February 8, 2012: Teamsters are voting nearly unanimously in locals across the country to authorize a possible strike against Hostess Brands, which is threatening to use bankruptcy court to force horrible concessions on some 7,000 Teamsters. Hostess, which makes and distributes Wonder Bread, Twinkies, Dolly Madison and other labels, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy on January 11, and simultaneously asked the bankruptcy court in New York to tear up Teamster contracts and impose cuts in...

February 2, 2012: A bad economy. A presidential election. All eyes are on good jobs and how to create them. The Teamsters Union can stand up for good jobs—starting right in our own contracts. It’s a presidential year and all eyes are on the economy, good jobs and how to create them. President Hoffa has done a good job in the media speaking out for jobs—including a federal Jobs Bill that would put construction Teamsters...

February 2, 2012: UPS wants early contract negotiations. But what will the company give up in return? UPS is reportedly interested in early contract negotiations—and why wouldn’t they be? It’s a good time for any corporation to be at the bargaining table. The economy is down and unions are on the defensive. “Ken Hall told the Teamster Convention there would be no early negotiations unless the economy turns around,” said Steve Kelly, a UPS driver...

February 20, 2012: Every UPS Teamster is covered by at least two contracts: the national UPS agreement and their regional supplement. Some Teamsters are even covered by a third agreement: a local rider. Members have the right to a separate vote on their supplement, as well as a vote on the national contract. TDU fought to win this right; it was put into the IBT Constitution in 1991. Members’ rights vary widely from supplement to...

February 10, 2012: UPS predicts package volume in the U.S. will grow two to three percent in 2012. Will growing volume mean more jobs—or just more production harassment? Profits aren’t the only thing on the rise at UPS. Volume is also up—and the company expects volume to increase even faster in 2012. UPS says Teamsters will handle two to three percent more packages in 2012. Excessive overtime and production harassment are already at all-time highs....

February 8, 2012: Top Teamster officials want to end your Right to Vote for Teamster President and other International officers. What does that have to do with your job and your benefits? More than you may think. Find out why—and what you can do to stop the attack on your rights. How Teamster Elections Work Members get to vote for Teamster General President, General Secretary-Treasurer, and the General Executive Board every five years. And there...

February 2, 2012: Three years after the company’s elimination of 22.3 jobs was exposed, the International Union still doesn’t know how many 22.3 jobs UPS owes Teamster members. Before Hoffa and Hall negotiate a new contract, shouldn’t they enforce the old one? In 1997, UPS Teamsters united under the slogan Part-Time America Won’t Work. Our successful strike made UPS combine 40,000 part-time jobs into 20,000 full-time 22.3 jobs over the next 10 years. In the...

February 2, 2012: The National Master Freight Agreement expires a little more than a year from now. It’s time to get ready—or we will regret it later. Bargaining for the NMFA will start well before the contract expires on March 31, 2013. Members are saying now is the time to start getting ready. “We need to take the lead at ABF,” commented Geneva Huneycutt, a road driver out of Indianapolis. “The company is profitable. There’s...

February 8, 2012: UPS Freight Teamsters know they deserve a better contract. Now they’re coming together to address subcontracting, work guarantees, and wages and organize to win a stronger contract in 2013. UPS Freight Teamsters got more bad news in January. The arbitration to resolve an important subcontracting grievance won’t convene again until April 25. That’s three years since the grievance was first filed in Dallas Local 745—three years of Teamster road jobs subcontracted away...

February 2, 2012: What do our International officials do while bakery Teamsters face production harassment, lost pensions, and threats to their jobs? They head off to the rodeo! Bakery Teamsters are facing production harassment and concessions. Interstate Bakeries, makers of Wonder Bread, Twinkies, and Hostess products, just filed for bankruptcy and has stopped paying contractual pension contributions for thousands of working Teamsters. The International Union’s response: Yee-haw, let’s go to the Calgary Stampede! The Bakery...