October 4, 2012: On Monday, October 1, 600 warehouse workers and union supporters shut down Wal-Mart's largest US distribution center, in Elmwood, Illinois, in a dramatic show of solidarity. Workers and community allies were engaged in a nonviolent protest of wage theft, substandard working conditions and retaliation against striking workers. Police in riot gear met them at the gates where they arrested 17 of the protesters, including a county commissioner and several ministers. Inspired by...

September 28, 2012: The IBT has put initial demands on the table for the UPS Freight Contract. TDU is making the union proposals available here for members to review and discuss. This is your contract. An IBT press release stated that Parcel Division Director Ken Hall would make ending subcontracting of Teamster work a priority. The initial proposal from the union has a number of positive proposals, but leaves out some important issues. They will...

September 28, 2012: Yesterday the International Union gave UPS management the union's initial contract proposals. This is your contract and TDU is making our Union's proposals available to members to download and review. Click here to download and review the proposals. Contract talks will resume in mid-October. Negotiations this fall will focus on language and working conditions. Economic issues, including wages, pensions and health and welfare will be addressed beginning in January, according to the...

September 21, 2012: Officers from UPS Freight locals met in Chicago today to review the union's bargaining demands for the negotiations, which formally open on September 27. Small Package Division director Ken Hall gave a report and went over the demands, at a meeting that lasted an hour. It followed a similar meeting on the UPS contract. Hall stated that UPS Freight has not been profitable, so he would keep union demands modest. In fact,...

September 21, 2012: The International Union briefed local union officers in Chicago today on the union's proposals for UPS contract negotiations. Bargaining on the national contract opens on Sept. 27. Chief negotiator Ken Hall gave a presentation on key contract issues while local officers reviewed briefing books with a partial list of the union's contract proposals. Union bargaining proposals will reportedly include: Pension Increases: More money for pensions, including increases in the benefits paid by...

September 20, 2012: Speculation continues over the future of some 80,000 union workers employed by the grocery giant Super Valu, as the corporation continues to seek a buyer or takeover bid. Most of the union jobs are as clerks and meatcutters in the United Food and Commercial Workers, but thousands of Teamsters work as drivers and warehouse workers as well.  Super Valu, based in Minneapolis, continues to lose market share to unionized competitors such as...

UPDATED September 20, 2012: A former top Hoffa administration appointee and three of his goons were indicted today on a variety of racketeering and extortion charges.  Hoffa appointee John Perry, the former director of the Teamster Trade Show Division, Jo Jo Burhoe, Jimmy "the Bull" Deamicis, and Thomas Flaherty have been charged in a 30-count indictment. TDU blew the whistle on this corruption in a series of reports. Local 82 members reported the problems directly...

September 18, 2012: The International Union will meet with local union officers this Friday to finalize the Union's bargaining proposals for negotiations with UPS Freight and UPS. Every local union that represents UPS or UPS Freight employees is invited to send representatives to the "two-person" meetings in Chicago this Friday. The National Negotiating Committees will present their bargaining proposals for approval. In a speech at the National Press Club, General President Hoffa signaled that the...

September 17, 2012: UPS Teamsters in New England have voted by a large margin to approve a pension change favored by the company and the pension fund. Voting took place at regional meetings, not by mail, so an estimated 15-20% of the 10,200 participants voted. The proposal is to move all UPS Teamsters in the six New England states to a new plan which will still be within the New England Teamsters Pension Fund, but...

September 14, 2012: Teamsters have narrowly accepted a concession pact put forward by Hostess, but the Bakery Union is overwhelmingly rejecting the deal, after the bakery union president called it a "piece of crap." The IBT took no position on the contract, but presented it to the Teamster members for a vote: it passed by 2,357 to 2,049. Meanwhile, 5,000 members in the Bakery, Confectionery, Tobacco and Grain Millers Union reportedly have rejected in at 24 of 25 local...