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Local and National Union News
Local 355 annual 2026 scholarships awarded
May 6, 2026 | For 60 consecutive years, Local 355 has proudly invested in the future of its members’ families through its annual scholarship program. This year, the union awarded a total of $8,000 in scholarships to two outstanding high-school seniors selected during a drawing held at the May 3, 2026, membership meeting at the
Baltimore office. Each recipient will receive a $4,000 scholarship, distributed at the rate of $1,000 per academic year. One of this year’s scholarship recipients is Kobe Faley, son of Local 355 member Lauren Faley. Kobe will graduate from Perryville High School in Perryville, Maryland, on May 30, 2026. Lauren works at the UPS Air Ramp at BWI Airport. Also receiving a scholarship is Lacey Dukes, daughter of Brian Dukes, a UPS package driver in Easton, Maryland. Lacey will graduate from North Dorchester High School on May 27, 2026. Local 355 congratulates Kobe and Lacey on their achievements and wishes them continued success as they begin the next chapter of their educational journeys.
DHL Teamsters ratify new collective bargaining agreement
May 5, 2026 | DHL Teamsters have voted by a 92 percent margin to ratify a new four-year contract. The new agreement was secured following a credible strike threat that would have involved thousands of DHL Teamsters across 26 locals nationwide. The new four-year contract includes a 20 percent wage increase, higher health and welfare contributions, and critical job protections. It also establishes robust safeguards against AI-driven routing systems that undermine seniority and explicitly prohibits the use of autonomous vehicles that threaten Teamsters jobs. Learn moreZoo workers reject insulting offer from employer, prepare to strike
Apr. 29, 2026 | Update: Tentative agreement reached More than 200 members of Teamsters Local 727 at the Chicago Zoological Society (CZS), doing business as the Brookfield Zoo Chicago, have rejected their employer’s last, best, and final offer and voted to authorize a strike. The hundreds of animal care specialists, groundskeepers, patrol officers, seasonals, aides, and custodians are demanding a contract that includes wage increases and staffing guarantees. Learn more Older posts can be found at 355 News
Elsewhere in the News
Life Moves Pretty Fast – Unless You’re an American Worker
May 4, 2026 | WORKERS’ RIGHTS | In today’s fast-paced, on-demand world, we don’t expect to wait for things we need or want. If you broke your arm today, you wouldn’t wait a year to see a doctor. You wouldn’t order takeout that couldn’t arrive for 14 months. A CEO certainly doesn’t wait 400 days to make a major decision or roll out a new strategy. But for millions of people who want fairer treatment at work, 400 days of waiting is routine. Delays are built into the system on purpose, and the people with the least power pay the highest price for them. On average, American workers wait 458 days fighting for their first contract after voting to form a union. Meanwhile, the rest of us feel the fallout without realizing where it comes from… Just Cause Teamsters
Week Ending 05/02/2026
• Costco Teamsters authorize nationwide strike
• States win with jobs, income growth, not slogans
• So you want to organize a general strike
• 6 policies proved to increase union membership
• Union members fight for good pension investments
• Apple won’t let unionized workers transfer out of closing store in Maryland
• Why the Teamsters railroaders oppose the Union-Pacific Southern merger
May Day Protests in Maryland, DC, and Virginia
May 1, 2026 | INTERNATIONAL WORKERS’ DAY | May Day protests are expected across Washington, DC, Maryland, and Virginia on May 1 as organizers call for protests, rallies, marches, and walkouts tied to labor and immigration rights. May Day, also known as International Workers' Day, commemorates the efforts made to improve workers' rights. It's a date historically linked to labor movements and protests around the world, though it's not a federal holiday in the United States. May 1 protests — and some May 2 protests and on May 3 — are the latest nationwide movements following recent "No Kings" protests, with organizers including 50501 and Indivisible encouraging supporters to skip work, school, and shopping as part of a coordinated effort nationwide, though turnout, timing, and themes are expected to vary by location. Delaware Online
With Teamsters Support, Maryland Bans Mandatory Captive Audience Meetings
Apr. 30, 2026 | WORKERS’ RIGHTS | (Click image to view.) Maryland Teamsters are celebrating the passage of SB 417/HB 45, legislation authored by Delegate Joe Vogel (D – Gaithersburg), which bans mandatory attendance for workers at captive audience meetings. These meetings are employer-sponsored propaganda sessions designed to discourage workers from organizing. “We started fighting for this bill three years ago because banning this undemocratic practice is a moral imperative — not just for the labor movement, but for everyone in our state who cares about economic justice,” said Sean Cedenio, President of Teamsters Joint Council 62 in Baltimore. Maryland is the 14th state to ban mandatory captive audience meetings. Teamsters
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