March 17, 2011: Working from the inside, Ken Paff has brought about reforms that give Teamster members more say in the running of their union. Now, he's working to eject the old guard and bring in new leadership. Anyone affiliated with the International Brotherhood of Teamsters knows not to expect a neutral reaction when Ken Paff's name is mentioned. Click here to read more at DC Velocity.

March 9, 2011: Good labor relations between employers and trade unions helped the European Union through the economic crisis of 2008-2010, a European Commission report said March 3. Employers and trade unions agreed to minimize job losses by shortening working hours, which enabled companies to retain skilled workers over the severe economic downturn, the report said. The annual Industrial Relations Report 2010 also said continued good relations are needed to improve weak competitiveness in some...

March 9, 2011: President Obama and Mexican President Felipe Calderón March 3 announce their agreement on a “path” toward resolving the protracted North American Free Trade Agreement cross-border trucking dispute with Mexico and the eventual lifting of retaliatory Mexican tariffs on over $2 billion in U.S. goods. At a joint press conference with Calderón after a White House meeting, Obama said he was “especially pleased” that the two sides have found a “clear path” to...

March 7, 2011: Attorney General Eric Schneiderman today announced a $1.3 million settlement with United Parcel Service, Inc. dealing with allegations that their delivery trucks are in “serious despair” but knowingly permitted on the roads in New York. Under the agreement, UPS paid $1.3 million in penalties, fines and costs, and agreed to have an independent inspector conduct vehicle inspections of UPS trucks in New York for the next five years. Cilck here to read...

February 22, 2011: No one calls Teamsters' president Jim P. Hoffa Jimmy. That nickname is reserved for his father, the famous and infamous Jimmy Hoffa, who earned respect for building the Teamsters into a powerhouse organization and went to jail for pension fraud, amid allegations of ties with organized crime. On July 30, 1975, James R. "Jimmy" Hoffa disappeared. His body has never been found, but his legacy continues, even as his son, a lawyer,...

February 16, 2011: Thousands of people descended on the Wisconsin state Capitol again Wednesday to protest a bill that would strip most public employees of their collective bargaining rights, but Gov. Scott Walker insisted he has the votes to pass the measure. On the second consecutive day of demonstrations, Walker said he was open to making changes in the legislation, the boldest anti-union proposal in the nation. But he said he would not "fundamentally undermine...

February 14, 2011: Representatives from several unions and student groups rallied Sunday behind Chittenden County Transportation Authority bus drivers fighting for a new contract. Bus driver Jim Fouts, who helped organize the rally in Contois Auditorium at Burlington City Hall, told the audience of more than 60 people “we’re all on this bus together.” Click here to read more at Burlington Free Press.

February 8, 2011: All 47 Republicans in the U.S. Senate submitted a letter to President Obama objecting to his renomination of attorney Craig Becker to fill the remainder of a five-year term as a board member ending Dec. 16, 2014, and asking Obama to “respect the will of the Senate” by withdrawing the nomination. Becker's July 2009 nomination failed in the Senate when a February 2010 cloture motion to end debate on the nomination fell...

February 7, 2011: A longtime Memphis union leader is at the center of an investigation into whether Teamsters boss James Hoffa and his supporters broke election rules. Hoffa's campaign falsely touted an endorsement by Henry Perry, an International Brotherhood of Teamsters trustee and former president of Teamsters Local 667 in Memphis, an investigator concluded. Click here to read more at The Commercial Appeal.

February 4, 2011: YRC Worldwide broke into the black in the fourth quarter, reporting a $23 million net profit on $1.09 billion in revenue, and cut its full-year loss to $322 million. For the full year, YRC Worldwide reported $4.3 billion in revenue, a 12 percent drop from $4.9 billion in revenue in 2009. It lost $622 million that year. Click here to read more at The Journal of Commerce.