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Local and National Union News
Teamsters History Project: ‘MLK: Before He Was King’
Jan. 17, 2025 | The Human Rights and Diversity Commission, in conjunction with the Teamsters History Project, welcomes the next segment of monthly history programs based on Teamsters, the labor movement, and the diversity within our union. On Sunday, January 19, two programs will be presented in Zoom format and available to all. “MLK: Before He Was King” and “The Modern Civil Rights Movement: An Essential History” are about 90 minutes in length, beginning at 1 pm. Click here to register.Costco Teamsters rally, practice picket in NY
Jan. 16, 2025 | (Click image to view.) Sean M. O’Brien, General Secretary-Treasurer Fred Zuckerman, Teamsters Warehouse Division Director Tom Erickson, and hundreds of Costco Teamsters, including Local 570 members from Maryland, rallied and engaged in a practice picket in Long Island, N.Y., as the final week of bargaining with the wholesale giant approaches. “We are going to win the strongest collective bargaining agreement in the history of Costco,” O’Brien said. “Our members deserve nothing less. …” Learn more here.Sysco Teamsters in Houston prepare to strike
Jan. 13, 2025 | Over 430 Sysco drivers, warehouse workers, and mechanics represented by Teamsters Local 988 are preparing to strike for a fair contract after the company abandoned negotiations. The current agreement between Local 988 and Sysco is set to expire on January 17. In the meantime, Sysco is being charged with multiple violations of federal law. Without the possibility of a fair collective bargaining agreement, Sysco Teamsters will have no choice but to walk off the job. Learn more here.Union’s response to Ford threat to kill union jobs at Jack Cooper
Jan. 8, 2025 | Teamsters General President Sean O’Brien issued the following statement on Ford Motor Company’s threat to cancel its decades-long carhaul contract with Jack Cooper Transport: “By taking steps to end its relationship with Jack Cooper, the Ford Motor Company has officially threatened the livelihoods of more than 1,400 Teamsters-represented carhaul workers and their families. Ford, a once iconic American brand, wants to boost its own bottom line by walking away from a family-owned company and into the arms of second-rate third parties that will pay workers less money and far fewer benefits to haul Ford vehicles…” Read the full statement here.
Elsewhere in the News
Week Ending 01/17/2025
• Rail Teamsters ratify contract at CSX
• Senator Howley calls for “A Pro-Labor Framework”
• Yes, you can catch bird flu
• Doctors unions are growing more common
• Teamsters at US Foods vote to authorize a strike
• UPS SurePost volume shifts away from USPS, Teamsters say
• America competitor signals possible new bid for U.S. Steel
• Help those affected by the disastrous LA fires, donate here to the Teamsters Disaster Relief Fund
Shift to Remote-Controlled Dams, Trains Raises Unions’ Alarm
Jan. 16, 2025 | AUTOMATION TECHNOLOGY | [...] Rail and water are some of the top modes of transportation used to move coal, natural gas, fuel oils, and crude petroleum, according to the Bureau of Transportation Statistics. Railways are also the primary transporter of metallic ores that contain copper, gold, and iron used to construct buildings and make modern technology, according to the Bureau of Transportation Statistics. Unions representing supply chain workers fear the incoming Trump administration’s focus on cutting spending and federal staff will mean hasty technological updates, causing unnecessary job losses that jeopardize the safety of the public that rely on these facilities, as well the nation’s cybersecurity as a whole. …Unions representing transportation workers across the country have already started to push back against moves to incorporate automation technology at the local government level with some success. Bloomberg Law
Assessing Biden’s NLRB
Jan. 14, 2025 | WORKERS’ RIGHTS | President Biden promised to be the most pro-union, pro-worker President in history. One way he sought to achieve this goal was through his appointments to the National Labor Relations Board. For a little over three years, from September 2021 until December 16, 2024, Biden’s appointees formed a majority on the NLRB. Despite the talk about the Republicans becoming the workers’ party, labor relations have been so polarized in this country that it feels like each Administration’s appointees are just running on a treadmill, undoing the actions of the previous Administration. That was certainly the case for Biden’s appointees, as they spent much time and energy simply undoing the anti-worker actions of the first Trump NLRB. On Labor
Hollywood Teamsters Come to Aid of LA Fire Station Without Power
Jan. 14, 2025 | SOLIDARITY | Teamsters Local 399, the union that represents workers in the entertainment industry, came to the aid of a local fire station as the Los Angeles fires continued to burn through the city. Station 19 in Brentwood had been without electricity and hot water for several days, according to KCAL news. “They have been having to navigate their strategy and responding to these fires using flashlights and such, but about an hour and a half ago … Teamsters 399 showed up and made a big delivery,” KCAL’s Laurie Perez reported Sunday. Hollywood Reporter
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