accused of using his cell phone while driving, after we produced the driver’s cell phone records. Meanwhile, the Teamsters are pushing for legislation that would allow for an employee’s right to an independent hearing if a school district or municipality unfairly orders its bus company (such as First Student or Durham) to discipline or terminate a bus driver. Presently, union bus employees are entitled to an independent hearing if the termination is ordered by the company itself.
Big Change Proposed in Public Employee Negotiations
Local 445 public employees face a real threat from statewide Republican/Tea Party efforts to repeal a key law that protects us during negotiations. Called “The Triborough Amendment,” it mandates that our existing public employee contracts stay in effect if they expire before negotiations are completed. The effort to overturn this protection, led by Assemblyman Robert Castelli of Westchester County, would give state and municipal employers the right to allow union contracts to become null and void in the absence of a new deal. His proposal is strongly backed by the powerful Association of Counties. The Triborough Amendment was passed by the legislature in l982 after a strike by Triborough Bridge Authority employees. It was designed to discourage further work stoppages. Public employees do not have the right to strike, and can be heavily fined if they do so. In the private sector, if a contract expires while still under negotiation, most employers sign extension agreements out of fear the employees will strike if the contract is declared null and void. Public employees do not have that option, but the Triborough Amendment guarantees their contracts will not be thrown out by their employers upon expiration. “We must do all we can to defeat this measure,” said Local 445 Secretary-Treasurer/Principal Officer Adrian Huff.
Several important cases have been won by Teamsters Local 445 in recent months involving our more than 700 bus drivers.
Local 445 Vice-President Cindy Garlinghouse won two week’s backpay for four Wallkill First Student School Bus Drivers recently after they were suspended for taking a bathroom break! At first the company wanted to fire the employees, but Sister Garlinghouse fought that off. She then took their subsequent two-week suspensions to arbitration, where the judge threw them out.
“We also had any mention of the case removed from their personnel files,” said Sister Garlinghouse.
In another important case, bus drivers everywhere face the threat of discipline or even termination for using a cell phone while driving.
But what if the bus driver is wrongly accused?
Such was the situation for a Dutchess LOOP bus driver who was suspended for two weeks recently after a supervisor drove past his bus and supposedly saw him using his cell phone while driving.
The Union obtained the detailed cell phone records of the driver, which clearly showed he had made a phone call just before starting work, and a phone call on his regularly scheduled break, but no phone call at the time of the alleged incident. After Business Agent Jerry Ebert threatened court arbitration to settle the case, management relented and paid the driver the two weeks’ backpay.
“Bus drivers are very vulnerable to these kinds of situations where they are falsely accused,” said Brother Huff.
Last year Brother Huff won a case involving a Valley Central First Student School Bus employee whom the school district demanded be fired after a student complained about her. The Union successfully argued that, even though the school district demanded the termination, that the employee was contractually protected from firing except for “Just Cause.” The arbitrator ruled that the reason the employee was fired was not serious enough to warrant a termination.
“This is important, because we never want to give any school district or municipality the power to fire one of our members without due process and a legal hearing,” said Brother Huff.
Local 445 President Barry Russell won an important case for bus drivers everywhere last year when a West Point Akima bus driver was reinstated with a large backpay award. The driver had been fired for clipping his bus on a street sign at the Academy. Brother Russell was able to prove that the dangerously close position of the sign to the road had been raised during a safety meeting by our shop steward, and the company did not act on the warning. “This proves the importance of taking diligent notes during all safety meetings, said Brother Russell.
“Bus drivers face many complex challenges and issues, and it’s very important to stay vigilant,” said Brother Huff.
Members of Teamsters Local 445 are urged to make use of the many discounted benefits provided by our Union.
Chief among them are the long list of benefits offered at Unionplus.com. These include discounted legal services (including attorneys in our area), and discounts on theme park tickets, auto rentals, credit score searches, gift certificates, flowers, moving costs, mortgages, truck rentals, electronics, dental, vision care, prescription drugs, hearing aides, podiatry and diabetic supplies, movie tickets, video rentals and vacation tours.
Also, the Teamsters offers discounted car insurance through a deal it has worked with GMAC Insurance. Call 1-877-800-3495 for information.
The International Brotherhood of Teamsters offers discounted life insurance policies through Union Labor Life. Members periodically receive mailers on these offerings.
Finally, our police members are offered extremely discounted legal protection through the Teamsters Law Enforcement Division. Local 445 police members are urged to sign up for this low-cost benefit by contacting their Shop Steward.
The Executive Board of Teamsters Local 445 voted unanimously in July to name longtime union member Jerry Ebert as Business Agent.
Brother Ebert will continue to hold his post as Director of Organizing. He was named Business Agent following the resignation of Ernest Romero.
Brother Ebert first started attending Local 445 Quarterly Meetings in 1963 at age 10 with his father Ray, a former organizer, Business Agent and Secretary-Treasurer of our Union. In those years when Ted Daley was our leader, the young Ebert met Jimmy Hoffa on one of Hoffa’s frequent visits to our Union Hall.
In 1978 Brother Ebert was named editor of our union newspaper. He helped his father organize St. Luke’s Hospital and Wakefern Foods. He was promoted to Organizer in 1985 by Al Schueler.. . In the nine years that followed, he organized the Sullivan County Public Employees, Hyde Park Nursing Home health care employees, the Dutchess Loop Transit Employees, several departments of public works, and with the help of former President Mike Marco and former Business Agent Joe Arnita, the West Point service employees.
In 1994 he left Local 445 to organize 1400 Catholic high school teachers in New York City, Long Island and New Jersey, and 950 asbestos removal workers throughout New Jersey. He taught union organizing for two semesters for the Cornell University Labor Studies Program, and edited three newspapers. He also helped begin the IBM organizing effort for the CWA, and worked with the International Teamsters on two campaigns in the Albany area.
Former Local 445 leader Douglas L. McCauley brought Brother Ebert back to our Union in 2006. Since then he has helped bring in more than 1400 new members, and has been an important contributor to our union’s extraordinary record of 26 organizing wins to only one defeat these past three years. He also participated in successful negotiating efforts at several workplaces.
He lives in Montgomery with his wife Jeanette and four children.
Legal Victories Result In Jobs, Backpay And Protection
Two separate arbitration wins for Teamsters Local 445 in recent weeks have not only resulted in job reinstatements with significant backpay awards for two bus drivers, but have laid down important legal protections for the more than 600 other bus drivers and monitors in our Union.
Those legal directives include protection when a driver or monitor is fired on the word of school district officials rather than an objective investigation, and protection when a known dangerous situation is not alleviated by management, and that situation leads to an accident.
In the first case, First Student Valley Central school bus driver Vicki Bath was fired last May after she pulled her school bus to the side of the road and turned it off to attend to a situation outside her bus. A parent reported the incident to the school district, and the district demanded that First Student terminate Sister Bath.
“This is a situation that is all too common for bus drivers everywhere, as the employer usually always follows the word of the complaining party,” said Local 445 Secretary-Treasurer/Principal Officer Adrian Huff, who himself took charge of the case with the help of Local 445 attorneys.
The Union took the case to arbitration, where an independent judge ruled that because the Union contract required an employee only be fired for “just cause,” the company had an obligation to do its own investigation rather than rely on the word of others. “The company did not provide an adequate investigation of the circumstances,” the arbitrator ruled.
Sister Bath was awarded reinstatement and backpay, the amount of which is still being determined by the company.
“The union fought for me right from the beginning,” said Sister Bath. “Finally my side of the story was heard.”
In the second case, West Point/Akima bus driver Peter Van Haaster was terminated last April after he accidentally sideswiped a road sign at the Military Academy, slightly damaging the bus.
“We immediately protested the termination, because the dangerous position of that sign had been discussed at a company safety meeting, but no action was taken,” said Local 445 President Barry Russell, who helped prepare the case along with Union attorneys.
Brother Russell had great help from Shop Steward Ted Hagan and Teamster bus driver Richard Boucher, who testified that he had pointed out that the road sign was too close to the road to company officials during two separate safety meetings. Brother Russell also had photos taken of the sign as West Point workers moved it to a safer spot after the accident.
“It shouldn’t be the driver’s responsibility if the company has been warned well in advance to correct a situation, and the problem is not addressed,” said Brother Russell.
The independent judge agreed, and awarded Brother Van Haaster reinstatement to his job with more than $35,000 in backpay.
“I am just so very grateful to the Union for standing with me,” said Brother Van Haaster.
On the heels of these two important arbitrations won earlier this year on behalf of our bus drivers, Local 445 Recording Secretary/Business Agent Marty Smith won our most recent arbitration victory on behalf of Metroplex Teamster Arsenio Avila. Brother Smith had Brother Avila reinstated to his former job, after he was fired for allegedly incorrectly filling out his order sheets. Metroplex, located in Harriman, is a major distributor of McDonald’s supplies. “It’s important that our members – and their employers – know that Teamsters Local 445 will go all the way with arbitrations when we believe an employee is unfairly disciplined or terminated,” said Brother Smith.
Brother Huff said our Union will not hesitate to take any such cases to arbitration before an independent judge. “One of the many great things about having the protection of a Union contract is knowing you have the right to an independent hearing if the company unfairly disciplines or terminates you,” he said.
Brother McCauley is gone, but his vision for our Union burns brightly.
On Tuesday May 22, 2007, Teamsters Local 445 Secretary Treasurer/Principal Officer Douglas L. McCauley succumbed to a heart attack he had suffered 10 days earlier at the Union Hall.
At the wake two nights later, hundreds of stories were told of Dougie’s great spirit on and off the job during his 44 years as a member and Shop Steward with the Union, of his legendary generosity whenever anyone needed a loan or help around the house, and even one story when he delivered a free truckload of oil to a laid-off construction member’s home during a particularly tough winter.
Immediately after the funeral, a huge procession of trucks, cars and busses accompanied the hearse from St. Mary’s Church in Newburgh to the Teamster Union Hall on the Montgomery border, where his beloved wife Jeannine placed a wreath in his honor and memory. The sad parade grew so large that Rt. 17K was temporarily shut down as two lanes of vehicles were taken by the mourning Teamsters.
He was laid to rest in St. Francis Cemetery in New Windsor.
“Dougie helped so many people,” said Adrian Huff, who was chosen by Brother McCauley to run for President two years ago, and who now takes his place by vote of the Executive Board. “I can only hope to bring to the job the same compassion, humility and dedication that he brought.”
“He was my best friend,” said Brother McCauley’s wife Jeannine during the funeral. “He loved his family and he loved his Union.”
Born on January 27, 1942, Brother McCauley joined Local 445’s Construction Division in 1963 at age 21. Those were the heady days when International Teamsters General President Jimmy Hoffa was a frequent visitor to our Union, and Brother McCauley was often called upon by his mentor, former Secretary-Treasurer Ted Daley, to drive Brother Hoffa to various meetings and functions. When Hoffa’s son James announced he was entering the race for General President in the l990’s, Brother McCauley joined the effort and wound up driving the younger Hoffa to various functions in the New York area. He often said that the two Hoffas, along with Brother Daley, were his main influences.
Brother McCauley had a lifelong dream of leading our Union, and in December 2005 the membership gave him that chance. He focused on several areas at once, improving representation and the negotiating process while setting up an organizing program that by this past April had rattled off an astounding eight consecutive victories involving more than 600 employees. Brother McCauley also led a large volunteer effort to paint, repair and landscape the Union Hall, and helped reinvigorate the Union Retirees Club. He became strongly involved in local politics and community actions, and made all members active and retired feel very welcome at the hall.
He loved to cook for family and friends, and at last autumn’s Union Picnic was a great help behind the barbeque.
Brother McCauley is survived by his wife Jeannine, his brother William, many close in-laws, and many aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews, and others whom he enjoyed dearly.
“He was a good, good man,” said one of his oldest friends, Robert “Mac” McCormick from the Construction Division.
“He’d give you the shirt off his back,” said his father-in-law, Deacon Jack Seymour.
Brother McCauley’s close friend Father William Scafidi of St. Mary’s Church, who less than two weeks earlier had offered the invocation at the Union’s annual Pension and Welfare Fund Retirees Dinner, spoke warmly of Doug’s deep humility mixed with a strong sense of dedication to his wife, his church, and his union.
Father Scafidi reminded everyone at the service that Brother McCauley’s accomplishments were both large and small, especially with the everyday goodness and compassion he showed to all.
“It’s up to all of you to carry his vision forward,” he said.
Among the 10 high school seniors who will receive scholarships are, from left, Nick Serra with his mother Paula (a member at St. Luke’s/Cornwall Hospital), Jessica Vermooy with her mother Debbie and father Tom (who works with Ciccone Construction), Katelyn Amaral with her mother Amy and father George (who works at Sullivan County Community College), and Matthew Mitchell with his mother Barbara (his father Kevin works in our Construction Division). They are joined by Local 445 leaders Adrian Huff and Barry Russell, center. They are also joined by Local 445 employee Susan Joiner, wife of the late former Business Agent John Joiner, in whose memory significant donations were made to the scholarship fund.
Local 445 Scholarships Awarded
Ten lucky children and grandchildren of Teamsters Local 445 members received scholarships to attend college this past summer from our Union’s Scholarship Fund, named in memory of our late leader Douglas L. McCauley.
The winners include Curtis Mead, grandson of the late former union Vice President Kenneth McCauley and grandnephew of Brother Douglas McCauley. Also included are Jessica Vernooy, daughter of Ciccone Construction Teamster Thomas Vernooy, Katelyn Amaral, daughter of Sullivan County Community College Teamster George Amaral, Timothy Martin Jr., grandson of Deborah Ackerly and stepson of Tonya Martin, both of whom work at the Sullivan County Government Center.
Also included in the scholarship awards are Nicholas Serra, son of St. Luke’s Cornwall Hospital Teamster Paula Serra, Kacie DeMaio, granddaughter of retired Freight Teamster Neil DeMaio, Katherine Fraine, daughter of St.Luke’s Cornwall Hospital Teamster Diane Fraine, Matthew Mitchell, son of Construction Division Teamster Kevin Mitchell, Edward Amato III, son of Eastern Concrete Teamster Edward Amato, and Martin Callinan, son of St. Luke’s Cornwall Hospital Teamster Linda Callinan.
The students had to compete for the scholarships by writing an essay entitled “How a Union Contract Has Helped My Family.” They wrote, often in simple eloquence, of the benefits and protections our Union has offered their families for many years.
For example, Kacie DeMaio wrote of a family gathering where one of her cousins made a disparaging remark about Unions. After an uncomfortable silence, her Teamster grandfather said quietly but firmly: “Everything you have here is a result of our union membership.”
Katherine Fraine wrote that Unions have helped her “not only through benefits, but in showing me to be a strong person and stand up for what I believe.”
Kevin Mitchell wrote that without the higher pay and benefits his father received, “neither my sister nor I would have been able to attend college.”
Edward Amato told of his father and grandfather both working in our Union’s Construction Division, and given not only by better pay and benefits, “but most of all the opportunity to start a family and take care of all our family members.”
Martin Callinan wrote that his mother is “able to earn a healthy and steadily increasing income” because of her union contract.
Curtis Mead wrote of his family’s deep union roots. “As I look around my home, most everything here has arrived, in some way or another, through the efforts of a Union contract.”
Jessica Vernooy wrote of the “sense of security” her family enjoys because of the contract that protects them.
Timothy Martin wrote that his parents “have the ability to plan ahead, knowing exactly what they have coming to them every year.”
Nicholas Serra wrote that his mother, a single mom, “has always dreamed of going to Egypt, and with the pay raises that the Union was able to win for the nurses at St. Luke’s Cornwall Hospital, she was finally able to go, taking me with her.”
Katelyn Amaral wrote that the better pay and benefits offered by her father’s Union contract “allows us to put every penny of spare change toward my education, getting me one step closer to my dreams.”
Dental List. 11 2015
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