July 30, 2007: The four-week Waste Management lockout of 500 Teamsters ended on July 29 when members of Oakland Local 70 voted overwhelmingly to ratify a new contract.
Management took the offensive to force concessions, including on health care, as a first step to attack the big Los Angeles contract that is up this fall.
They miscalculated. The Teamsters got broad support, and as trash piled up, community sentiment turned against Waste Management.
UPS CEO Carole Tomé’s Better, Not Bigger strategy is about cutting volume and Teamster jobs. South Carolina Local 509 has fought back and won new driver positions. Shop Stewards John Gacsey and Russell Sires share how the fight played out in their building in Palmetto.
President Shawn Fain led members of the United Autoworkers (UAW) to victory in the Stand Up strike against the Big Three automakers. Now, he’s facing trumped up allegations from a federal monitor who’s trying to tip the balance in the upcoming UAW election for International Union officers. Here’s what you need to know.
