FORE!!!

Attention all you golfers, hackers, and duffers! It’s that time of the year again; the Local 776 golf outing is scheduled for Sunday August 2^nd 2015. Dust off those clubs, find your golf shoes and come on out for a day of golf with your fellow Teamsters. For full details follow the link below:

Local 776 golf outing

Please note that the deadline for registration is July 27, 2015. The number of participants is limited to 36 foursomes (144 players). The first 36 foursomes signed up and paid will play. Spaces fill up quickly so don’t delay, get your group together and sign up today!

Take me out to the ball game!

Local 776 is holding it’s family picnic on June 28, 2015. Join the Teamsters and the Harrisburg Senators for a day of fun in the sun on Harrisburg’s City Island. Food, drinks, ice cream, and plenty of Cotton Candy are some of the menu items. What’s a picnic without plenty of Cotton Candy! There will also be clowns present, and DJ Big John. To download view and print the flier detailing all of the day’s activities follow the link below:

Local 776 Family Picnic

Don’t forget; you must call the Local union Hall to pre-register for the picnic by Monday June 15^th. An accurate head count is needed to prepare enough food and how many tickets will be needed.

Mark your calendar for June 28^th and come on out for a day of fun, food, and baseball!

Play Ball!!!

Trimmers, Chain Saws, Action!

The quiet Saturday morning in the Union Hall’s neighborhood was broken on May 2^nd by the sounds of hard working men, women, and machines. The scheduled Stewards meeting became spring clean up day for the grounds surrounding the Hall. Chain saws and trimmers took the place of contract books and grievance forms as the Officers and Business Agents, along with the Stewards, trimmed the bushes and trees surrounding the property that had become overgrown. They also removed a storage building that had been anchored to an outside wall of the Hall.

“On behalf of myself and all of the Officers and Business Agents I would like to thank the Stewards who came out and put in a hard day’s work helping clean up the property” commented Local President Ed Thompson. “Maintaining the grounds reflects a sense of pride in being Teamsters, we want everyone coming to our Union Hall to see that we are as proud of our Hall as we are as proud of our Teamster heritage”.

There's A Fence In There...

There's The Fence!

To view more photos from spring clean up please visit the Photo Gallery.

By a 2-1 margin Local 776 members working at the Pleasant Acres Nursing and Rehabilitation Center (formerly the York County Nursing Home) ratified a new four-year collective bargaining agreement. Business Agent Dave Vrona held three separate ratification meetings, which allowed all of the members an opportunity to review the changes prior to voting on the agreement.

Commented Local 776 President Ed Thompson; “Once we took office on January 1 2015 Business Agent Dave Vrona hit the ground running and resumed negotiations with York County on the contract for these members". "Working with an experienced and dedicated negotiating committee Dave was able to hammer out an agreement for the members that increases wages in each year of the agreement yet holds the line on escalating health insurance co-pays. "The previous agreement expired December 31, 2014; all wage increases are retroactive to January 1, 2015”.

Business Agent Dave Vrona goes over the tentative agreement

Standing room only during the contract review

Fron left; negotiating committee members Raejeanne Deshields, Nancy Russell, Dorcas Miller, BA Dave Vrona, Local 776 Pres. Ed Thompson, Negotiationg committee members Suzanne Cheepudom, Wendy Macneal, Cathy Chronister

2015 Essay Contest

The James R. Hoffa Memorial Scholarship Fund has announced that this year’s topic for the Annual Essay Contest is “What impact would an increase in union membership have on the U.S. economy and the middle class?”

Teamster sons, daughters or financial dependents, age 23 and younger who are currently attending community college, a 4-year institution or a technical/vocational program are eligible to apply.  All applicants must fill out the application page and send it along with their essay (500 words or less) to the Scholarship Fund office. Winners are awarded $1,000.  The deadline is June 15, 2015. Download the application form here.

When completed, the application form and essay may be e-mailed to the office at: scholarship@teamster.org  or they can be mailed to: James R. Hoffa Memorial Scholarship Fund, 25 Louisiana Avenue, NW, Washington, DC  20001.

In 1963 William J. Bernheisel became a member of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters.  In April of 1984 Jim began his employment with ABF Freight System in Carlisle and became a member of Local 776. He continued to work there until his retirement in January of this year. At a special presentation during the local 776 D.R.I.V.E. Dinner-Dance “Jim” Bernheisel was honored for fifty-plus years as a Teamster with a plaque commemorating his long term service to the Teamsters Union.

Local 776 Secretary-Treasurer Ron Hicks announces Jim's achievement

Walking proud to the podium amidst applause

Sec.-Treasurer Hicks, Pres. Ed Thompson congratulate Jim for his service to the Teamsters

Teamsters Local 776 held their D.R.I.V.E. dinner-dance on Saturday March 28, 2015 at the Radisson Penn Harris Hotel in Harrisburg. A large crowd was on hand for the night’s activities. After welcoming the DRIVE members Local President Ed Thompson introduced our guest speakers for the evening.

Eugene DePasquale is the Pennsylvania Auditor General. From 2007 to 2013, he served in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives, representing the York County-based 95th district. A true friend of organized labor; while serving as a state representative he had a 100% voting approval record from the AFL-CIO.

PA. Auditor General Eugene DePasquale, Local 776 President Ed Thompson

Irwin Aronson is an attorney for Local 776. Irwin is the partner in residence of Willig, Williams & Davidson’s Harrisburg, Pa. office. A respected appellate advocate, Irwin concentrates his practice in labor and employment law, employee benefit matters, governmental affairs and legislative drafting and analysis. Irwin served as lead counsel in matters that: established the applicability of public labor and employment regulation to private construction projects partially supported by public funds; established that unions may participate as parties in prevailing wage enforcement cases; established a method of computing benefits for workers who sustain injuries after only a short period of employment; and secured railroad yard safety by prohibiting the replacement of workers with electronic signaling devices.

Local 776 Pres. Ed Thompson, Attorney Irwin Aronson, Local 776 Secretary-Treasurer Ron Hicks

“I would like to thank our members who support DRIVE”, commented President Thompson. “Listening to these gentlemen speak tonight leaves no doubt that there is a strategic plan in America to weaken and ultimately destroy unions. It was organized labor that built the middle class, as we know it, and it is up to us to make sure that the middle class continues for the next generation, for our children and our children’s children. Recently right to work legislation has again raised it’s ugly head in Pennsylvania, make no mistake; right to work legislation is crafted to overturn the right to organize, and if we can’t organize and grow as a union we will all suffer”.

"We can’t out-spend the opposition but we out-number them by hundreds-to-one. Please remember to support the politicians who support us by giving them your support on Election Day”.

To view more photos from the Dinner-Dance please visit the Photo Gallery

Marching bands, bagpipes, and plenty of kilts! Local 776 participated in the Harrisburg St. Patrick’s Day Parade held on Saturday March 21, 2015. Local 776 Officers, Business Agents, members and their families came out to support the Local Union in the parade. Commented Local President Ed Thompson, “I would like to thank the members who took the time to come out on a Saturday to support the Local Union. The St. Patrick’s Day Parade has a long tradition in Harrisburg and the Local feels it is important to become involved in the community”.

Just a reminder:

Teamsters Local 776 has an established Scholarship Fund at the Harrisburg Area Community College, which enables talented students to pursue a higher education. Scholarship recipients may be either full or part-time students. The deadline for appying for a scholarship is April 1st. of each year. Please visit the Teamsters Scholarships Page under Member Resources for more information.

On Sunday March 8, 2015 Local 776 President Ed Thompson made a special presentation. Maura Vrabel, daughter of Local 776 member Richard Vrabel, was presented with a JR Hoffa Memorial Scholarship. Maura, a freshman at Notre Dame University who is majoring in chemical engineering, thanked the Teamsters for selecting her as a finalist. Richard, a member of the Local Union for 16 years is a road driver at ABF Freight System.

Speaking on the award President Thompson commented: “The Local Union is proud that someone from the next generation of leaders is from a Teamsters Family and recognizes the importance of organized labor. As Maura stated in her essay, through our efforts of collective bargaining Unions don’t just set the bar for wages in our contracts but raise the bar for all workers. Congratulations to Maura for being selected a JR Hoffa Memorial Scholarship finalist.”

Left to right: Sec.-Tres. Ron Hicks, Pres. Ed Thompson, Maura Vrabel, Richard Vrabel

Pres. Thompson intrduces Maura to the membership

The deadline for applying for a JR Hoffa Memorial Scholarship for the 2015-2016 academic year is March 31, 2015. Information can be found on the Scholarship Page under member resources.

To view Maura's essay follow the link below.