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Local and National News
Local, regional contract tentative agreements go to membership vote
Aug. 15, 2022 | The tentative National Master DHL Agreement, approved earlier this month by local union leaders representing Teamsters at DHL Express, will go to the membership for ratification this week. Local 355 DHL clerical staff are scheduled to vote Tuesday, August 16, and DHL drivers will vote Saturday, August 20. If ratified, the new national contract will be the most lucrative national agreement at DHL in Teamster history, said Bill Hamilton, International Vice President and Co-Chairman of the DHL Negotiating Committee. The Master Agreement’s wage increases will be retroactive to April 1.
Teamsters praise new NLRB agreements meant to beef up antitrust law enforcement
Aug. 3, 2022 | The Teamsters applaud the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) for entering into agreements with two federal agencies to improve enforcement of antitrust law, promote fair standards of marketplace competition, and advance workers’ rights. The NLRB recently reached separate memorandums of understanding (MOUs) with the U.S. Justice Department’s Antitrust Division as well as the Federal Trade Commission, sending a strong message that the federal government plans to aggressively police bad corporate behavior. Continue reading at teamster.orgNew app now available for UPS Teamsters
Aug. 1, 2022 | Teamster members at UPS began a nationwide call to action today. With the current contract expiring in exactly one year, members are mobilizing now for the strongest possible contract in 2023. As part of the campaign launch, a new UPS Teamsters app is now available for download here.
Elsewhere in the News
Domestic Workers Alliance Takes Bill of Rights Drive National
Aug. 17, 2022 | WORKERS’ RIGHTS | The National Domestic Workers Alliance is taking its drive for a Domestic Workers Bill of Rights national, combining an online petition with extensive testimony before sympathetic Democrats on the House Workforce Protections Subcommittee. “You will find domestic work is much more than meets the eye. They are teachers, nurses, confidants, coaches, event planners and much more” and should be treated with respect and rights many other workers now have, such as overtime pay, NDWA founder Ai-jen Poo urged. If approved, HR4826, the National Domestic Workers Bill of Rights, would do just that. It would ensure the nation’s 2.2 million-plus domestic workers “access to a safe workplace,” by setting standards their employers must meet. Peoples World
Amazon Workers Walk Off Job at West Coast Air Hub
Aug. 17, 2022 | COLLECTIVE ACTION | Dozens of Amazon employees at the company’s air hub in San Bernardino, Calif., on Monday abandoned their workstations mid-shift over low wages and concerns regarding heat safety. The walkout in Southern California marks the first coordinated labor action in Amazon’s growing airfreight division, which uses Prime-branded planes to fly packages and goods around the country much like UPS or FedEx. The employees, who are independently organized, said they didn’t plan to return to work on Monday, in an effort to pressure Amazon to raise wages and improve safety. Washington Post
Video Game & Tech Workers Putting Unions at Play in Their Industries
Aug. 15, 2022 | ORGANIZE! | At noon on July 17, my co-workers and I at the video game studio Tender Claws stepped away from our desks. Two of our work-from-home colleagues walked into the office unannounced; our out-of-state colleagues joined virtually on a laptop. We passed out a letter and read it aloud together: “Dear management: we are proud to announce we are forming the Tender Claws Human Union.” Two weeks later we obtained voluntary recognition, making Tender Claws the fourth video game studio with a certified union in North America. Our company is small, with a unit of just 11 workers, but our victory joins a nationwide wave of organizing in games and tech. Truthout
Workers Wages Continue to Climb, But Not as Fast As Inflation
Aug. 3, 2022 | ECONOMY | […] The data shows that people are really falling behind, said Jason Furman, an economics professor at Harvard University and former chair of the Council of Economic Advisers in the Obama administration. "And they're falling behind, not because wage growth is slowing, but because price growth is so high," Furman said. "And that's a worrisome sign for the future." The super-tight labor market during the Covid-19 pandemic has forced employers to increase their compensation to fill open positions and hold on to their staff, though the raises aren't keeping up with the cost of living. This is adding to concerns about the duration and pervasiveness of inflation. CNN Business
NLRB Dismisses Starbucks Charge Against Union Organizing
Aug. 3, 2022 | NLRB | The National Labor Relations Board has dismissed a charge Starbucks filed against union organizers in Phoenix, saying there was not enough evidence that pro-union workers blocked store entrances or intimidated customers during a spring rally. Seattle-based Starbucks filed the charge with the labor board in April. The company contended that pro-union workers violated U.S. labor law by threatening workers and customers a Phoenix Starbucks store. The company claimed workers blocked the store’s entrances, made threats, yelled profanities and pounded on the store’s windows. Associated Press