March 17, 2014: On March 15, 150 Teamsters attended a day-long education conference sponsored by TDU in New York City to educate themselves and build Teamster solidarity. “It’s inspiring to get together with like-minded Teamsters from all over the Northeast,” said Local 773 member Al Watrous, who made the drive in from Allentown, PA. “Knowledge is power. We need more members to get involved and take the time to learn. I’m looking forward to meeting...

March 17, 2014: Teamster bus drivers were joined by 150 community supporters on the picket lines in Burlington, Vt. this morning.  The Teamster Local 597 members work for the Chittenden County Transportation Authority. Riders include many public school students, and they stand with the drivers. Students gathered in below-zero temperatures this morning to rally and picket with drivers. Then they marched together to school. CCTA drivers are united for a contract that provides good full-time...

March 14, 2014: UPS management claims it has issued its “last, best and final” offer on a new Air Rider covering nearly 9,000 UPS Teamsters in Louisville. UPS says they are done negotiating with Louisville Local 89 over the Air Rider, and they have thrown down an offer that is even worse than their previous one. The International union has announced they will put the company’s offer to a vote, with ballots mailed out March...

March 10, 2014: Last week the top execs of YRCW each got an $800,000 bonus, as a reward for the concessions approved by Teamster employees and the subsequent debt refinancing. A salaried (nonunion) employee of YRCW sent us an open letter to CEO James Welch regarding the top-heavy priorities of YRCW management, which is reprinted below. For obvious reasons, the letter is not signed. Mr Welch; Congratulations to you and Mr. Harry Wilson and Mr....

Active and retired Teamsters in Minnesota are organizing a meeting for Sunday, March 16 to address pension issues. The meeting is sponsored by TDU and will be held at Weyerhauser Chapel on the campus of Macalester College at 1:00 pm. Ann Curry Thompson, an attorney well versed in pension law, will be a guest speaker. The meeting comes in response to Congress considering changes to pension law. Teamsters are encouraged to invite co-workers and spouses...

March 10, 2014: Over 120 active and retired Teamsters packed the house on March 8 in Richfield Ohio to learn about Congress being lobbied right now to undermine pension law, and the battle to save our pensions. The meeting was organized by Teamsters for a Democratic Union and a committee of Northeast Ohio Teamsters who have been active in defending their retirement security. The committee is now planning more actions, along with outreach to Teamsters...

March 7, 2014: UPS has put 250 drivers in New York on notice of termination for standing up to harassment and unfair discipline.  In response, elected officials and labor-community supporters are rallying behind the drivers. Political leaders are contacting UPS and a online support petition has been launched by community supporters. Click here to sign the online petition to support Local 804 members who face termination.  On Feb. 26, UPS fired a package driver and...

UPDATED March 6, 2014: Two recent SEC filings reveal that James Welch, CEO of YRCW, sold 93,750 shares of company stock and made $2,329,358. He first sold 38,000 shares, then within a few days sold another 55,750 shares. The filing also noted that Welch owns 329,157 shares at a current value of over $8 million. The SEC document is available here. Meanwhile, Harry Wilson, YRCW Board member appointed by James Hoffa for the IBT, has...

Use your 9.5 rights in the contract to get penalty pay for excessive overtime and to get your load adjusted. Teamsters for a Democratic Union has issued a 9.5 Rights Enforcement Packet to make it easier to enforce your protections against excessive overtime. Here are the ABCs of enforcing your 9.5 rights. Download the  9.5 Rights Enforcement Packet for the detailed explanation. The ABCs of Enforcing Your 9.5 Rights Step 1. Document Your Excessive Overtime....

TEAMSTER POWER CONFERENCE Saturday, March 15 10:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. CUNY Law School, 2 Court Square, Long Island City, NY Click here to get directions and parking info. Join Teamsters for a day of union education and strategizing about rebuilding union power. Click here to download a registration form. All members who register in advance are automatically entered in a drawing to win tickets to an upcoming Rangers or Knicks-Nets game. (You must be...