September 29, 2010: The main cargo ports in New York Harbor were shut down by picketing dockworkers on Tuesday and could be idle again on Wednesday if local longshoremen decide to defy a federal judge. A group of dockworkers from the Port of Philadelphia picketed at the gates of the container terminals in New Jersey and on Staten Island on Tuesday. They were protesting the imminent loss of union jobs on the docks in Camden,...

September 29, 2010: YRC Worldwide Inc. chief Bill Zollars, who led the Overland Park-based trucking company through some of its strongest and leanest times, said Tuesday he will retire soon. Zollars, YRC Worldwide’s chairman, chief executive and president, said he would step down after the company completed its restructuring plan, which has been under way for nearly two years. Click here to read more at KansasCity.Com.

September 28, 2010: Canadian National Railway offered new contract terms that include cutting the crew size on some trains, said a spokesman for the Teamsters Canada Rail Conference, and the union is preparing a response. TCRC spokesman Bryan Boechler told The Journal of Commerce that while either side could trigger a labor action - a strike or a lockout - after giving 72 hours notice, "we have no intention of serving strike notice." Click here...

September 28, 2010: ABF Freight System said today it will raise its general tariff rates 5.9 percent, following an identical increase announced last week by competitor YRC. The Fort Smith, Ark.-based trucker is the second less-than-truckload carrier to announce a general rate increase ahead of trucking’s peak shipping season. Click here to read more at The Journal of Commerce.

September 23, 2010: Trucking giant YRC Worldwide raised its tariff rates at national carrier YRC by 5.9 percent Sept. 20, the company’s second general rate increase this year and a strong sign that truckers are anxious to raise pricing amid improving demand. The rate action by the largest U.S. trucking operator is expected to help other LTL trucking companies hauling low-priced freight bump up their own rates. Click here to read more at The Journal...

UPDATED September 24, 2010: The New York Daily News continues to follow the story of bus workers organizing with TDU against a sub-minimum wage contract. Click here to read the latest article from the Daily News. Click here to read the original exclusive story in the New York Daily News.

September 22, 2010: UPS said it is preparing to follow its ban on driver texting with a broader policy on use of cell and smart phones while its employees are behind the wheel, in support of federal policies to combat distracted driving. The company made the announcement while Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood and other top Department of Transportation officials were hosting a daylong distracted driving summit in Washington, D.C. Click here to read more at...

September 21, 2010: About 40 medical marijuana industry employees joined with the Teamsters Local 70 in Oakland, California earlier this month, ratifying a contract after their employer recognized their union without interference. These employees are different from those of medical marijuana dispensaries who joined with UFCW Local 5. The newest Teamster members are those who tend to plants at a medical marijuana management company. Click here to read more at Fire Dog Lake.

September 16, 2010: FedEx Corp., the second-largest U.S. package-shipping company, forecast earnings for the current quarter that fell short of analysts’ estimates, and said it will eliminate 1,700 jobs. Net income for the three months ending in November will be $1.15 to $1.35 a share, the Memphis, Tennessee-based company said today in a statement. Analysts projected $1.37 a share, the average of 19 forecasts compiled by Bloomberg. Click here to read more at Business Week....

September 15, 2010: Federal Magistrate Judge Susan E. Cox has granted preliminary approval to a $10 million, five-year consent decree which will end the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission’s (EEOC) race harassment and discrimination lawsuit against Roadway Express and YRC, Inc. In addition to the multi-million-dollar monetary relief, the decree enjoins future discrimination at the facilities and requires the appointment of a monitor to oversee its implementation. In its suit, the EEOC alleged that the...