Milwaukee, WI – On July 6, Local 344 Teamsters held practice pickets at the Elm Grove UPS location to gear up for the potential nationwide strike in August.

Vernon, CA – At a UPS hub in Vernon, California, members of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters (IBT) union held their weekly Teamster Thursdays on June 29. The workers were loud and militant and demanded better pay and a fair contract.

Status quo in the labor movement rejected

Denver, CO – Steve Vairma, Secretary-Treasurer of Teamsters Local 455 in Denver, attended his last meeting as a Teamster before his May retirement. Vairma is retiring following an unsuccessful run for General President of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters (IBT) in the 2021 International Brotherhood of Teamsters (IBT) elections. Vairma ran alongside running mate and former Teamster Ron Hererra as part of the Teamster Power (TP) slate which was backed by the outgoing incumbent James “Jimmy” Hoffa Jr. Hoffa did not seek reelection after twenty-three years in office.

Commerce City, CO – On Friday, May 19, rank-and-file Teamsters working at the UPS hub in Commerce City, a part of the Denver metro area, organized a parking lot meeting early in the morning before the sunrise shift. This event comes just 11 weeks before the expiration of the Teamsters contract with UPS, and it is especially significant as it was the first event at the Commerce City hub, one of the largest UPS buildings in the United States, led exclusively by rank-and-file workers.

Atlanta, GA – Members, stewards and executive board members from Teamsters Local 728 have been collecting contract unity pledges at UPS barns across the state of Georgia. The statewide effort has been a part of the national campaign started by the International in February. The contract unity pledges are being used as a bargaining tool by the Teamsters in the lead-up to contract negotiations with UPS and as a way to talk to members about a potential strike at UPS later this year.

Los Angeles, CA – On Martin Luther King Jr. Day, which fell on January 15, Teamsters across the country joined the national action to demand that UPS “Deliver on the Dream” by pressuring the company to make MLK Day and Juneteenth paid holidays in the upcoming national contract.

Elm Grove, WI – You might know UPS for their slogan, “What can Brown do for you?” For their employees, the answer is “Not much!”

Lansing, MI – As UPS moves out from its peak season, the company is ending market rate adjustments (MRAs) and bonus programs designed to attract workers and boost part-time employees’ pay. The negotiated part-time pay rate for workers hired since August 1, 2018 is $15.33 per hour, with a cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) included. Teamsters Local 623 reports that UPS paid its members $19 an hour as part of an MRA and the workers are taking a 27% pay cut as the adjustments expire.

Chicago, IL – On Tuesday, December 22, 150 workers at the Jefferson Street UPS barn in Chicago staged a protest before work.

Chicago, IL – On day nine of the strike by 4000 members of the Service Employee International Union Local 73, September 22, picket lines were dispersed to multiple locations across the medical center campus. Workers gathered by the dock entrances of the hospital, the Outpatient Care Center, the College of Medicine Research Building, the dean’s office of the College of Medicine, the College of Dentistry, and the Clinical Science Building.

Chicago, IL – On day nine of the strike by 4000 members of the Service Employee International Union Local 73, September 22, picket lines were dispersed to multiple locations across the medical center campus. Workers gathered by the dock entrances of the hospital, the Outpatient Care Center, the College of Medicine Research Building, the dean’s office of the College of Medicine, the College of Dentistry, and the Clinical Science Building.

Tampa, FL – Rank-and-file Teamsters all across the country have been petitioning for the O’Brien-Zuckerman leadership slate accreditation for the upcoming 2021 Teamster election. The slate, out of the Teamsters United coalition, is led by Sean O’Brien for general president and Fred Zuckerman for general secretary-treasurer. Teamsters United is a large coalition within the Teamsters union fighting for better contracts, a stronger union, and for worker power against the boss.

Outbreak puts workers and public at risk

Tampa, FL – At least 36 employees at a UPS hub in Tucson, Arizona have tested positive for COVID-19. The news comes as many states, including Arizona, are beginning to reopen more commercial business. Three of the 36 employees are currently being treated in intensive care. Because of the lack of proper testing at the facility, the number of total cases could be much higher.

Tampa, FL – With the ongoing COVID-19 crisis putting workers at risk and UPS making huge profits, many rank-and-file Teamsters are demanding hazard pay. Teamsters in Tampa, Florida are organizing co-workers to fight for it.

Lansing, MI – In the April 13 edition of USA Today, Teamster head James P. Hoffa and three other labor leaders signed an outrageous letter entitled “Coronavirus is a stress test for capitalism, and we see encouraging signs.” The article fawned over the same companies that rank-and-file Teamsters across the country are fighting every day. It was especially outrageous given that Teamsters in many industries still lack appropriate PPE, sanitary working conditions, information and hazard pay.

Lansing, MI – UPS Teamsters across the country are speaking out about their experience battling for masks, gloves, cleaning supplies and transparency about potential exposures. Due to either crowding or contact with the public, every job at UPS puts workers at increased risk of exposure. Even if workers had all the supplies they needed, the inherent risk can never be eliminated.

Tampa, FL – UPS workers in Tampa have won their campaign for hand sanitizer, masks, gloves and other PPE. This campaign was a hard-fought win against management, who initially refused to accommodate for worker safety. Concerned preloaders did not buy management's excuses on why PPE was unnecessary, and waged a successful informational campaign, rallying workers together to fight for their safety.

Editor's note: The following article was prepared for the print edition of Fight Back!, which is now on hold due to the pandemic.

Chicago, IL – Teamsters Local 710 published an online memorial to Brother William “Dollar Bill” Young, who passed away on Sunday, March 29. Brother Young worked at the UPS CACH facility and was remembered as “hard working,” and “dedicated to his craft and always a friendly face.”

Tampa, FL – UPS preloaders held a demonstration March 24 demanding disposable gloves, hand sanitizer and other personal protective equipment (PPE) amid the global COVID-19 pandemic. The demonstration was part of an ongoing local and national fight by UPS employees to get the PPE they need to safely perform their job and prevent the spread of the virus to customers and the public.