Jacksonville, FL – On June 15, over 60 community members in Baker County, Florida held a vigil for Corey Lauramore, an 18-year-old killed on April 15. Corey, his two brothers and friends were lured to a mobile home on County Road 125 where upon arriving, they were met with gunfire. Corey Lauramore was shot in the face and later died due to his injuries. Previously, Corey and his family had been threatened by the same individuals on social media and other outlets while Baker County police refused to do anything about it.
Jacksonville, FL – At the close of business on Thursday, June 21, International Brotherhood of Teamsters (IBT) Package Director Denis Taylor released a statement for Teamsters employed at UPS, claiming that a handshake agreement had been reached with the company. While not all details have been released, some 'highlights' were let out in the form of bullet points.
Jacksonville, FL – As the expiration date for the Teamsters-UPS national master agreement rapidly approaches, UPS management has moved to crack down on union activists fighting for a better contract. On June 8, the company terminated Dustin Ponder, a union steward at UPS in Jacksonville, Florida, elected earlier this year. His activity and involvement in the 2018 contract battle and last month’s strike authorization vote have many Teamsters believing this is a case of management retaliation.
Both leaders will run on the Teamsters United reform ticket
Jacksonville, FL – Standing in front of more than 100 Teamsters gathered in a Boston, Massachusetts park, May 29, two Teamster leaders announced plans to run together for the leadership of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters (IBT) in 2021.
Jacksonville, FL – After a two-day meeting of the NFL’s 32 owners, on May 23, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell announced new policy changes in the NFL regarding the playing of the U.S. national anthem before games. The new policy leaves it to individual teams to discipline players for acts deemed “disrespectful” during the anthem but also gives the league wide discretion to fine teams for actions taken by players. The policy was met with cheers from the racist Trump administration, including Trump and Vice President Mike Pence. Trump even said players who don’t stand shouldn’t even be in the country. With many NFL players and their players union, the NFL Players Association, the new policy has been met with backlash with the players union saying they weren’t consulted on the new changes regarding the anthem.
Overwhelming ‘Yes’ vote expected as contract negotiations continue
Jacksonville, FL – Two crucial strike authorization votes are underway at UPS and UPS Freight. On May 16, the International Brotherhood of Teamsters (IBT) began mailing ballot information to all members at UPS and UPS Freight, who will vote either ‘yes’ or ‘no’ to give union negotiators the authority to call a strike.
Jacksonville, FL – On May 14, 25 community members rallied in front of the Duval County Courthouse to condemn the massacre of 60-plus Palestinians who took part in Great Return March protests, as well as the opening of the U.S. Embassy to Israel in Jerusalem.
Jacksonville, FL – Over 75 people gathered in Klutho Park, May 11, to honor several mothers of the movement against police crimes, including the mothers of Keegan Von Roberts, Maurice Hobbs and Vernell Bing Jr., three Black men murdered in Jacksonville over the past two years. In all three cases, the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office (JSO) either murdered the men (Bing Jr.), failed to prosecute the killer (Von Roberts) or refused to even investigate the murder despite having evidence about the case (Hobbs).
Jacksonville, FL – The “Protect and Serve Act” is new federal legislation introduced this week that looks to strengthen the Trump era mandate for a stronger police state. The legislation seeks to classify cops as a protected class and create another layer of protections and privileges for police officers, even though they already exist at certain state and local levels. Backed by police unions and introduced by pro-cop legislators like Orin Hatch from Utah in the Senate and John Rutherford, a congressman and former Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office top cop, this legislation seeks to codify promises Trump made during his election to be back police and be the ‘law and order’ president.
‘YES’ vote for strike authorization strengthens union’s hand at bargaining table
Jacksonville, FL – On May 1, Teamsters Package Division Director and lead negotiator for the UPS contract Denis Taylor announced the international union would begin the process of taking a strike authorization vote. The news breaks amid ongoing contract negotiations between the Teamsters and UPS, as well as UPS Freight, which began earlier this year and are set to continue into June.
