Tampa, FL – Teamsters at 10 Roads Express, who are represented by the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, have been on strike since February 18. The strike is a national effort which includes over 500 workers across eight states.

10 Roads Express is a trucking company which primarily contracts with the post office to carry mail. 10 Roads Express workers are on strike because they say that the company has refused to bargain in good faith with the union during their ongoing round of contract negotiations.

While the numbers are unknown, it is clear that the month-long ongoing strike has cost the employer vast sums of money already, and the Teamsters show no sign of giving up anytime soon and returning to work.

The company has offered the workers no wage increases in contract negotiations. Union members say that their wages are not competitive within the industry as they stand now.

The strike is nationwide, and on February 27 was expanded to include Tampa, Florida where workers are represented by Teamsters Local 79.

At a recent visit to the Tampa picket line, 10 Roads Express workers could be seen waving signs and marching along the entrance to the 10 Roads Express barn in a busy industrial area about a mile and a half north of the airport. Workers said that they have been inspired by the level of support received from others in the local trade union movement, and by example of the successful contact fight at UPS in 2023.

#TampaFL #FL #Labor #Teamsters

Denver, CO – On March 19 at the Denver International Airport, the United Airlines union, the Association of Flight Attendants, held a day of action.

About 50 picketers gathered outside the airport to show support for a new contract for United Airlines flight attendants. Attendees included United flight attendants, United pilots, flight attendants from other airlines, family members and community members from the Teamsters union. There were even travelers who were passing by through the airport who stopped and joined in to support.

United flight attendants are nearing the end of a long four years at the bargaining table. Some of the things they are fighting for include better pay, better reserve conditions and ground pay. Most airlines have 10 or 12-hour reserve shifts, but United has a grueling 24-hour reserve shift, making the working conditions for reserve flight attendants extremely difficult. Proposed ground pay would be an industry-leading win. This would ensure that flight attendants get paid from the moment they check in at the gate to the end of the after-flight debrief. Right now, several airlines have already won boarding pay, which means flight attendants get paid for the time that passengers are on the plane. Right now, United flight attendants have neither boarding nor ground pay, making this one of the most pressing issues.

United flight attendants voted 99.99% to authorize a strike in fall of 2024. Signs held at the picket read “Pay us or CHAOS.” CHAOS striking is a unique method of striking that is legal under the Railway Labor Act. It stands for “create havoc around our system.” It is a type of intermittent striking that allows for minimum risk for flight attendants and maximum impact on management. Flight attendants at United Airlines are prepared to fight hard for this contract.

“United is second in profits, but fifth in how they pay flight attendants,” Denver AFA President Chris Bruton explained at the Wednesday picket. Bruton is on the bargaining committee and has been attending sessions at the United headquarters in Chicago. It is clear that the successful airline is not paying their flight attendants a decent wage and is also not giving them good working conditions.

“United Airlines: you’re no good! Pay your workers like you should!” was one of the many chants at the Denver day of action. Many picketers held signs that read, “Corporate greed does not fly” and “World class airline, world class contract.”

The sentiment at action was not just that United flight attendants are fighting for better pay, but an overall better quality of life. The issues that are being considered in the new contract are things that will have a large impact on the day-to-day lives of front line aviation workers. United Airlines is one of the biggest international airlines in the world and is one of the last airlines to agree to a new contract.

#DenverCO #CO #Labor #AFA #Teamsters

Commerce City, CO – This March, United Parcel Service laid off 70 employees in the Commerce City Hub. Another 20 from one shift were laid off temporarily as a part of their recent efforts to automate buildings across the country.

This is the next step of UPS’s national “Network of the Future” campaign, which sees the displacement of workers from their jobs, the closure of up to 10% of its buildings in 2025, and, consequently, the elimination of a large section of the workforce to meet its automation goals. The recent layoffs came in a more unpredictable way to workers compared to the layoffs in January, with workers getting informed of their layoff dates with less than a week's notice and no cooperation or meetings with Teamsters beforehand. This has left many workers in the building feeling uncertain about their futures.

Thomas Chaney, a member of the Teamsters for a Democratic Union and one of the workers recently laid off, said, “All of us are feeling very blindsided by this. I might be fine for a bit, but workers have families to worry about and bills to pay. [The company] didn’t go by seniority, and they tried to protect the workers they liked over us.”

Salem Chadwick, another worker laid off from a different shift said, “Not only did I get no notice about this mess, but this comes at a time when my diabetic sister is seeing a massive cut in her hours at her own job. We now have to worry if we’re going to be able to pay bills soon. I haven't been offered work on another shift or even another building; left high and dry by management!”

In addition, the Teamsters Local 455 members were left with little information about this most recent set of layoffs. This has caused stewards to scramble across the different shifts to write grievances and try and get union members back to work as soon as possible. But with management’s plan to finish automation by November 2026, it is uncertain how many workers will be able to return to their work by that time. Some workers were given the option to follow their work to another building, 24 miles away from the Commerce City building, leaving workers displaced and stressed.

#CommerceCityCO #CO #CapitalismAndEconomy #Labor #Teamsters

Chicago, IL - To honor International Women’s Day, on March 9, Freedom Road Socialist Organization hosted a film screening of Si Se Puede a documentary on the 1985 Watsonville, California strike, followed by a panel discussion with activists in the Black liberation, immigrant rights and labor movements.

The documentary tells the story of a successful 18-month strike of over 1000 food processing workers by Chicanas and Mexicanas, backed up by the Chicano movement across the country.

The event was well attended by a diverse crowd of over 50 community members and activists from various sections of the people’s movement including Arab, Latino, Black and white workers and students.

The Watsonville strike was sustained for 18 months because of the unity of the workers and the support of the community for their struggle. The company hoped that their coziness with the sellout union officials would make the workers give up, but the unity of the rank-and-file workers and support from the community carried them through to victory.

Two of the panelists picked up on the struggle against sell-out trade union bureaucrats in Watsonville and recognized this obstacle from their own struggles. 

Chanel Crittenden of the Labor Committee of the Chicago Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression put it, “This was a resistance led by the rank-and-file members of the union,” and that we should follow their example of unity when the capitalists attempt to undermine our unity with strategic attacks on older workers, or on healthcare benefits.

Eliza Schultz shared her experience as a UPS worker in the Teamsters in 2018 when the sellout leaders forced them to accept a contract that had been voted down. The union members who fought for a better contract were then joined by more members to defeat the sellout officers a few years later.

Vicky Lugo of El Consejo del Resistencia in defensa del Inmigrante (Resistance Council to Defend Immigrants), when she saw the Watsonville strikers having to stand up to the police, recalled her experiences organizing and winning permits for the street vendors in the Pilsen and Little Village communities in Chicago.

Another point underlined by Schultz was, “Unity is an idea built around an act.” The workers with many years of seniority revolted against the lowering of wages and cutting of benefits; younger workers were drawn in, and following that, the community rallied around them. The unity that resulted was how the strike was sustained for 18 months.

Crittenden compared the ironclad unity demonstrated by the workers in the documentary to the Chicago Teachers Union standing with their students against ICE, rallying the community with them and showing that it takes numbers to force the capitalist class to reckon with our demands.

Vicky Lugo recognized the people are scared, but they are not so scared they won’t fight back. She called for those in attendance to support a week of action beginning on May Day, including marches and boycotts, and led by their coalition of over 50 organizations.

Inspired by the women in the film, Crittenden stated, “Women didn’t fight for their right to work; Black women have always worked and want our work to be recognized. The capitalists will recognize the strength in our numbers and we can make shit happen.”

#ChicagoIL #IWD #UPS #CTU #ICE #CAARPR #Teamsters #SiSePuede #ChicanoLiberation

Arlington, TX— Teamsters of the shop floor committee at the UPS hub in Arlington conducted an anti-harassment workshop, February 2, to highlight the protections afforded to workers under article 37 of the UPS national contract with the International Brotherhood of Teamsters. The workshop was led and primarily attended by rank-and-file members, with participants including stewards and union staff.

Article 37 contains the rights won by UPS Teamsters that protect workers from harassment; but workers are often unaware of their rights protecting them from such harassment or often do not realize the mistreatment they are enduring from management constitutes harassment at all.

What constitutes harassment under article 37? Harassment is “over-supervision, coercion, intimidation, or retaliation taken against workers in performance of their duties or enforcement of their rights.”

It is important to remember that it is more effective to file a grievance on article 37 in conjunction with other articles, for example article 52 (suspension), article 36 (discrimination), 21 (attempting to prevent union protected activities), and article 18 (safety).

A group activity was conducted to help each participant hone their skills in writing grievances to enforce their rights in fighting harassment, with participants sharing strategies for how to make their grievances most effective.

The militant rank-and-file unionists that led the meeting plan to continue to conduct workshops informing workers of their rights and how to enforce them, with a workshop planned to cover the rights afforded workers to protect them from the heat in the coming months.

#ArlingtonTX #TX #Labor #Teamsters #UPS

Chicago, IL – On Thursday January 30, UPS announced a major cutback in Amazon package deliveries, with the goal of dropping over 50% of the volume from the company’s largest customer by June 2026. In conjunction, UPS is looking to permanently shutter 10% of buildings, shrink their fleet of vehicles and lay off workers.

The plan to close more buildings comes on the heels of the hard fought 2023 Teamsters contract, which resulted in major wage gains for part-timers and the end of the 2-tier system among package car drivers. The credible threat of a strike forced UPS to concede to the union’s demands in contract negotiations and look elsewhere for cost savings. Last year UPS laid off 12,000 corporate employees and announced major investments in the automation of hub operations as part of their “Network of the Future” initiative.

“When UPS closes hubs for renovations, they are laying the groundwork for mass layoffs due to automation,” said Alex Carson, a part-time unloader out of Atlanta. “Workers whose hubs get closed for over a year are given the option to drive to nearby hubs, which is untenable for most, as it can add hours to commutes. This allows UPS to effectively conceal how many people actually lose their job due to automation.”

Despite leading the industry with $8.5 billion in profit last year, UPS is being driven by its Wall Street owners to push profits even higher. Under CEO Carol Tome’s “Better not Bigger” strategy, UPS has instituted numerous rate hikes and shifted focus from e-commerce to higher revenue segments like small business and medical. UPS hopes that reducing operations will free up $1 billion in capital which can be reinvested in higher margin sectors requiring less labor. UPS has been making big purchases in healthcare warehousing and logistics, for example the recent acquisition of Europe-based Frigo-Trans and BPL.

“This is why it’s so important that our union continue to put a lot of resources towards organizing Amazon workers,” said Jenny Bekenstein, UPS Teamster and Amazon organizer out of Los Angeles. “Because of how the companies are in competition with each other in the industry and how UPS has the power to downsize or automate if it wants to, our jobs and all of the good things that we fought for in our UPS contract are not safe until we organize Amazon workers to have the same thing and set a real industry standard in logistics that these companies can’t get around.”

Automation and a smaller workforce at UPS make organizing Amazon an existential question for the Teamsters. The growth of Amazon as a non-union, independent delivery service puts competitive pressure on UPS to continue with automation and layoffs. UPS is the largest Teamster employer and job cuts will weaken the union.

The growth of a militant rank-and-file movement makes the Teamsters well poised to fight back against any job eliminations at UPS. Additionally, some drivers and warehouse workers at Amazon have joined the Teamsters in demanding higher wages and better working conditions. By the end of 2024, Amazon had become the largest private delivery business in the U.S., moving nearly 6 billion packages. This past holiday season also saw the first national Amazon strike with Teamsters walking out in California, Georgia, Illinois and New York.

#ChicagoIL #IL #Labor #Teamsters #UPS #Automation

Los Angeles, CA – On January 20, over 200 community members from Boyle Heights and East Los Angeles gathered at Mariachi Plaza for a protest to oppose the incoming Trump administration. The event, organized by Centro Community Service Organization (CSO), brought together residents and local organizations united against Trump’s reactionary anti-immigrant agenda and broader policies that threaten oppressed nationalities like Chicanos and African Americans.

Speakers from grassroots organizations, including the Palestinian Youth Movement, Union del Barrio, Black Lives Matter Grassroots, and the Raza Unida Party addressed the crowd, calling for resistance to attacks on immigrant rights, workers’ rights, and communities of color, particularly Chicano and Black people.

Rocio Rivas, an LAUSD school board member who defends public education from privatization spoke, as did progressive City Councilmember Ysabel Jurado. Protesters chanted slogans like, “We want education, not deportation” and “Power to the people, no one is illegal,” underscoring the rally’s themes of solidarity and resistance.

Angelica Reyes, a member of Centro CSO, stated, “Today, I rallied to remind my community of the vast power we hold when we stand and fight in solidarity. Join a community organization. Our liberation is tied to one another. Together we are unstoppable, together we win this fight. Together our love melts ICE.”

Reuben Navarrete, a member of the Freedom Road Socialist Organization (FRSO) and a Teamster at UPS, stated, “Another Trump presidency puts us on a dangerous path where our freedoms and liberties are trampled on and ignored. His plans to deport undocumented immigrants will disproportionately affect Chicano and Latino workers and tear families apart. His anti-union stance and alliances with corporate elites threaten workers globally. He attacks and intends to roll back the rights and protections of LGBTQ people. He is a direct threat to women’s reproductive rights. And his plans for environmental deregulation threaten our planet and all of us who live on it.”

Marisol Márquez, an FRSO and Centro CSO member, called for solidarity with immigrant communities in Texas, saying, “The bigots won in Texas. We will defend DACA in California and stand with DREAMers in Texas.”

After the speeches, protesters marched through downtown Los Angeles to LA City Hall, denouncing Trump’s policies, including the threat of mass deportations.

Centro CSO, the rally’s organizing group, is a grassroots organization dedicated to fighting for immigrant rights, police accountability, and public education in Boyle Heights and East Los Angeles. It is also part of the Legalization for All (L4A) network, a national network advocating for the comprehensive legalization of undocumented people.

#LosAngelesLA #LA #ImmigrantRights #CentroCSO #L4A #FRSO #Teamsters

Atlanta, GA – On Monday, January 20, the streets of downtown Atlanta were filled with activists, community and youth groups, and a number of labor unions who all marched to honor the legacy of Martin Luther King Jr. Among the unions present were Teamsters Locals 728 and 396, as well as the IBEW, CWA, SEIU and Atlanta-North Georgia Labor Council.

For UPS Teamsters this is the second year in history that MLK day is a paid holiday, following the “Deliver on the Dream” campaign in 2023 that saw the holiday added to the Teamsters contract. King was a staunch ally of organized labor; he spoke to labor unions across the country about the need to fight racist discrimination and led marches demanding improved rights for workers.

The demands of organized labor are especially dire this MLK day, as it coincided with the inauguration of Donald Trump to the presidency. Teamsters led chants against union busting and workplace abuses. Trump used hollow rhetoric in an attempt to appeal to the working class during the 2024 election, calling out the rising costs of living and exorbitant spending on foreign wars. In the same breath, Trump incites xenophobic and anti-Black racism. From Trump’s promise to deport a record number of immigrants to his support for a national right-to-work law, there can be no doubt that he will be an enemy of labor while in office.

Martin Luther King Jr himself drew the connection between the rights of labor and the fight against racism in a 1961 address to the AFL-CIO convention, stating, “Our needs are identical with labor’s needs – decent wages, fair working conditions, livable housing, old age security, health and welfare measures, conditions in which families can grow, have education for their children and respect in the community. That is why Negroes support labor’s demands and fight laws which curb labor. That is why the labor-hater and labor-baiter is virtually always a twin-headed creature spewing anti-Negro epithets from one mouth and anti-labor propaganda from the other mouth.”

Amazon Teamster Hunter Richau from Local 728 spoke on King’s legacy regarding labor, saying, “As much as his image gets whitewashed, MLK was fighting for the working class. The fight we wage on his birthday every year from here on out will be a fight for the working people here in Atlanta. The working class is already here, and we need to stick together. If MLK were here today he would champion nothing less.”

#AtlantaGA #GA #OppressedNationalities #AfricanAmerican #MLK #Teamsters #Labor

Los Angeles, CA – As the holiday peak season wraps up, after workers around the country toiled away for a surge in parcel deliveries, the United Parcel Service (UPS) plans again to shutter large facilities due to automation.

On January 15, the UPS facility in Vernon, California, also known as the Grande Vista hub, will be shutting its doors for a year-long closure. The purpose of the closure is for building renovations and the automation of various classifications, part of UPS’s larger “Network of the Future” project, which aims to automate union jobs to reduce labor costs.

Grande Vista is one of 200 hubs around the country that UPS plans to close for automation. The closure is expected to affect over 1000 workers who are represented by the International Brotherhood of Teamsters.

During the closure UPS has claimed that they would offer the Grande Vista employees temporary transfers to other facilities “within reasonable commuting distance.” One of the options is in a neighboring city, Bell, but the other options are 25 to 60 miles away, in San Fernando and the Inland Empire region of the state. Since bidding goes by seniority, it is anticipated that higher seniority workers will take most available spots at the Bell facility, which can only house about 160 employees, and the hundreds of lower seniority employees will be forced to go to the further buildings, choose layoff, or quit.

UPS has been slow to communicate with Grande Vista workers and the local union about the upcoming changes and options for employees. Many workers fear for their jobs and livelihood.

Some rank-and-file union members are taking matters into their own hands and have decided to fight back against this blatant effort to demoralize workers into retiring, choosing layoff, or quitting. These outspoken workers are demanding closer options for workers to commute to and pointing out that San Fernando and the Inland Empire are not “within reasonable commuting distance.” So far, they have gathered hundreds of petition signatures and say they plan to present those petitions to the company and the public.

Alejandro Orellana is a union shop steward at the Grande Vista site and said, “We have to show UPS that we are united in denouncing automation, even if this changes nothing, least we can say is that we tried rather than stood by and do nothing. We are fighting for our lives and our future. Automation kills jobs and we the Teamsters should not be complacent to the termination of Teamster jobs in favor of an automated workplace.”

Once the automation and retrofit operations are completed, many workers are expected to be reclassified to fit the company’s needs. For the Teamsters at Grande Vista UPS, fighting back against this closure and automation is part of a long fight to save workers’ jobs.

#LosAngelesCA #CA #Labor #Teamsters #UPS #Feature

Anaheim, CA – El 22 de diciembre, alrededor de las 4 de la mañana, cerca de 40 trabajadores de Amazon, algunos de los cuales también son miembros de la Hermandad Internacional de Camioneros (Teamsters) del Local 396, formaron una línea de piquetes frente a un almacén de Amazon en Anaheim. Llevaban carteles de protesta que decían “Huelga por prácticas laborales injustas de Amazon” y marcharon frente a la entrada del almacén. Los gerentes vigilaron de cerca la línea de piquetes, desalentando a los conductores que salían de hablar con los piqueteros

Esta línea de piquetes es parte de la huelga más grande contra Amazon en la historia de los Estados Unidos y está ocurriendo en un momento crucial del período de mayor actividad comercial del año.

Rubie Mosqueda, conductora de reparto de Amazon de la Ciudad de Industry, explicó: “ Hay una huelga nacional en marcha porque varios almacenes han alcanzado la mayoría para sindicarse y Amazon sigue negándose a sentarse a la mesa. Queremos discutir mejores salarios, seguridad laboral y la negociación del contrato. ¡Estamos en huelga para mostrarle a Amazon que estamos unidos como sindicato!”.

El sindicato Amazon Labor Union, afiliado a los Teamsters, quiere expandirse y llevarlo a nuevos almacenes como el de Amazon en Anaheim. Mientras los piqueteros hablaban con los conductores sobre las condiciones de trabajo y la lucha por un contrato, Mosqueda dijo: “Hemos extendido la línea de piquetes para venir a apoyar a otros locales. Queremos ver cómo se sienten los conductores acerca de traer el sindicato aquí. Primero plantamos las semillas, luego hacemos el piquete, conseguimos contactos, ¡y después nos comunicamos y organizamos!”

Los cánticos llenaron la calle mientras los piqueteros gritaban: “¿Qué queremos? ¡Un contrato! ¿Cuándo lo queremos? ¡Ahora!”. Los vehículos que pasaban tocaban el claxon en apoyo de la huelga.

La gerencia de Amazon llamó al Departamento de Policía de Anaheim, y dos patrullas se detuvieron, amenazando con multar a la gente por caminar mientras el semáforo estaba en rojo. Los piqueteros respondieron a la gerencia con el canto: “¡Romper sindicatos es repugnante!”

Los piqueteros planearon regresar a la Ciudad de Industry el 23 de diciembre y mantener la huelga con fuerza.

#AnaheimCA #CA #Labor #Teamsters #ALU #Amazon #Strike #Huelga

Anaheim, CA – On December 22, at around 4 a.m., nearly 40 Amazon workers, some of whom are also members of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters from Local 396, picketed in front of an Amazon warehouse in Anaheim. They carried signs stating, “Amazon unfair labor practices strike” and marched in front of the warehouse entrance. Managers watched the picket line closely, discouraging outgoing drivers from speaking to picketers.

This picket line is part of the largest Amazon strike in U.S. history and is happening at the crux of the busiest shopping time of the year.

Rubie Mosqueda, Amazon delivery driver from the City of Industry, explained, “There is a nationwide strike happening because a number of warehouses have reached a majority to unionize, and Amazon is still refusing to come to the table. We want to discuss better pay, job security and contract negotiation. We are striking to show Amazon that we are standing together as a union!”

The Teamster-affiliated Amazon Labor Union wants to expand and bring it to new warehouses like the Anaheim Amazon warehouse. As picketers talked to drivers about working conditions and the fight for a contract, Mosqueda said, “We’ve extended the picket line to come support other locals. We want to see how drivers are feeling about bringing the union here. First, we plant the seeds, then picket, get contacts, then we reach out and organize!”

Chants filled the street as picketers shouted, “What do we want? Contract! When do we want it? Now!” Passing cars honked in support of the strike.

Amazon management called the Anaheim Police Department, and two patrol cars pulled over, threatening to ticket people for walking while the street light is red. Picketers chanted back at management, “Union busting is disgusting!”

Picketers planned to return to the City of Industry on December 23 and keep the strike going strong.

#AnaheimCA #CA #Labor #Teamsters #Amazon #Strike

Early in the morning, Teamsters from Local 455 and Local 17 showed up outside DEN3 to pass flyers to workers coming in and out of the warehouse. Picketers carried signs that demanded Amazon recognize the union and stop breaking the law through unfair labor practices.

The Teamsters in California, New York and Atlanta have been in the process of forming a union, but Amazon has refused to recognize their union and negotiate with the workers for a collective bargaining agreement. The actions happening now are part of a push throughout the country demanding that Amazon recognize their union and come to the bargaining table.

Teamsters President Sean O’Brien has announced that warehouse workers and drivers who are in the places where a majority of workers have signed cards to form a union will be on strike until an agreement is met. O’Brien called for Teamsters locals across the country to show solidarity and to try to get Amazon involved.

Both Amazon and the mainstream media have been critical of the strike because of the effects it will have on holiday shopping. However, the Teamsters union has repeatedly clarified that this would not be an issue if Amazon came to the bargaining table. Amazon has also claimed that this strike is not happening or is not causing any delays. At the same time, they have used police to attempt to force strikers off Amazon property. Amazon has also been hiring scabs across the country and demanding workers in non-union shops work upwards of 70 or 80 hours in the next few days.

Two women onsite at the pickets said that they were told they would be fired if they did not work the three 16-hour shifts they were scheduled for Christmas. Amazon has been able to become the company that it is today due to the labor of its large workforce, yet many of its workers say they can’t afford homes, food, cars or insurance while putting their body on the line every day at work.

The battle at Amazon could have ramifications for other companies that use similar models of low-wage workers and high profits. Amazon has run a robust and expensive union busting operation across its company and the Teamsters union hopes that these actions can signal an uptick in worker power and organization at Amazon.

Many community groups as well as other unions, such as SEIU, IBEW, SMART, UA, SBWU and AFL-CIO, came out to show their support for the Teamsters effort to organize at Amazon.

#ThorntonCO #DenverCO #Teamsters #Amazon #AmazonStrike #Strike #Labor #UnionPower

Los Angeles, CA - On day four of the largest strike of Amazon workers in U.S. history, over 100 Amazon workers picketed outside an Amazon facility in Rosemead, California, December 22. Amazon workers want better pay, safer working conditions and respect from management as workers fight to unionize.

The workers turned in union recognition cards signed by a majority of the Rosemead workers and have since been demanding recognition of their union - the International Brotherhood of Teamsters – by Amazon. However, the corporation has not been willing to recognize their union and refuses to come to the bargaining table to negotiate a first union contract.

Between 9 a.m. and 1 p.m., the workers picketed in front of the facility’s driveways, proudly chanting “Hey hey Amazon, union busting is disgusting.” As the delivery drivers were leaving the complex, workers picketing along the driveways spoke to workers one on one, asking them to join them and the Teamsters union. Many were interested in talking more and supporting the effort.

The picketing continued as the crowd chanted, “Amazon, Amazon you can’t hide, we can see your greedy side!”

The strikes happening right now are the largest in Amazon’shistory. This uptick comes in a time when workers are forming new unions at rates not seen for many decades in the U.S.

#LosAngelesCA #LA #RosemeadCA #Rosemead #Teamsters Amazon #Feature #Strike #AmazonStrike #Labor

Dallas, TX – Teamsters Locals 745 and 767 held solidarity pickets for Amazon workers in support of the national strike demanding the shipping giant recognize the right to unionize and come to the table to negotiate a contract for better working conditions. Across the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex, there were multiple solidarity pickets on Thursday, December 19 and Friday, December 20.

On Thursday, pickets were held at the DAL3 (Chalk Hill), FTW6 (Grapevine), FTW2 (Coppell) and FTW5 (Forney) Amazon fulfillment centers. Picketers showed up in shifts to hold a steady line while passing drivers from UPS, Amazon, and its contractors honked their horns and stopped outside the warehouse in solidarity.

At the end of the day, spirits were high as Friday’s pickets included five different north Texas locations from Forney to Fort Worth, adding IAH1 (Southlink) and AFW1 (NE Loop) to the list of solidarity picket locations. Food and hand warmers were brought out as the temperatures dropped in the evening and the pickets continued through the night.

At the picket Amazon drivers and Teamsters from UPS -who had shown up in support – were comparing their trucks, pointing out that to the Amazon workers that air conditioning was not a luxury during Texas summers. For these workers, the strike isn’t a tool for luxuries but for basic amenities to survive the job.

#DallasTX #TX #Labor #Teamsters #Amazon #Strike

Tampa, FL – On December 19 and 20, UPS workers represented by Teamsters Local 79 and supportive community members attended a picket in Ruskin, Florida in support of Amazon workers who are fighting to form a union across the United States. Amazon workers say they are organizing to win job protection and benefits as well as a seat at the bargaining table.

Throughout the 24-hour pickets, at least 15 supporters were in attendance to show their solidarity.

“We are standing in solidarity with our fellow workers. Corporate America has shown us time and time again that they are going to put the interest of their bottom line over human life and wellbeing,” said Alvin McGary, a UPS driver and steward who was in attendance at the picket. McGary added, “Amazon drivers have spoken out saying that they even fear having to stop to use the bathroom, having to leave the line they worry they will lose their jobs. Amazon drivers deal with ridiculous production quotas. We have them at UPS too but we are protected by the union.”

The pickets were part of a large, coordinated day of pickets around the country and strikes in four cities in California. Other strikes are underway at the UPS location in Atlanta, Georgia as well as Skokie, Illinois.

#TampaFL #Labor #Teamsters #TeamstersLocal79

Commerce City, CO – On November 14, Teamsters Local 455 released an email stating that “approximately half” of the Commerce City UPS facility will be closing and undergoing renovations starting on January 15, 2025.

The renovations would automate a portion of the facility and are planned to take until around November 1, 2026. UPS management gave notice of the change on the evening of November 13, but have since given no further details, including specifically which workers in which areas of the building will be affected by the layoffs. This project is a part of UPS’s “Network of the Future” campaign announced in March of 2024, an attempt to automate jobs as a cost-cutting strategy.

While UPS has plans for their automation future, the announcement has left workers at the roughly 2500-person Commerce City hub feeling uncertain about their own futures, and wondering how the process will affect their lives and livelihoods. This new uncertainty has also led some of the affected workers to begin looking for other jobs, not knowing if they are going to lose their jobs after the holiday season, or “Peak Season,” officially ends on January 15.

Teamsters Local 455 has stated they will continue to gather information, including how to relocate a portion of the workforce to other nearby UPS facilities. Information about the process has been slow to reach union membership.

Union representatives met with UPS management on December 12, but the details of this meeting are currently a mystery to the workers. UPS management has also been unable to answer any further questions, with most of the management being kept in the dark about how this change of operations is going to look.

The Shop Floor Educators, a network of rank-and-file workers seeking to educate and help organize their fellow workers, have launched a campaign for disclosure of information to learn more about which workers, areas and shifts will be affected by the layoffs. The group has stated they will be making information about relevant contract language, unemployment, mental health services, and other topics available to members who may lose their jobs on January 15.

#CommerceCityCO #Labor #UPS #Teamsters #TheShopFloorEducators

Atlanta, GA – Today, December 19, Amazon workers in Atlanta joined the largest strike against the company in U.S. history. Called by the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, the strike calls for Amazon to recognize the workers’ union and agree to higher wages, safer conditions, respect and dignity on the job as part of a union contract.

Members of Teamsters Local 728 arrived outside Amazon’s ATL2 facility in Stone Mountain and set up the picket line at around 6 a.m. Shortly after, at the DGT8 facility in Alpharetta, another picket line went up with Teamsters from Amazon and other companies marching and leading chants. These Atlanta picket lines are part of a nationwide action by nearly 10,000 Teamsters at Amazon, sparked by the corporation’s refusal to recognize the Teamsters union and bargain in good faith.

The strike disrupts holiday operations at the $2 trillion corporation, whose workers often struggle to pay bills due to low wages and poor working conditions. “Amazon’s greed pushed us here,” said Gregory Dunn, an Amazon Teamster in Atlanta. “If we don’t fight Amazon’s greed now, they’ll think they can get away with anything.”

The Teamsters were joined on the picket lines by members of other Atlanta unions, including International Union of Painters and Allied Trades (IUPAT) and by community activists. Chants of, “Union-busting is disgusting,” and “Worker power” rang through the morning traffic, with many workers stopping in the street to take leaflets and verbalize their support.

Most significantly, the strike line drew the solidarity of UPS Teamsters, who arrived to deliver packages at the Amazon facilities and promptly turned around, honking to show their support for their fellow union members. UPS Teamsters have a clause in their contract that allows them to refuse to cross a picket line, and those package drivers from Local 728 put their solidarity into practice by not servicing the struck facilities.

#AtlantaGA #GA #Labor #Teamsters #Amazon #Feature

Denver, CO – Rank-and-file members of Teamsters Local 455 rallied in the Commerce City UPS parking lot on September 4 to protest the continued lack of heat safety in their work hub. The Shop Floor Educators, an organization that has taken up the campaign for heat safety, provided snacks and refreshments, and led chants and speeches to the crowd of 15 Teamsters.

“We’ve been having a huge safety issue at UPS. It’s been one of the hottest summers on record—people are literally dying across the country,” said Keegan Estrella, a member of the Shop Floor Educators and member of the Safety Committee in the building. “We wanted to show UPS that we’re united in this struggle.”

“Stories about people getting injured, people suffering from heat injuries and having hard times through various means—not only is it happening to us now, it’s been happening for such a long time,” said Anthony Cole, another member of the Shop Floor Educators and a rank-and-file Teamster. “It’s been happening for literal decades, and we still need to continue fighting and continue organizing in order to change this.”

Heat safety continues to be an issue for workers on the shop floor. However, through organizing, they have made some gains. The Shop Floor Educators have won more fans in parts of the building like Small Sort, as well as an increased awareness of the issue. They have also provided an easy way to get involved.

As temperatures lower again in Colorado, the issue of heat safety will go on the back burner, but as Teamster Anthony Cole noted, “Heat safety has been a problem for a long time and will continue to be a problem in the future. The organizing done this summer paved the way for future fights for heat safety in the Denver UPS buildings.”

#DenverCO #CO #Labor #Teamsters #HeatSafety #Feature

The fire broke out at approximately 12:30 p.m., leading to an evacuation of the whole building. Smoke began to affect workers near the fire before evacuation began and clouded their visibility. Workers were instructed to return to work at approximately 1:30, with smoke still in the building.

Workers in areas with the lingering smoke began to cough, feel ill, and cover their faces with masks and t-shirts. There was an overwhelming smell of electrical fire across the area. Instead of allowing the smoke to exit through the bay doors, management immediately began having trucks park into bay doors to be unloaded and resume production. A number of workers informed management that their asthma conditions were acting up, to which they were offered a surgical mask. UPS also made workers stay later than their usual shift to meet the production standards for the day.

“Our work conditions are bad enough as it is, between sweltering heat and insufficient fans in our trailers. It’s unacceptable to expect us to also work in an environment where the air is full of smoke and particulates. Our lives and safety are worth more than UPS’ profits.” said Alex Carson, a Teamster and unloader at SMART Hub.

This is a developing story and Fight Back! will continue to update as more information comes out.

#AtlantaGA #GA #Labor #Teamsters #Feature

Cincinnati, OH – Workers at DHL’s largest air hub in the United States made history on Monday, August 12. DHL, bowing to months of escalating pressure after a two-year organizing campaign, officially recognized the union formed by over 1300 sort workers at the company’s Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport (CVG) hub. Now unionized, the sort workers at CVG have joined Teamsters Local 89.

James Lamb, a sort worker at CVG and a new member of Local 89, said in a press statement, “DHL has recognized the strength in our unity and the hard work we put in every day. We‘ve fought hard, and we’re proud to be officially recognized as Teamsters. Our victory is a powerful testament to what we can achieve when we stand together.”

This landmark victory is the culmination of many years of struggle by DHL workers at CVG to form a union. Located in Erlanger, Kentucky, DHL’s global CVG air hub has been the site of contentious battles between labor and management for about two decades.

CVG is an enormous facility that sorts, loads and unloads packages onto airplanes for delivery around the world – including small parcels shipped to U.S. troops stationed abroad. It is comparable in its significance to the giant UPS WorldPortair hub located in Louisville, Kentucky. CVG employs over 2500 workers - most of whom are now represented by the Teamsters.

The CVG hub has two primary operations: the airport and the sort. Workers in the airport, referred to as ramp and tug, number over 1100, while workers in sort total over 1300. Together they constitute the vast majority of the workforce at DHL’s largest air hub in the United States.

The decades-long battle for a union at DHL CVG

DHL is a worldwide logistics monopoly corporation headquartered in Bonn, Germany. It delivers parcels in most countries around the world and ranks among the largest of all international logistics companies. DHL Express reported operating profits of $4.5 billion in 2022 and $4.3 billion in 2023. In Germany, as well as many other countries, all of its workers are represented by a union and collectively bargain.

In the U.S., however, DHL has fought to keep its workers from forming a union and collectively bargaining. Ever conscious of its image, the company presents itself as a generous employer to the public. In actuality, it has made their profits in the U.S. through sub-standard wages, high health insurance premiums and deductibles, and rampant safety violations. At the CVG air hub in particular, workers for decades faced irregular and changing hours, racial discrimination, sexual harassment, threats of intimidation, and more.

Representing 340,000 workers at UPS, the Teamsters have fought to expand their presence in the logistics industry in North America. Industry giants like FedEx, Amazon and DHL have used their power to break attempts by their own workers to form unions and join the Teamsters for decades.

The union made some progress and successfully organized many DHL facilities across the country. Prior to the victories at CVG in 2023 and 2024, some 6000 DHL Express employees in the U.S. were represented by the Teamsters. But previous attempts to organize the crucial CVG air hub ended in defeat, leaving the company’s largest facility non-union.

Organizing DHL in two stages

The most recent union campaign began almost three years ago,when DHL workers from both sort and ramp and tug began organizing with the Teamsters. A decision by the National Labor Relations Board, however, split the bargaining unit into two separate operations. This forced the campaign to adopt a two-stage approach to securing a union for CVG workers – organizing ramp and tug and then organizing sort.

DHL fought against its own workers tooth and nail from the first day it learned about the campaign. The logistics monopoly giant hired union-busting consultants to wage a dirty war against workers on ramp and tug. It resorted to shameful union-busting tactics like harassment, intimidation, surveillance, threats of job loss, unjust discipline and illegal firings to scare workers into submission.

But as the company bared its teeth more, workers fought back. Through the Teamsters, CVG workers filed unfair labor practice (ULP) charges and took collective workplace actions to protest their mistreatment. Ramp and tug workers held public actions, delivered demands from their rank-and-file organizing committee to management, and continued building support among their coworkers.

After reaching majority-support, the workers on ramp and tug marched on the boss and demanded union recognition from DHL. The company refused their demand and responded instead by calling for an NLRB-supervised election.

In the weeks leading up to the election, workers stood tall in the face of heightened repression and union-busting from DHL. When the election finally took place in spring 2023, ramp and tug voted overwhelmingly to form their union. They then joined Teamsters Local 100 based in Cincinnati, Ohio and began a new battle for a first contract.

Bargaining began in July 2023, but by December of the same year, DHL had stonewalled the Teamsters at the table. Worse, DHL continued waging war on the union through retaliation against workers for showing open support. At every turn, the newly formed union filed ULPs challenging the company’s illegal union-busting, gathering statements and collecting evidence to prove their cases.

The Teamsters, DHL and the strike weapon

In early December of 2023, ramp and tug Teamsters at CVG took a crucial strike authorization vote. Their will was clear: 98% of members voted to authorize a strike, empowering their negotiating committee to call a work stoppage if DHL failed to address illegal practices and agree to a decent contract.

This strike authorization vote took place in the context of a renewed, fighting orientation in the Teamsters union. Under the previous Hoffa Jr. administration, Teamster officials would sometimes call for a strike authorization vote during contract negotiations, but they would do so with a wink and a nod to employers, who seldom took the threat seriously.

But in 2021, the Teamsters elected Sean O’Brien as general president of the international union, along with a slate of new leaders who pledged to fight employers at work and at the bargaining table. Since that time, the Teamsters have made greater use of the strike weapon and presented employers with credible strike threats (i.e. preparing the rank-and-file members to actually shut down production). This culminated in victory during the 2023 contract negotiations with logistics giant UPS, in which a credible strike threat brought the employer to its knees and secured major contract gains.

With 98% support for striking, the ramp and tug Teamsters at CVG struck the air hub last December. After taking this courageous step, they quickly learned they were not alone in their struggle. They expanded their picket lines to 15 locations nationwide, including Boston, Indianapolis, Chicago, Los Angeles, Miami, Detroit, San Francisco,and Portland – all cities where DHL workers are already Teamsters. Their Teamster sisters and brothers honored their picket line, refusing to come into work and often joining members from CVG outside their own workplaces. This strike impacted 60% of DHL's domestic network, including both coasts and several Midwest cities, shutting down production during peak season for one of the world’s largest logistics companies.

The strike lasted for 12 days before DHL returned to the bargaining table with the Teamsters. Within a few weeks, the union and the company reached a tentative agreement, which included an immediate $2 per hour raise with a total of $5 per hour raises over the next three years. The agreement also included just cause protections, doubled company contributions towards retirement, established strong workplace safety standards and, crucially, required DHL to pay health insurance premiums for workers. The agreement was approved by DHL Teamsters on ramp and tug by an overwhelming 98% yes vote, resulting in a first contract.

Strikes open the union door to more workers

The heroic DHL strike secured not only a first contract for ramp and tug workers at CVG, but also another significant victory, in the form of a DHL agreement to basic rules for allowing the Teamsters to organize the more than 1300 workers on CVG sort. This deal included union neutrality and site access for Teamster organizers, who could now meet and talk with sort workers in designated common areas at work.

Inspired by the historic win on the ramp, sort workers formed their own organizing committee and began building support for a union among their coworkers. Over the next several months, they used the rights won by the ramp and tug strike to build towards majority support.

Although DHL agreed to remain neutral during this organizing campaign, the company continued illegal union-busting tactics. Through their supervisors and managers, they surveilled, intimidated, demoted, harassed and even terminated workers on sort for showing open support for the union. The Teamsters responded in kind, filing ULPs to defend workers’ rights and calling actions to protest these violations of the union neutrality agreement.

DHL’s union-busting also took another form in this stage of the campaign: attempting to neutralize support and enthusiasm for the union by paying lip-service to their workers’ long-felt demands for better treatment and higher wages. They raised wages on sort by the same $2 per hour that ramp and tug had won and vowed to make health care effectively free.

But sort workers saw through these empty gestures and two-faced promises. Workplace leaders and activists reinforced to coworkers that these gains didn’t come from DHL but from the struggle waged by the ramp and tug Teamsters. Furthermore, these wins were guaranteed for ramp and tug through a legally binding contract. Anything given by DHL to sort could just as easily be taken away in the absence of a contract.

Support for the union among sort workers steadily grew over the next year before reaching a majority of the workplace. Workers signed authorization cards declaring their support for forming a union to the NLRB, and most signed membership applications to become Teamsters.

Illegal DHL layoff seals its fate

In July 2024, DHL announced a sweeping change to their sort operation that negatively impacted thousands of workers. Management moved to eliminate first shift for one of sort’s two largest buildings, as well as a hybrid shift between first and third. This was a mass layoff, which may have violated provisions of the WARN Act that guard against unannounced factory and operation closures.

Giving workers 24 hours’ notice, they presented these workers – many who had worked for the company for several decades – with an ultimatum: They could go from full-time (five-day, 40-hour weeks) to part-time (two-day, 20-hour weeks), or they could sign resignation letters. This was a particularly ugly choice for parents, who would be forced to find alternate child-care arrangements and reorient their whole lives in a single day. Adding insult to injury, DHL provided those who chose to resign with the unemployment office numbers for Ohio, Kentucky and Indiana. Of course, management knew full well that any worker who did resign would make themself ineligible for unemployment assistance.

The news sparked outrage across the CVG sort. For those workers affected by the layoffs, support for the union skyrocketed among those who chose to stay and fight. Even on second and third shifts, many workers recognized the need for a union as protection from these kinds of cruel, arbitrary changes in working conditions. At other Teamster logistics companies like UPS, for instance, employers have to bargain with the union before making significant changes to their operations.

In the days that followed, CVG sort workers made a dramatic stand in defense of their sisters and brothers on first and hybrid shift. Having reached majority support in the workplace, the organizing committee called for a march on the boss. July 12 saw 100 workers from sort and their fellow Teamsters on ramp and tug come together outside the CVG facility in protest.

The same morning, a giant banner appeared, which was hung from the top of the Amazon parking garage right across the street. Apparently unrelated to the march, the text of the banner nevertheless captured the outrage felt by many sort workers at the news of the mass layoff ultimatum: “WTF DHL. We gave you years. You gave us 24 hours. Stop unfair firings. Teamsters yes!”

With a letter demanding union recognition in hand, the assembled workers marched together in formation to the office of DHL CVG’s Vice President and General Manager Darryl Wettlaufer. Together they notified DHL that a majority of sort workers at CVG had authorized the formation of a union and demanded that the company recognize the union through a process known as card-check. It also called for the company to cease and desist in the implementation of the announced layoffs and come to the bargaining table instead.

Card-check vs. NLRB elections

There are several ways that workers in the U.S. can form unions, but they hinge on union recognition by the employer. This largely gives employers the upper hand – something that is a feature of U.S. labor law in general.

According to the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA), 30% of workers in a bargaining unit – usually a single workplace – or more can demand recognition and ask to collectively bargain over wages, conditions and more. For legal purposes, this type of support for a union is demonstrated through workers signing either a petition or individual cards that authorize a union to collectively represent them.

Employers rarely choose to recognize a union voluntarily. Under new rules established by the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), employers who receive a demand for union recognition have 14 days to file for an NLRB-supervised election. This process usually takes several months, including a period of campaigning followed by a vote overseen by Labor Board officials. If a majority of workers vote yes to form a union, the employer is made to recognize the union.

Since the NLRA was made law, however, employers have taken advantage of the lax rules and low penalties for union-busting in the workplace. They use the period of time before an election to intimidate, threaten, harass and terminate workers who support the union. They sometimes face ULPs and other charges for this, but hearing these charges takes time and the penalties are minimal (i.e. small fines). Workers also have to vote at work in most cases, meaning their boss can see who votes and intimidate them with threats of retaliation. With few real consequences, employers use their dictatorship over the workplace to break their own workers before any vote takes place.

Under new leadership, however, the Teamsters have fought back against these rules that stack the deck in favor of employers. They have led strikes for union recognition in response to ULP charges, and they have also pressured employers into another method of recognition, namely card-check. If an employer agrees to a card-check, the union submits its authorization cards to a third-party arbitrator, who then checks them against a list of current employees. If supporters of the union indeed constitute a majority, the arbitrator reports their findings, and the employer recognizes the union.

The advantages of card-check over an NLRB-supervised election are clear for workers. It weakens the control that employers can exercise over workers trying to organize. Furthermore, it reflects the reality that unions are formed through protracted campaigns rather than single moments in time. When an organizing campaign starts, it’s usually a militant minority of the workers who want to form the union and fight the boss. Over the course of a struggle-oriented campaign, however, that militant minority wins over the majority to forming a union. This gradually growing support can find expression through accumulating authorization cards. In that way, card-check is actually more democratic for workers than the employer-advantaged NLRB election process.

Victory through fighting unionism

The Teamsters and DHL eventually reached an agreement on card-check for sort, though this was not out of the goodness of the employer’s heart. Pressure from the workers on sort and the looming threat of another strike convinced DHL management that they had more to lose by continuing to fight the growing union support.

Thus, on August 12, the Teamsters announced that DHL had recognized the union after having majority support certified through an arbitrator. Sort workers at CVG, like their sisters and brothers on ramp and tug, are now Teamsters. Together, the almost 2500 workers represented by the Teamsters at the CVG air hub join over 6000 DHL Express workers across the United States who are already Teamsters.

Important lessons abound for Teamsters and union workers everywhere. The courage of the ramp and tug workers was met with the solidarity of DHL Teamsters across the country, who honored the picket line of workers most of them would never personally meet. The victory on ramp and tug then opened the door for CVG sort workers to win their own historic union victory less than a year later.

The struggle continues

Having won their union, sort workers are not letting up the pressure on DHL as the focus turns towards collective bargaining.

“We’re ready to take the next step and secure the protection of a strong Teamsters contract,” said Lamb.

Furthermore, the union victory at the CVG air hub shows a way forward for the workers at Amazon’s KCVG air hub, which is right across the street. There, logistics workers doing jobs similar to those at DHL are still fighting for the right to organize. Amazon KCVG has an active organizing campaign underway, which has already included a ULP strike in July of this year. DHL agreeing to card-check stands in contrast to the continued aggressive union-busting tactics employed by fellow monopoly giant Amazon.

Despite Amazon’s relentless efforts to suppress unionization, the Teamsters are building momentum, and the victory at DHL is providing a morale boost for Amazon workers.

As the Teamsters continue to push for better conditions and representation for workers in the logistics industry, the triumph at DHL signifies a significant win for worker power in the United States. It demonstrates that through solidarity, strategic organizing, and use of the strike weapon, workers can successfully challenge even the most powerful corporations and secure the rights and dignity they deserve.

#CincinnatiOH #WorkerPower #LaborRights #Teamsters #TeamstersLocal89 #DHL #Logistics #DHLWorkersUnited #UnionPower #Feature