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Local and National Union News
Teamsters support Lori Chavez-DeRemer for Secretary of Labor
Feb. 14, 2025 | “As the daughter of a Teamster, [former Congresswoman] Lori Chavez-DeRemer knows the importance of carrying a union card and what it means to grow up in a middle-class household,” said Teamsters General President Sean M. O’Brien. “Working people need someone with her experience leading the agency that is tasked with protecting workers, creating good union jobs, and rebuilding our nation’s middle class…” Full press release here. Yellow Corporation bankruptcy update
Feb. 13, 2025 | The Union is currently awaiting the Bankruptcy Judge’s decision on two remaining issues regarding Yellow’s WARN Act liability. Local Unions will be immediately notified when a decision is rendered and its significance to employee recovery. Members employed or formerly employed by Yellow Corp. affiliates can read details here.Maryland Teamsters demand passage of bill regulating driverless vehicles
Feb. 11, 2025 | Teamsters are calling on the Maryland House of Delegates to pass House Bill 439 (HB 439), which would require a human operator in any vehicle over 10,000 pounds. “HB 439 is about saving good jobs from greedy tech executives who only care about profits,” said Sean Cedenio, President of Teamsters Joint Council 62. “If our elected officials in Maryland want the support of Teamsters and the voting public at large, they should stand with us as we fight to protect the middle class.” Read the full press release here. The history behind the celebration of Black History Month
Feb. 5, 2025 | Saturday, Feb. 8, marks the start of Black History Month, a time to honor Black people and the Black experience. And while Black History celebrations have been held for decades, some people may not realize how this month-long celebration began. Details at USA Today. Teamsters honor the invaluable contributions African Americans have made to the American labor movement, its history as a union, and our society. Info here.
Elsewhere in the News
Former UPS/Amazon Safety Exec Nominated to Head OSHA
Feb. 17, 2025 | HEALTH & SAFETY | On February 12, 2025, President Trump nominated the former UPS and Amazon safety executive, David Keeling, to head the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) at the Department of Labor. OSHA’s mission is to “assure safe and healthy working conditions for working men and women by setting and enforcing standards and by providing training, outreach, education, and assistance,” as well as enforce whistleblower statutes and regulations. HIPAA Journal
Week Ending 02/14/2025
• Hertz Teamsters extend ULP strike to Miami
• Fired NLRB member speaks out
• The danger of Trump’s plan for a private USPS
• The Musk-Bezos war on collective bargaining
• General Motors, Jack Cooper end 100-year relationship
• Sysco Teamsters overwhelmingly approve strong new contract
• UPS Teamsters in Texas conduct anti-harassment workshop
• ‘The Realignment’: GOP Sen. Hawley to introduce pro-union legislation
Tariffs on Canadian Steel, Aluminum Would Be A Gut Punch to Workers
Feb. 12, 2025 | U.S. TARIFFS | Brian Bryant, International President of the 600,000-member IAM Union, and David Chartrand, IAM Canadian General Vice President, issued the following statement regarding President Trump’s announcement of a 25% tariff on all steel and aluminum imports into the United States: “A 25% tariff on Canadian steel and aluminum imports would be a gut punch to workers on both sides of the border. It will lead to job losses, higher consumer prices, and broken supply chains vital to industries like automotive, aerospace and defense. “These proposed tariffs will not protect or grow American jobs – it will destroy them. The U.S. and Canadian economies are linked at the hip. Slapping a 25% tariff on these critical materials from Canada would put our national security at risk." International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers
Ten Thousand Grocery Workers Strike Kroger
Feb. 11, 2025 | STRIKES | Ten thousand members of United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) Local 7 are on strike all across Colorado. They work for King Soopers grocery stores, owned by Kroger, the largest supermarket chain in the U.S. When their contracts expired January 16, they voted by 96 percent to authorize a two-week-long unfair labor practice strike, including high-traffic Super Bowl and Valentine’s Day weekends. Even with scabs staffing the stores, these holiday weekends should give the boss a headache. Much more is at stake than the contracts in Colorado. This is the critical first skirmish of this year’s large-scale grocery bargaining rounds—contracts will expire covering more than 130,000 members at Kroger and Albertsons across a dozen UFCW locals. In all, UFCW represents more than 700,000 workers at these two companies. Labor Notes
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