“We’re building a coalition for a new direction,” stated Campos. “A stronger Teamsters union and a stronger labor movement.”

Teamsters United was born out of a struggle against weak union leadership and concessions from employers such as UPS, ABF and UPS Freight. After a historic rejection of the national master UPS agreement in 2014, Fred Zuckerman, president of Teamsters 89 in Louisville, gained national fame as his local voted in record numbers to continue to reject Hoffa’s concessions.

After multiple rounds of ‘no’ votes, Hoffa forced the contract on Local 89 and other parts of the country, weakening health benefits, leaving loopholes in the contract that allow UPS management to relentlessly harass and fire drivers, as well as concessions to the record-profit-making UPS.

Shortly after, Zuckerman announced he was running for general president against Hoffa in the 2016 International election. With the power of the rank and file, Zuckerman’s Teamsters United took on Hoffa’s money and loyalists and won the majority of the United States and a majority of UPS votes, yet narrowly lost by a few thousand votes due to a larger vote for Hoffa in Canada, where Hoffa doesn’t negotiate contracts. Teamsters United did win six regional vice presidency seats.

Moving forward, ousted package division director and president of Teamsters 25 in Boston, Sean O’Brien, joined Teamsters United and has made plans to run a general president of the Teamsters on the Teamsters United slate, backed by Fred Zuckerman as his secretary treasurer.

“The addition of Juan Campos as vice president at-large on the Teamsters United slate makes the reformers and fighters in the Teamsters union the frontrunners in the next international election,” commented Chicago package car steward Daniel Ginsberg. “Myself and many others will be campaigning vigorously for we want to see a leadership with as much fight as the members.”

Campos joins the slate at a time when his Local 705 stood up and fought back against the IBT and UPS during the most recent contract. With the odds stacked against them in terms of a strike, Local 705 proved that even tough negotiations and a threat of a strike can win improvements, winning the best UPS/Teamster contract in the country.

“Hoffa’s capitulation at UPS comes during a wave of successful strikes and labor actions that has revitalized the union movement across the nation,” read a press release issued by the O’Brien-Zuckerman slate at the time of Campos’ announcement.

While Hoffa may not run again, his cronies are scrambling to put together a Hoffa-like slate. By Campos joining Teamsters United, and with the anger of Teamsters everywhere, change is quite possible.

#ChicagoIL #PeoplesStruggles #Teamsters #TeamstersLocal705 #TeamstersUnited #JuanCampos

After watching the national contract be imposed, with major concessions, Local 705 found itself in a difficult position. Teamsters President James Hoffa, for political reasons, was determined to not allow Local 705 to negotiate a better contract than the U.S. national agreement.

Facing a battle with Hoffa and UPS, who were willing to fight at any cost for concessions, Local 705 was able to wait out negotiations until the busy season for UPS, when a strike would hurt the most, hoping to win gains where the national agreement fell short. As UPS dragged its heels, Local 705 revoked their contract extension so it would end just after ‘Cyber Monday.’

Local 705 was able to win major pension increases, $15 an hour for existing part-time workers, stiffer penalties for supervisors working and harassing, and more full time jobs, among dozens of other improvements, all by raising the threat of a strike and tough negotiating.

A major point of contention with the national language was a proposal to hire in 25% of all new drivers under a two-tier wage scale with less benefits and protections. While Hoffa collaborated with UPS management to get that proposal through at the national level, ultimately approving a contract through that was voted down by 54%, Local 705 Secretary Treasurer Juan Campos led a campaign to keep that contract language out of Chicago.

As Hoffa and UPS made it clear to Local 705 that Chicago would be forced to accept the two-tier drivers, Campos strategically bargained in work rules to the language that protects the original package car driver job and enhances benefits to new two-tier workers, making it the best language in the country and difficult for UPS to implement.

Teamsters are currently debating the gains and shortcomings on the internet, in the workplace, and at after-work hangouts. What is clear is that Teamsters everywhere need to come together in 2021 to kick out Hoffa and his lackeys in order to launch a national contract campaign and get ready for a strike in 2023, because UPS made it quite clear that’s what it will take to save better-paying jobs and improve life for part-timers.

In the meantime, Local 705 members will have the best UPS contract in the country because they showed what a strike threat and tough bargaining can accomplish. Local 705 members will live to fight another day and are ready to take on Hoffa and join a national movement to lift part-timers out of poverty and strike out two-tier wages for good.

#ChicagoIL #PeoplesStruggles #Teamsters #UPS #TeamstersLocal705

Chicago, IL – Negotiations are set to resume Monday, November 12, between Teamsters Local 705 and UPS over a tentative five-year contract for over 10,000 UPS workers in the Chicago area.

One of the last contracts to settle, Local 705 Teamsters are pushing back against concessions passed under the national master contract by Hoffa and Small Package Division negotiator Dennis Taylor that affect over 240,000 Teamsters. Local 705 remains one of the last independent Teamster/UPS contracts in the country.

Local 705 gave UPS a 30-day notice on October 31 to end a contract extension, raising the possibility of a strike. Preparations have been underway to for members to conduct a strike vote.

Earlier today, November 11, a vote count revealed that Teamsters Local 705 UPS Freight drivers voted down a second contract proposal, 125 to 34, showing their willingness to strike in the face of massive threats by the employer. UPS Freight, a division of UPS that handles “less-than-truckload” shipments (typically medium-sized shipments of objects over 150lbs), employs approximately 12,000 nationwide, hundreds of whom work in the Chicago area.

#ChicagoIL #PeoplesStruggles #Teamsters #TeamstersLocal705 #Strikes #VoteNoOnUPSContract #UPSFreight

While signing multiple agreements on issues including stronger contract language on production harassment, technology, and supervisors working, the company and union remain far apart on other issues, including but not limited to part-time wages, a new classification of driver that would receive less pay and benefits, and retiree health care and pensions.

It's likely that Teamster 705 members will be taking a strike vote in the days ahead in order to grant the bargaining committee the leverage of a strike should it be necessary.

“We are ready to draw the line in the sand regarding how we get treated and how much we get paid,” commented Ben Cline, a 12-year 705 Teamster. “Authorizing a strike means giving the bargaining committee the leverage they need to get what we deserve, so vote ‘yes’.”

#ChicagoIL #PeoplesStruggles #Teamsters #UPS #TeamstersLocal705 #Strikes #VoteNoOnUPSContract

Chicago, IL – Over 1000 Teamster Local 705 members packed their union hall, October 21, on the eve of serious negotiations with UPS. Support was widespread for the bargaining team, who are ready to end their contract extension should the company refuse to address some key issues.

Secretary-Treasurer Juan Campos stated Local 705 isn’t interested in the current language proposed for 22.4 combo jobs, he wants $15 for part-timers, catch-up raises for existing part-timers, and increases for retiree health care and pensions, among other issues.

Negotiations resume October 25 and 26. Should Local 705 end the contract extension, a strike vote will follow in early November, raising the possibility of a strike.

After attending the meeting, Adrian Hernandez, a Local 705 Package Driver, commented, “I saw a lot of unity and believe we’re headed in the right direction, fighting for what we deserve in this next contract.”

Many of the 10,000 Teamsters affected by the Local 705 contract were vocally supportive of the national ‘Vote No’ movement against Hoffa’s concessionary national master UPS agreement that covers every UPS worker in the U.S. other than Local 705. Nationally, UPS Teamsters voted down their contract by 54% only to have Hoffa ratify the agreement anyway. Secretary-Treasurer Juan Campos said that won’t happen in Local 705.

#ChicagoIL #PeoplesStruggles #Teamsters #strike #TeamstersLocal705 #UPSContract #Strikes

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.

Summoning every UPS Teamster steward and bargaining committee member in the local, Oct. 12, Teamsters 705 Secretary-Treasurer Juan Campos told a packed auditorium in Teamster City that the union is prepared to take on 22.4 language and retiree benefits, among other issues, and if the company cannot come to a tentative agreement on these issues, Local 705 will revoke a contract extension that has been ongoing since August 1, 2018. The crowd in the auditorium was enthusiastic and unified.

One of the only independent Teamster/UPS contract in the country, members of Local 705 witnessed General President Jimmy Hoffa Jr.’s undemocratic ratification of the National Master UPS/Teamster Agreement, which was voted down by 54% of the voting members despite intense campaigning by Hoffa and the company.

“705 members are concerned about the national contract, the low part-time pay, the implementation of more two-tier drivers, subcontracting and benefits, etcetera,” commented 705 Package Car Steward Daniel Ginsberg. “Many of our members have traveled the country supporting the ‘no’ vote nationally and we’re prepared to do whatever it takes locally to make sure we defeat the unacceptable language passed under the national.”

Ginsberg continued: “The struggle brewing between UPS and Local 705 is every UPS Teamsters fight around the country. They delivered us a historic ‘no’ vote and now we pick up the fight to hopefully win improvements that will set a new standard for UPS Teamsters everywhere.”

Teamsters 705 represents around 8500 Chicago-area UPS workers. A major transportation hub, the UPS Chicago Area Consolidated Hub, just one of many UPS facilities in Chicago, sorts nearly 1.6 million packages a day. With the holiday season fast approaching and a national shortage of drivers, Chicago Teamsters have some significant power should they have to strike.

#ChicagoIL #PeoplesStruggles #Teamsters #UPS #TeamstersLocal705

Chicago, IL – More than 4000 marched here tonight as Occupy Chicago moved from its occupation of La Salle Street (the banking center of the city) to Congress Plaza on the edge of Grant Park. Organizers intend this as a permanent home for the occupation.

Occupy Chicago was joined tonight by a contingent from Teamsters Local 705, as well as representatives who brought resolutions from the National Nurses United and the Chicago Teachers Union. SEIU Local 73 members were there and the local had helped get tents for the occupation.

The police have threatened to clear the park at 11:00 pm.

*Read more [Fight Back! coverage of Occupy Wall street](http://www.fightbacknews.org/news/special-coverage/occupy-wall-street) and follow [@fightbacknews](https://twitter.com/#!/fightbacknews) for live updates from #OccupyWallStreet protests around the country.*

#ChicagoIL #SEIULocal73 #ArmandoRobles #ChicagoTeachersUnion #OccupyWallStreet #OccupyChicago #OccupyTogether #TeamstersLocal705 #NationalNursesUnited