Teamsters Local 355

Local and National News

Hoffa: New NLRB members will ensure workers are heard
July 30, 2021 | The Senate confirmed two labor union attorneys this week to serve on the National Labor Relations Board. In a statement issued today, Teamsters General President Jim Hoffa said, “For too long, workers’ efforts to join together and bargain for fair wages and working conditions have been stymied at the NLRB. But that changes with the additions of David Prouty and Gwynne Wilcox, whose decades-long careers prove they value the rights of working Americans to organize on the job if they choose…” Teamsters

Application deadline for Local 355 scholarships is Friday, July 30
July 28, 2021 | This is your reminder that applications for the Teamsters Local Union No. 355 Annual Scholarship must be received at the Local Union office no later than Friday, July 30. Applications are available for download here.

Teamsters go big in pushing the PRO Act
July 27, 2021 | Teamsters from coast-to-coast turned out in force last week with their fellow union brothers and sisters to urge the Senate to pass the Protect the Right to Organize (PRO) Act, which would empower hardworking Americans in their efforts to join together and fight for better wages and benefits as well as safer jobs. Whether it was through rallies or other events, the Teamsters were on the ground getting the word out that more has to be done to help workers… Teamsters

Local 355 mourns the passing of Brother Don Riley
July 23, 2021 | Retired UPS package driver Donald Joseph Riley passed away June 14, 2021. Brother Riley was a proud member of Local 355 for 33 years. He served as a shop steward at the UPS facility in Hunt Valley, Maryland for many years, and as a Local 355 trustee from 1999 until his retirement from UPS in 2008. A Memorial Service will be held at 11 am August 7, 2021, at Peaceful Alternatives Funeral and Cremation Center, P.A., 2325 York Road, Timonium, Md. 21093. An informal reception is open to all beginning at 10 am.

Important Senate hearing tomorrow: The Right to Organize
July 20, 2021 | The PRO Act Week of Action is underway with Teamsters attending rallies and events around the country calling on the Senate to pass this historic pro-union legislation, putting power in the hands of workers and strengthening our unions. Our allies in the Senate are taking an important step. Tune in at 10 am ET as the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee holds a hearing on the PRO Act. Link is here. This hearing is crucial to getting the PRO Act through the Senate and to President Biden’s desk. Strong unions mean higher wages, safer working conditions, and dignity for workers all across America. Make your voice heard: Share your story – tell Congress why passing the PRO Act matters to you.

The other victims of the pandemic: Workers killed in fights over masks
July 19, 2021 | Essential workers have borne the brunt of a pandemic poisoned by politics. BuzzFeed News found at least four frontline employees who died in fights over masks, including Local 355 member Frankye Duckett, a Baltimore MobilityLink bus driver killed in January 2021. “How do you kill somebody because they tell you to put your mask on?”... Continued at Buzzfeed News

First-contract proposal meeting for Harrington US Foods drivers
July 13, 2021 | Drivers at US Foods in Harrington, Delaware had their first contract proposal meeting Sunday, July 11, at the Local’s Salisbury office. The workers brought their ideas and proposals for improved benefits, including better health coverage. “The group is seeking to have the terms of their working conditions and benefits guaranteed in a legally binding contract,” said Ed Mulford, Local 355 business agent. A date to begin negotiations has yet to be scheduled.

Older articles here.

Elsewhere in the News

Weekly News Wrap-Up: 7/30/2021

• Frito-Lay workers celebrate successful strike
• Teamsters establish a beachhead at XPO
• Corporations aren’t going to save America
• Teamsters support Fair and Open Skies Act
• A devastating plant shutdown looms in West Virginia
• ‘We all quit’: How workers are taking back their power
• Administration moves to tilt pay and power toward workers
• How unions and their allies are trying to hold Amazon accountable
• Covid variant adds to worker anxieties.
• Turn off, turn on: A simple step to thwart phone hackers

Proposed Buy American Changes Will Boost American Jobs

July 28, 2021 | JOBS | The Biden administration unveiled a new proposed regulation today that would ensure purchases made by the federal government support products manufactured and services provided by American workers, following through on a promise President Biden made when he first took office earlier this year. The Teamsters commend the Office of Management and Budget, and especially the Buy America Director, Celeste Drake, for the whole-of-government approach in this historic and timely initiative during Buy America Week. As part of the notice of proposed rulemaking, U.S.-made content in the products the American government buys would increase from 55 percent now to 75 percent in 2029, the largest such proposed change in the Buy American Act since it was implemented almost 90 years ago… Teamsters

The Pandemic Was Bad for Workers. Can Shareholders Turn Things Around?

July 26, 2021 | ECONOMY | One would have to forgive the American worker for feeling under siege lately. Statistics show that lower-paid workers lost the most jobs during the pandemic. Nearly half of American workers have suffered mental health issues since the start of the pandemic. And blue-collar workers are shown to have faced bigger health risks and fewer opportunities to minimize their exposure to the coronavirus. These workers were also twice as likely to contract COVID-19 than their white-collar counterparts according to Joblist, a job searching website. But the pandemic may also be the spur for new initiatives to improve the quality of life for those same workers… “Without question, COVID, essential workers, the question of bonus pay: All of those issues have certainly focused everyone’s attention,” said Michael Pryce-Jones, senior governance analyst with the International Brotherhood of Teamster… whowhatwhy.com

Worker Power

July 26, 2021 | COMMENTARY | Imagine a world where workers have real power. In this world, workers are paid a living wage, are protected by a strong union, and wield enough political clout to ensure Congress passes pro-worker laws. Corporations can’t treat them like robots and abandon communities to find cheaper labor elsewhere. It is a world of low inequality, where workers have a bigger share of the fruits of their labor. This world is America in the 1950s. This world was far from perfect… Nation of Change

A Note to Our Members:

We continue to do what we can to protect the health of our members and staff while providing you service and support. Safety procedures instituted at the beginning of the pandemic remain in effect until further notice. Click here for important notices regarding COVID-19 policies regarding our office and credit union hours of operation.
If you need to see your business agent or have questions or concerns, give us a call at
410-566-5700.