“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.

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.

Jacksonville, FL – On Sept. 5, over 50 people in Jacksonville rallied outside of city hall for the National Day of Action against Police Crimes. The event, organized by the Jacksonville Community Action Committee (JCAC) featured speakers from various local community organizations, including the Jacksonville Palestine Solidarity Network, the Black Commission, the Northside Coalition, the Jacksonville Progressive Coalition, and UNF Students for a Democratic Society.

Jacksonville, FL – It was a very violent weekend in Jacksonville. There was a shooting at the Raines High School versus Lee High School football game on Friday, August 24, and the following day, August 25, there was a shooting at the Jacksonville Landing during a video game tournament, leaving families and friends all over the city mourning. The Jacksonville city council typically meets the second and fourth Tuesdays of the month, and although rescheduled due to voting in the statewide primaries, the city council meeting on Wednesday, August 29 was attended by many angry community members and activists that wanted answers.

Jacksonville, FL – It didn’t take long for the Florida gubernatorial campaign to get extremely racist.

Jacksonville, FL – On July 17, Dustin Ponder, the Florida Teamster union steward fired by UPS management for union activity, returned to work. After a month and a half-long campaign waged by Teamster militants and activists to get the steward reinstated, UPS caved to the pressure and offered Ponder his job back.

Jacksonville, FL – On July 13, around 45 people, including family members of Harold Kraai along with the Jacksonville Community Action Committee, Jacksonville Progressive Coalition and other community members gathered for vigil in the San Mateo area of Jacksonville to protest against this police killing of an innocent civilian. Harolf Kraai was a 52-year-old mentally ill man who was gunned down by Jacksonville Sheriff’s Officer (JSO) cop Richard Futch on the morning of July 7.

The Jacksonville Community Action Committee (JCAC) recently joined the Fairway Oaks community in a struggle against environmental racism.

Jacksonville, FL – On July 3, UPS management in Jacksonville deadlocked a local hearing over Dustin Ponder, a shop steward for Teamsters Local 512 who was terminated last month for union activity. Presenting scant evidence against Ponder, the company refused to give the steward his job back despite protests by Teamsters locally and across the country.

Jacksonville, FL – On June 21, the Teamsters announced reaching a tentative agreement ‘in principle’ with UPS. Headed by Teamsters Package Division director Denis Taylor, the union’s committee unveiled “highlights from the economics in the agreement” after months of closed-door bargaining.

Jacksonville, FL – About 150 people came out to a Trans Lives Matter rally, June 27, in front of Jacksonville courthouse to demand justice. The event was sponsored by many organizations including Jacksonville Community Action Committee, Coalition for Consent, Jacksonville Transgender Action Committee, Equality Florida, and Transgender Awareness Project. This rally was to honor the lives of the three black transgender women murdered here in Jacksonville.

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.

Coworkers allege retaliation

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).