West Virginia Motor Truck Association Champion Named

Tim Bailey, a Con-way Freight driver from West Union, was named the grand champion of the West Virginia Motor Truck Association's truck driving championship May 30 in Charleston.

Bailey took top honors after competing in a variety of skill and safety tests.

George "Mike" Miller, a driver with Burns Motor Freight and a Marlinton resident, earned the 2008 Driver of the Year award. Miller has driven for 30 years and logged more than 2.7 million miles behind the wheel with no accidents.

Roger L. Lanham, who drives for UPS Freight, is a Winfield resident and was honored with the 2008 State Police safety award. Lanham has driven for 37 years and 4.2 million miles accident free.

The West Virginia Public Service Commission 2008 Driver of the Year Award was presented to Charles C. Maynard of Hurricane, who drives for UPS Freight. He has 36 years of driving experience.

Other awards included team champion, Con-way Freight of Ann Arbor, Mich., and rookie of the year, John "Tim" Hodges, Con-way Freight, Hurricane.

First place awards were presented for:
straight truck, Tim Bailey, Con-way Freight, West Union;
3-axle tractor semi-trailer, Eddie Thomasson, YRC, Culloden;
4-axle tractor semi-trailer, Daryl England, FedEx Freight, Elkview;
5-axle van, Ralph Gragg, UPS Charleston, South Charleston;
tank truck, Gerald Pugh, FedEx Freight, Marietta, Ohio;
flatbed, Kenneth Grimmett, Con-way Freight, Fayetteville;
twin trailers, Larry Gorby Jr., Con-way Freight; and
sleeper berth, Steve Looney, Petroleum Transport Inc., St. Albans.

All first place drivers are eligible to compete in the American Trucking Associations' National Truck Driving Championship.

W.Va. labor unions pick up members in 2008, report says

Labor union membership in West Virginia increased last year, according to an annual federal survey.

About 101,000 employed workers in West Virginia -- 13.8 percent of the total -- were members of a labor union in 2008, according to the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics. In comparison, about 97,000 or 13.3 percent of employed workers in the state were members of a labor union the year before, the bureau said.

Kenny Perdue, president of the West Virginia AFL-CIO, said, "I think there was a gain in just about every union. I know the service industry has increased, such as in health care. There was an increase with the Teamsters in their organizing of Overnight Trucking. As I look at those numbers I think of the American Federation of Teachers, which brought the West Virginia school service personnel in. That may not show up yet. Those are jobs in the public sector.

"There has been a continuous effort to organize in West Virginia," Perdue said. "It has not stopped and it will not stop. It is our belief that workers want respect in the workplace. Typically it only comes from being involved in a union. We do think workers want to better themselves and have a decent wage and pension and health care. It is going to be our effort to give them that chance."

The percentage of employed workers in West Virginia who carry a union card has fluctuated in recent years, from a low of 13.1 percent in 2003 to a high of 14.4 percent in 2005.

Perdue said declines can be traced to the loss of large unionized manufacturers, such as steel mills in the Northern Panhandle and chemical plants in the Kanawha Valley. Those businesses offer good-paying jobs with health care benefits and pensions, but many of those jobs "are gone maybe forever," he said. "That's not only a loss for our membership but for the per capita income in West Virginia. It hurts across the board." Full Story..........

Teamsters give $10,000 to Children's Home Society

Teamsters Local 175 delivered $10,000 worth of toys, food and financial donations to the Children's Home Society Thursday.

Twenty-two volunteers from the Teamsters and the Children's Society unloaded the truck.

"Our active and retired workers donated canned food and toys, said Ken Hall, a Teamsters international vice president.

"We have a Breakfast With Santa in December every year, where people bring canned food and toys. We also accept financial donations."