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Audubon zookeepers join Teamsters union [New Orleans]
Nola.com ^ | October 19, 2009 | Bruce Eggler

Posted on 10/19/2009 12:05:04 PM PDT by Ebenezer

A small but important group of workers at the Audubon Zoo has voted to join the Teamsters union.

Audubon's zookeepers voted 17-14 to join Teamsters Local 270. Despite the close vote, the zoo's management has decided not to challenge the election results, and the union will now be certified as the workers' official bargaining agent.

Zookeepers work directly with the animals in exhibits such as the Asian domain and primate center, but their ranks do not include animal curators, who are considered part of management.

Audubon has a total staff of about 600, including 450 full-time workers.

The Teamsters represent zookeepers and other workers at several of the country's best-known zoos, including the San Diego Zoo and Chicago's Brookfield Zoo.

The 1.4-million-member union's Web site boasts that it represents "everyone from A to Z -- from airline pilots to zookeepers."

"The Audubon Zoo workers were being treated poorly, and they knew about the union zoo in Chicago and how working under a Teamster contract has made things better for them, " said David Negrotto, president of Local 270.

Dale Stastny, executive vice president and chief operating officer of the Audubon Nature Institute, said Audubon's management advised the workers against joining the union, pointing out raises they have received and what he said is a generous health care package.

(Excerpt) Read more at nola.com ...


TOPICS: Business/Economy; Culture/Society; US: Louisiana
KEYWORDS: audubonzoo; biglabor; labor; louisiana; neworleans; teamsters; unions

1 posted on 10/19/2009 12:05:06 PM PDT by Ebenezer
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To: rrstar96

Oh boy, I feel bad for the zoo animals.


2 posted on 10/19/2009 12:06:14 PM PDT by randomhero97 ("First you want to kill me, now you want to kiss me. Blow!" - Ash)
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To: lsucat; Roux; Pikachu_Dad; WFTR; chemicalman; abb; Liberty911; CajunConservative; LSUfan; ...

Pelican State ping


3 posted on 10/19/2009 12:06:28 PM PDT by Ebenezer (Strength and Honor!)
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To: randomhero97

Yea, the animals are gonna like it when the Teamsters go on strike.


4 posted on 10/19/2009 12:07:47 PM PDT by caver (Obama's first goals: allow more killing of innocents and allow the killers of innocents to go free.)
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To: randomhero97

Yeah. Knowing the Teamsters’ reputation, the local SPCA should keep a close watch.


5 posted on 10/19/2009 12:08:01 PM PDT by Ebenezer (Strength and Honor!)
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To: randomhero97

Me too.


6 posted on 10/19/2009 12:09:09 PM PDT by freekitty (Give me back my conservative vote; then find me a real conservative to vote for)
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To: rrstar96

Anyone have a link to the song——”let’s all go to the Audubon Zoo”


7 posted on 10/19/2009 12:13:25 PM PDT by streetsmart (I'd rather die on my feet than live on my knees)
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To: rrstar96

well, Chum....if youse woulda signed your card like we had gold yuz to, maybe da Wolverine wouldn’t have ended up in ya bathroom...


8 posted on 10/19/2009 12:13:56 PM PDT by Buckeye McFrog
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To: caver

Your observation raises a good point. Let’s say the unionized Audubon employees go on strike, and some good-hearted people out there take their place caring for the animals in the interim. Will the Teamsters denounce these folks as “union-busting, anti-labor scabs” just for looking after the critters?


9 posted on 10/19/2009 12:14:32 PM PDT by Ebenezer (Strength and Honor!)
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To: rrstar96

Considering all the @$%& the Teamsters leave behind them, they need a good group of pooper-scoopers.


10 posted on 10/19/2009 12:18:35 PM PDT by LoneStarGI (Vegetarian: Old Indian word for "BAD HUNTER.")
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To: rrstar96

And they all axe for you.


11 posted on 10/19/2009 12:19:45 PM PDT by dfwgator
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To: Buckeye McFrog

Oh, an’ anudder t’ing, pal! We also take ovah de Aquarium o’ de Americas here in N’awlins, and ya might find y’self sleepin’ wit’ de fishes!


12 posted on 10/19/2009 12:21:48 PM PDT by Ebenezer (Strength and Honor!)
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To: rrstar96

The people in the local areas of New Orleans and all around Louisiana should boycott the zoo!


13 posted on 10/19/2009 12:22:36 PM PDT by classified
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To: rrstar96

There goes our lovely zoo! What the #ell, everything else is going to #ell in a handbag!


14 posted on 10/19/2009 12:36:07 PM PDT by Bitsy
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To: rrstar96
In high school I lived only a few blocks from Audubon Zoo and would jump the fence late at night, usually with a Catholic School girl and look at the animals and do what Catholic high school kids do.

Good Times.

15 posted on 10/19/2009 12:49:48 PM PDT by trumandogz (The Democrats are driving us to Socialism at 100 MPH -The GOP is driving us to Socialism at 97.5 MPH)
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To: streetsmart
Anyone have a link to the song——”let’s all go to the Audubon Zoo”

Did you mean Animal Zoo?

16 posted on 10/19/2009 12:50:06 PM PDT by Willie Green (Go Pat Go!!!)
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To: streetsmart

nyone have a link to the song——”let’s all go to the Audubon Zoo””

I’m not sure if this is what you are thinking of, but I can’t find an audio. Here are the lyrics.

They All Ask’d For You - The Meters
: (The definitive lyrics)
: ——————————————————————
: Es la bas
: Crawfish Etoufee (crawfish)

: Day all axt fuh you

: I wennon down to dee Audubon Zoo
: An day all axt fuh you
: day all axt fuh you, (fuh who?)
: Well day even inquired about chuh’

: I wennon down to dee Audubon Zoo
: And day all axt fuh you
: Duh mounkeys ast, duh tiguhs ast
: And duh elephant axt me too

: Andouille

: Red beans. Rice.

: Bomp Bomp Bomp
: BOMP! BOMP!
: Buh Deeba Doomp Beemp Bomp
: BOMP! BOMP!
: Buh Deeba Doomp Beemp Bomp

: Es la bas (Es la bas) (Es la bas)
: Red beans n’ rice
: Creole gumbo

: I wennon up to duh Big Ol’ Sky
: And day all axt fuh you (fuh who?)
: day all axt fuh you,
: Well day even inquired about chuh

: I wennon up to duh Big Ol’ Sky
: And day all axt fuh you
: duh ducks ast , duh eagles ast
: And duh buzzard axt me too

: Do it to it
: Es la bas (Es la bas)

: Laissez bon temps rouler

: Bomp Bomp Bomp
: BOMP! BOMP!
: Buh Deeba Doomp Beemp Bomp
: BOMP! BOMP!
: Buh Deeba Doomp Beemp Bomp

: Hey la bas (hey la bas)
: Grits n’ fish drippins
: Un e crawfish bischien l’etouffee,
: boil willin’ n’ tomato pase

: do it!
: puh-chall hans tuh-gethuh.

: I wennon down to duh deep blue sea
: And day all axd fuh you (fuh who?)
: day all axt fuh you, (fuh me?)
: Well day even enquired about chuh.

: I wennon down to duh deep blue sea
: And day all axd fuh you (fuh me?)
: duh shark ast , duh whale ast
: And duh barracuda axt me too

: day all axt fuh you (in nuh mornin)
: all axt fuh you (early inuh mornin)
: Evybody der
: wanna know where
: day all axt fuh you

: day all axt fuh you (early inuh mornin)
: day all axt fuh you (early inuh eevnan)
: Evybody der
: wanna know where
: day all axt fuh you

:
: yeah.


17 posted on 10/19/2009 1:42:29 PM PDT by Mila
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To: trumandogz

How come Frank Zappa comes to mind?


18 posted on 10/19/2009 1:58:30 PM PDT by BBell
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