December 26, 2008: Rank-and-file freight Teamsters will have their own observers at the concessions vote count, thanks to TDU members who won that right. The International Union has changed the deadline for ballots; the count date will now be Jan. 6. Ed Brogan and Ed Taylor, both members of Philadelphia Local 107, will observe the vote count in Lanham, Md. Freight Teamsters at YRCW are voting on a 10 percent wage cut that will last...

Chicago Local 705 mounted a credible a strike threat—twice—to win new full-time jobs and contract gains for 10,000 Teamsters at UPS. Chicago Local 705 Teamsters are proud of their local’s independence and power. The 10,000 UPS Teamsters in Local 705 are covered by a separate agreement from the national UPS contract. Twice over the past year, Local 705 used strike threats against UPS to deliver gains for working Teamsters. The first strike threat brought a...

December 24, 2008: Read and download the complete Yellow Roadway proposed mega Change of Operations. Yellow Roadway has submitted its proposed Change of Operations to James Hoffa and the Freight Division and requested a hearing in January. Click here to download and read the proposed Change of Operations. Click here to send a comment to the TDU Freight Committee. Click here for more coverage on concessions at Yellow Roadway from TDU. 

Teamsters for a Democratic Union wishes Teamster members and their families a happy holidays. Let’s resolve to move our union in a positive direction in 2009.

Local 743 used to be run by officials who cut deals behind closed doors and kept members in the dark. That all changed on January 1, 2008, when the New Leadership Slate took office in the 12,000-member local. George Simpson, Local 743 StewardNow Local 743 members are on the front lines of winning stronger contracts and fighting for all workers. Teamsters at Friends Family Health Center had gone for 18 months without a contract. The...

Read about Teamsters who made a difference in 2008--defeating givebacks, winning strong contracts, tossing crooked officials and building reform locals.Let's resolve to work together to put movement back in the labor movement in 2009. Click here to make a donation to support TDU's work in 2009. Local 804 Members United Local 804 members beat concessions and pension cuts, won new rights in their local bylaws, and organized to rebuild union power. Read more.   Local...

December 23, 2008: As the owners at the Star Tribune in Minneapolis continue to make their case for huge contract concessions, a growing number of workers are making their voices heard. They don’t like it. "The mood is growing among the workers that ‘no concessions’ is the right way to go," said Rick Sather.Opposition is intense among production workers who are facing wage cuts up to 42 percent. But there is criticism of the concessions...

December 22, 2008: TDU salutes Teamsters who made a difference in 2008, like carhaulers who united to fight concessions. “We learned in 2008 that carhaulers can have power when we get informed, spread the word, and work together,” said Ken Kontrath.Earlier this year, Teamster carhaulers went into national bargaining with the deck stacked against them. But in a decisive vote on August 11, carhaulers united to beat back concessions. They rejected the national contact and...

Teamsters in Las Vegas Local 631 will have new leadership next year, thanks to members who voted out officials who were cutting sweetheart deals. Earlier this year, members in the Las Vegas convention industry exposed blew the whistle on a scheme where the union set up a nonunion hiring hall inside the union hall. Nonunion workers paid $60 to take jobs that should have gone to union members. Union members got their hours cut. And...

December 19, 2008: The federal bailout money was supposed to get our economy back on track. So why is it going to pay for union-busting at Oak Harbor Freight? Local 81 picket line in Portland, Ore.The federal government is giving $2.5 billion to KeyBank as part of the Wall Street bailout. KeyBank is using some of that money to underwrite Oak Harbor. Since September, over 600 Teamsters have been on strike against the regional carrier...