Manpower Turns Away 44-Year Pressman

January 29, 2009: When Teamsters found out their jobs were going to be outsourced at the San Francisco Chronicle, the paper told them to re-apply at the new facility. But when one 44-year pressman took the test, he was told he wasn’t qualified.

This summer, the San Francisco Chronicle will outsource 200 union jobs to a new nonunion facility in Fremont, California run by Transcontinental, a large Canadian printer. Teamster pressmen at the Chronicle are members of GCC/IBT Local 4-N / District Council 2.

Teamsters who want to keep their jobs have to re-apply through Manpower, the temporary agency.

That’s what Bruce Carlton did. Bruce is a retired member of Local 4-N, and a 44-year pressman who decided to take the online team member assesment. After passing that he went forward with a group interview.

But in a one-paragraph email sent Jan. 19, Manpower told Carlton “your assessment does not correspond with the requirements we are now recruiting for.”

Other Local 4-N members have also applied at Manpower. So far, not one has been hired.

“I have 44 years on the job experience,” said Carlton. “Is Transcontinental trying to hire the best people—or is their real goal to keep the union out?”

GCC President and Teamster International Vice President George Tedeschi has promised his support to the pressmen. Now it’s time for action.

“If this facility stays nonunion, it threatens Teamster pressmen in a 100 mile radius,” warned Carlton. “We need to insist that those jobs are union.”

Submitted by Frank Halstead