Barbara Huff Tuckness
President, General Teamsters Local 959
“I have been a proud member of Teamsters Local 959 since 1978, when the Anchorage Municipal Employees Association (AMEA) became affiliated with Local 959. I served as an Executive Board member of the AMEA from 1977 through 1983. In November of 1983, I ran and was elected president of the AMEA. While president of the Association I worked with the Executive Board in establishing policy and procedures, as well as building a stronger team within the membership. During my nine years as president I established a training program for AMEA shop stewards, battled with the Municipality of Anchorage over tight budgets that resulted in tough negotiations, always striving to protect the wages and benefits for the Association members. We had many grievances, and settled or arbitrated each one based on their individual merit. From 1983 through 1990, I was also the business representative for the AMEA and negotiated its Collective Bargaining Agreements for Local 959.
In 1991, I went to work full-time for Teamsters Local 959 as a business representative, and subsequently negotiated various contracts. In 1994, I also assumed the role of lobbyist for the Local. I carried with me those same values and principles to my new job with Local 959.”
In addition to her position as a business representative, Barbara has been the contract negotiator for members at AMEA, Totem Ocean Trailer Express, Horizon Lines of Alaska, South Peninsula Hospital, Republic Parking, ABM Janitorial, and Sunrise Bakery. Barbara feels fortunate to have trained under former 959 Secretary-Treasurers, Jesse L. Carr, Bobby Sinnett, Jack Slama, and Jerry Hood.
Currently the director of Local 959’s government and legislative affairs department, Barbara is the Local’s statewide lobbyist in Juneau.
Barbara has participated in numerous training programs throughout her career, including such programs on:
Labor law studies (George Meany Center)
Labor negotiations
Contract administration
Arbitration of discipline and discharge cases
Case preparation and presentation of arbitrations
Advance arbitration (George Meany Center)
Offensive collective bargaining (George Meany Center)
Contract negotiations (Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service)
Interest based bargaining (Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service)
Interest based bargaining (Harvard Law)
Barbara has served on numerous boards and task forces as follows:
Governor’s Advisory Task Force on Civil Justice Reform
International Brotherhood of Teamsters Human Rights Commission
Alaska Health Project (board member)
State Health Care Cost Containment Task Force
Mayor’s Productivity Task Force
Municipal Coalition of Unions (co-chair)
State of Alaska Labor Relations Board
State of Alaska Board of Marine Pilots
Alaska Dance Association
Resource Development Council (board member)
Common Wealth North (board member)
Conference of Alaskans
Ad Hoc Labor/Management Workers’ Compensation Task Force
Rick Boyles
Secretary-Treasurer
Events and Meetings
- 29th Annual Retirees Reunion The Alaska Teamsters 29th Annual Retirees Reunion is being held February 27th through March 1st in 2012.
- Membership Meeting Schedule
Monthly:
Anchorage:
February 2, 2012Fairbanks:
February 7, 2012Quarterly:
Clear - TBD
Healy - TBD
Kenai - TBD
Kodiak - TBD
Juneau - TBD
Valdez - TBD
Current News
- Teamsters Press Unionization Of Toll Drivers The Teamsters Union, as part of its national strategy to organize harbor truck drivers, has taken on Toll Global Forwarding, charging that the company is using national labor law to delay a vote among drivers to join the union.
- Bus Drivers For Alameda County Special Needs Kids Speak Out About Safety, Low Wages Bus drivers who transport special needs students in Alameda County spoke out Thursday about safety concerns, low wages and lack of benefits.
- School Bus Drivers Speak Out About Safety, Human Rights Concerns School bus drivers with Durham School Services in Hayward and Livermore, Calif., joined today with Teamster, political, religious and other community leaders at a "Driver Speak Out" to demand better working conditions.
- Teamsters Warn Hostess Not To Misuse Bankruptcy Process The Teamsters Union on Thursday warned Hostess Brands Inc. not to misuse the bankruptcy process in an attempt to bully its way to unnecessary operations changes, saying a consensual resolution with sacrifices by all stakeholders is what is required.
- Correctional Officers Say For-Profit Prisons Won't Save Money Turning prison facilities over to for-profit companies won't save Florida taxpayers any money and will probably cost them more, said Teamster correctional officers, their families, their neighbors and union officials who came to the Statehouse Monday.
- Labor Radio Program Interviews Jim Hoffa Teamster Rick Smith of the Rick Smith radio show interviews General President Hoffa about working families, stopping the war on workers and more.
- BLET Engineers Ratify Amtrak Contract Today, Amtrak engineers represented by the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen, a division of the Teamsters Rail Conference, ratified by a 4 to 1 margin a new, five-year agreement. The contract calls for wage, benefit and work rule improvements.
- Hunts Point Market Teamsters Overwhelmingly Ratify New Three-Year Agreement Today, workers at the Hunts Point Produce Market represented by Teamsters Local 202 in the Bronx, overwhelmingly voted to ratify a new three-year agreement that provides financial security and affordable health care for the nearly 1,300 members and their families.
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