News and Views from the People's Struggle
Tampa, FL – A recent ruling of the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) said that janitors who were picketing for better working conditions were not protected from unfair labor practices committed by their employer. The Board ruled that the janitors, who were being contracted by a building management company, were engaged in secondary picketing. With a Trump-appointed NLRB, workers fighting for rights on the job will be facing new challenges.
Fight Back News Service is circulating the following Oct. 17 statement from the National Democratic Front of the Philippines, Southern Mindanao Region (SMR).
Tampa, FL – Over 40 Allied Ready Mix workers, represented by Teamsters Local 89, have been on strike since October 8. The workers are striking over a concession-filled contract, primarily because of proposed cuts to health care. The company has refused to negotiate with the union and a mediator will contact them again on October 22.
Chicago, IL – Thousands of Chicago-area Teamsters may be holding a strike vote as early as November 1 as negotiations drag on between Teamsters Local 705 and United Parcel Service.
Washington, D.C. – 12,000 members of United Steelworkers (USW) are moving closer to strike against ArcelorMittal. An October 12 statement from the USW negotiating committee at ArcelorMittal says, “Unfortunately, while our union has pursued every option to avoid a work stoppage, ArcelorMittal’s persistent, onerous and unnecessary demands for concessions may leave over 12,000 members with little choice.”
Minneapolis, MN – Educational Support Professionals (ESPs) rallied at the Minneapolis Schools District Headquarters to demand decent wages for over 1500 ESPs, October 9.
Washington DC – Teamster International Vice Presidents representing the Central and Southern regions have joined Sean O’Brien in pressuring Denis Taylor and the Hoffa administration to stop the ratification of the UPS contract. The vice presidents include Avral Thompson, Robert Kopystynsky, Tony Jones and Bill Frisky of the Central region and Kim Schultz and John Palmer of the Southern region.
Tampa, FL – Rank-and-file trade union activists from Teamsters Local 79 hit the gates, Oct. 8, getting petition signatures and handing out call-in information to pressure the IBT National Negotiating Committee into further negotiations with UPS. This comes after Denis Taylor and the Hoffa administration announced the ratification of the contract, despite it being rejected by the membership.
Washington, D.C. – On Oct. 7, Principal Officer of Teamsters Joint Council 10 Sean O’Brien sent an open letter to the Hoffa administration requesting negotiations continue with UPS as well as an emergency General Executive Board meeting to discuss the issues.
“The IBT needs to respect the will of the members and go back to the bargaining table.”
Jacksonville, FL – Just hours after UPS Teamsters voted down their tentative agreement in record numbers, union chief negotiator Denis Taylor announced he would ratify the contract anyway.
“The IBT needs to respect the will of the members and go back to the bargaining table.”
Jacksonville, FL – Just hours after UPS Teamsters voted down their tentative agreement in record numbers, union chief negotiator Denis Taylor announced he would ratify the contract anyway.
Teamsters rank and file claim victory against concessions
Washington DC – The results are in. The UPS National Master Agreement, which covers approximately 250,000 workers across the country and is the largest private-sector union contract in the United States, has been rejected in a 45.74% to 54.26% vote.
Approximately 1700 hotel workers in Boston walked off the job on Wednesday, October 3. The strike includes seven hotels across the city: the Sheraton Boston, Westin Copley Square, Westin Waterfront, Aloft Seaport, Element Seaport, W Hotel, and the Ritz-Carlton. All the hotels involved are operated by Marriott International, which is both the largest hotel employer in Boston and the largest hotel chain in the world.
Washington DC – Fred Zuckerman, Principal Officer of Teamsters Local 89 and previous reform candidate to head the IBT sent an open letter blasting the Hoffa administration’s threats to ignore the UPS Teamsters contract vote. At the UPS National Grievance Panel, on Oct. 3, Denis Taylor, lead negotiator for Teamsters, stated the negotiating committee’s might ratify the UPS contract in the event it was voted down by the membership.
Pittsburgh, PA – Steelworkers represented by United Steelworkers (USW) are making preparations to strike against ArcelorMittal, the world’s largest steel company. The union is currently discussing plans for an orderly shutdown with the company in the event a strike occurs. Picket duty surveys, which workers fill out with their times available to picket, have also been distributed to the membership.
Chicago, IL – Nearly 500 teachers, students, parents and allies gathered at the Chicago Board of Education, Sept. 26, to call for equal pay for equal work for charter school educators. “We fought for and won a large increase in state funding for education in Chicago, but in our schools most of that money was pocketed by charter operators and not put into their classrooms,” said Chicago Teachers Union Charter Division Chairperson Chris Baehrend.
Tampa, FL – With the vote count a little less than two weeks out, west Florida UPSers will be voting ‘no’ on the tentative agreement. Despite retaliation from the company, rank-and-file militants have been informing the membership of Local 79 throughout the contract negotiation process. Now that balloting information has been mailed out and the vote is underway they are making sure UPS Teamsters have received their ballots and voted.
Jacksonville, FL – A critical vote is underway on the largest private-sector union contract in the United States. Beginning on Sept. 11, hundreds of thousands of Teamsters at UPS and UPS Freight began receiving ballot information in the mail to vote on their respective tentative agreements, regional supplements and local riders.
Lawrenceburg, KY – On Sept. 21, Four Roses Bourbon workers ended a two week strike and successfully prevented the creation of a two-tier system at their workplace. The strike came after workers rejected a concessionary contract offered by the company. Over 50 workers were involved with the work stoppage and are represented by UFCW Local 10D, UFCW Local 23D and NCFO Local 320.
Washington, D.C. – Alrededor de 250,000 Teamsters recibirán una boleta a principios de septiembre sobre la ratificación del principal acuerdo UPS nacional de cinco años entre UPS y la International Brotherhood of Teamsters. Los Teamsters de UPS en todo el país se están movilizando para rechazar el acuerdo, firmado por el Comité Nacional de Negociación de UPS de Teamsters, el 21 de junio. Los únicos dos locales de UPS no afectados por el acuerdo son Local 705 y Local 710, que actualmente se encuentran en negociaciones.
