On August 12, the Teamster Independent Disciplinary Officer (IDO), Robert Luskin, issued a report and detailed embezzlement charges to be filed against Mike Philbeck, the former president of Lexington Kentucky Local 651.

Thanks to a generous donor, TDU is launching the James “Jimmy” LaRose Memorial Scholarship Fund in Jim’s honor to help low-income Teamsters attend the TDU Convention.

In January 2021, TDU lost a member and friend in Brother James LaRose. Jim was a Shop Steward at UPS Local 294, and a long-time Teamster reformer. He passed away at the age of 52 after a lifetime devoted to fighting for a stronger union. 

TDU will hold a national zoom call on Saturday, Aug. 14 for Teamsters who are volunteering to elect the O’Brien-Zuckerman Teamsters United Slate. Join candidates, campaign coordinators and Teamster activists for an update and to make plans to Get Out the Vote and win this fall. Registration is now closed.

The assets of the Central States Pension Fund fell to $9.8 billion at the end of March, a drop of $573 million in the first quarter.  The fund projects forward that it will pay $2.83 billion in pension benefits this year, while taking in $651 million in employer contributions.

TForce is on a roll, doing better in the profit column than in its previous life as UPS Freight. It finished the second quarter with an operating ratio of 90.1%

Recordings of the complete 2021 IBT Convention are available here for any member to view.  The convention was held June 22-23-24, 2021 online, with some 1600 elected delegates participating and voting. 

The ballots to elect the new International Teamster President and all International officers will be mailed to all members on October 4. They should be received by members in mid-October, and will be due back by November 15, 2021.

The IBT Convention is in the books. The O’Brien-Zuckerman Teamsters United Slate is officially on the ballot, and the campaign for a new leadership and a new direction in the Teamsters is on.

The IBT Convention overwhelmingly voted to approve an amendment making strike benefits payable from the 1st day of a strike, rather than the 8th day, as it has been until now.