Justin, TX – In a bold show of unity, workers at the Volvo Parts Distribution Center in Justin marched on management, April 13, to demand union recognition, escalating their fight for respect, safety and a real voice on the job.

Warehouse workers walked into the boss’s office together, delivering their message directly, stating, “We are organized, we are militant, and we expect their union to be recognized.” The action marks a turning point in an organizing drive that has seen workers put aside their differences in the interest of collective power.

The warehouse, operated by Volvo Group, is a critical link in the company’s supply chain. Workers there handle the constant flow of parts that keep trucks and heavy equipment moving across the country. But those doing the work say they’ve been pushed to the limit – dealing with exhausting schedules, rising production demands and ongoing safety concerns.

Workers describe a job where speed is everything and injuries are an ever-present risk. Short staffing has made conditions worse, forcing longer hours and heavier workloads. Many say management has ignored their concerns for years, leaving them little choice but to organize.

The action also builds on momentum beyond Texas. Just months ago, Volvo workers at a parts distribution facility in Joliet, Illinois voted to join the International Brotherhood of Teamsters Local 179, showing that workers across the company’s network are beginning to move in the same direction. That victory helped demonstrate what’s possible and gave workers in Justin added confidence to step forward.

By marching on the boss as a group, workers made clear that this effort isn’t coming from a handful of individuals, it’s a collective demand backed by growing support across the warehouse.

Marching on the boss is a tactic with a long history in the labor movement – workers acting together, presenting their demands directly, and demonstrating their unity in a way management can’t ignore. It’s often a key step in winning recognition and building the confidence needed for the contract fight.

The demand is straightforward: union recognition and the right to negotiate a decent contract. Workers want better pay, safer conditions, reasonable workloads and an end to the disrespect they say has defined the job.

For the Volvo workers who acted, this is just the beginning. Management now faces a choice. They can recognize the union and respect the workers’ decision or face the power of their workers’ solidarity.

Either way, the message from the shop floor is clear. Workers are organized, they are militant and they’re ready to fight for what they deserve.

#JustinTX #TX #DallasTX #Labor #Teamsters #Volvo #Featured

Denver, CO — On Tuesday, February 10, over 50 Denver community members showed their public support for the Denver Art Museum Workers United (DAMWU) as they prepare for another round of negotiations with the company later this month. Contract negotiations have continued for the past year and a half since the initial vote for union recognition.

Supporting DAMWU were Teamsters for a Democratic Union (TDU), Starbucks Workers United (SBWU), Denver Public Libraries Workers United (DPLWU), and Freedom Road Socialist Organization (FRSO).

DAMWU won their union election in March of 2024 and since then has made great strides in achieving better working conditions for museum employees.

The fight, however, is not over and negotiations surrounding livable wages, health and safety standards, and immigration protection are still ongoing.

Sarah Darlene, an artist and union supporter, spoke at the event about the importance of union presence saying, “When workers are paid well, admissions go up, and the quality of the museum increases.”

Many Denver Art Museum employees hold two or more jobs despite working 40 hours a week providing a valuable public service in spreading awareness and knowledge through access to art.

Health and safety issues are also of critical importance to the union. The museum has refused to allow their gallery attendants to sit without a doctor’s note during their eight-hour shifts. One union member mentioned her father’s lifelong career as a construction worker, saying “One thing management never required of him was standing for the sake of standing.” Along with this basic request are demands for an extension of maternity leave and additional annual sick time.

Denver citizens showed their support through chants like, “Exploitation ain’t the way, workers gotta get their pay,” and “When livable wage is under attack, what do we do? Stand up, fight back!” Denver workers and community members feel the cost of living weighing down on them, and they will fight to earn a livable wage.

DAMWU will return to the table on Thursday, February 26 to continue negotiating their first contract. Whether the company will agree to come to a resolution remains to be seen.

#DenverCO #CO #Labor #DAMWU #TDU #Teamsters #DPLWU #FRSO

Brooklyn Park, MN – On a chilly morning, February 7, around 200 union members, union staff and community members assembled in a parking lot in Brooklyn Park, a suburb of Minneapolis which is home to many immigrant families and union members.

The rally and march were organized by the Minneapolis Regional Labor Federation, and cosponsored by SEIU Healthcare Minnesota and Iowa, as well as the Organization of Liberians, Unidos, and the Minnesota Somali Community Center. Much of SEIU Healthcare Minnesota and Iowa’s membership in nursing homes are Liberian workers and live in the area.

First a crowd gathered to listen to speeches which took place in front of a food truck provided by Teamsters Local 120. Between speeches the crowd broke into chants of “ICE out” and “Fuck ICE.” Around 10 a.m. the crowd began to march.

The march followed the sidewalk along Brooklyn Boulevard, a major thoroughfare in the area. They chanted loudly as cars driving on the Boulevard honked in support of the march. The sidewalks were icy and the air was cold at the early morning march but that did not dampen the spirits of the marchers.

After about a two-mile march the crowd gathered in another parking lot for closing speeches, and the Teamsters 120 food truck began serving water, chips and hotdogs to the crowd.

#brooklynparkmn #mn #labor #immigratrights #ice #teamsters #seiu

Greg Abbott is a lifelong enemy of the working class. His administration has overseen brutal attacks on immigrants, the criminalization of protest, assaults on public education and the systematic weakening of labor protections in Texas.

As early as 2017 Governor Greg Abbott announced a call for legislation that prohibited both state and local governments from deducting union dues from public employees’ paychecks.

In 2023 Greg Abbott signed HB 2127, the Texas Regulatory Consistency Act, nicknamed the “death star” bill, which barred cities and counties from passing regulations that are stricter than state ones. It also overturned local rules, such as ordinances in Austin and Dallas that mandate rest breaks for construction workers.

In 2024 Greg Abbott was one of six governors, including those from Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi, South Carolina and Tennessee, to support a statement condemning the United Autoworkers campaign to organize the South of the United States. This came after massive victories from the UAW union in organizing workers at the Chattanooga, Tennessee Volkswagen factory.

Greg Abbott, being a huge supporter of “right to work,” has always done his absolute best to destroy the efforts of the working class to organize and fight against bosses.

Greg Abbott has built a career serving the most reactionary sections of the Texas ruling class, oil and gas executives, real estate speculators, private prison profiteers and anti-union corporations, as working people have been left in the dust with stagnant wages and soaring costs of living.

Besides his anti-labor policies, Greg Abbott spent upwards of $3 billion in the deployment of National Guard and State Troopers to harass immigrants. The passing of Senate Bill 4 making “illegal immigration” a crime; busing immigrants out of Texas to Chicago, Washington DC and New York City, and installing razor wire along the Rio Grande are some of the many injustices Abbott has committed against immigrants.

Abbott’s cronies have turned Texas into a testing ground for union busting, attacks on immigrants, and cradling of the reactionaries. Now as Abbott seeks to rehabilitate his image in his bid for re-election, he has turned to sympathetic union leadership amongst the Teamsters in Texas who will do his bidding to enact anti-labor policies.

The decision to endorse Greg Abbott by the Teamster Joint Councils 80 and 58 is totally against the will of the thousands of Teamsters who call Texas their home.

Union members are not responsible for the cowardice and opportunism of their conservative union leadership right here in the heart of Texas. Rank-and-file Teamsters, many of them immigrants, oppressed nationalities and low-wage earners, are among Abbott and his billionaire backers’ primary targets. People’s interests lie in organizing and struggling against Abbott and the reactionary forces he represents, not in being used as political cover for them.

Texas Teamster leaders should take a page from the book of Teamster Councils in California (JC42 and JC7), New York (JC16), or Locals 810, 638 and 25 that have put forward resolutions to protect immigrant workers and oppose raids from ICE. Local unions outside of the Teamsters, like SEIU 26, Minnesota AFL CIO, ATU 1005, and UFCW 663 are a few of the many local unions that have put forward anti-ICE statements and demanded protections for immigrants. The Teamsters leadership in Texas should learn from their counterparts and demand protections for workers who look to them for leadership.

The labor movement cannot hope to survive—let alone win real power—by bowing to reactionaries who despise us. We cannot build power by allowing unions to become a breeding ground of narrow self-interest at the hands of those who collaborate with people whose interests are oriented towards destroying the working class. Labor's home is on the shop floor and on the streets, not in the halls of the RNC where power brokers like Greg Abbott cut deals to attack the working class.

Union leaders must do everything in their power to protect their members, especially immigrants who face the real terror of kidnapping by ICE. They should put forward a positive demand like legalization for all and lobby against politicians to make this demand a reality. They must make their home in the working class once again and defend the rank and file with tooth and nail.

The rank and file must not only fight against the bosses on the shop floor. It is only by continuing to build a militant movement of rank-and-file Teamsters that we will be able to turn our union into a real fighting organization of the working class.

#labor #teamsters #tx #frso #statement

Lancaster, TX – At midnight on Friday, December 19, roughly 300 warehouse workers at United Natural Foods Inc. (UNFI) officially joined Teamsters Local 745, marking a major step forward in their fight for better conditions and real voice on the job. The vote reflects months of organizing and frustration, and it adds momentum to a growing wave of unionization among distribution and logistics workers.

UNFI is one of the largest food distributors in the country and a key supplier for major retailers, including Amazon-owned Whole Foods. Behind that operation are warehouse workers dealing with long hours, constant overtime, unsafe conditions and wages that haven’t kept up with the pace or pressure of the work. Many workers say they’ve been stretched thin for years, expected to do more with less while management looked the other way.

Workers in Lancaster didn’t organize in a vacuum. Across UNFI’s national network, drivers and warehouse workers have been winning union representation and improvements on the job, showing what’s possible when workers stick together. Those victories helped spark conversations on the shop floor and pushed this group to take action themselves.

By joining Teamsters Local 745, these workers are sending a clear message that they’re done being treated as expendable. Injuries, chronic understaffing and a lack of respect have become routine, and workers decided they weren’t going to accept that as normal anymore. Union representation gives them the leverage to bargain collectively and fight for a decent first contract.

In the months leading up to the vote, workers organized meetings, talked with coworkers across shifts, and confronted management during rallies demanding recognition. Just as important as the public actions was the solidarity built inside the warehouse – workers learning to rely on one another and act as a unit.

This win is part of a larger trend. From warehouses to delivery hubs, logistics workers across the country are pushing back against multinational corporations and reclaiming power at work. The lesson keeps repeating itself: when workers organize together, they can force change.

With the union vote secured, the focus now shifts to negotiating a strong first contract. Workers know it won’t be easy, but they also know they’re in a stronger position than they’ve ever been before.

This victory at UNFI is another sign of a labor movement on the rise. For employers who’ve grown comfortable ignoring workers’ demands, it’s a warning. Workers aren’t waiting anymore – and when they move together, they can win.

#LancasterTX #TX #Labor #Teamsters #IBT745 #Warehouse #Organizing #Feature

Shelbyville, IN – In a decisive victory for their historic strike for union recognition, table games dealers and dual rate dealers at the Horseshoe Indianapolis casino voted overwhelmingly on Friday, December 5, to join Teamsters Local 135.

In an expedited NLRB election ordered after the end of the government shutdown, striking casino workers delivered a landslide mandate for union representation and forced Caesars Entertainment, the corporation that owns the casino, to recognize their union. The vote took place on day 50 of the strike.

The final tally showed 100 votes for the union and 47 against, a 53-vote margin in favor of Local 135. Caesars management challenged the ballots of 50 of its employees – more than one in four eligible workers – but the challenged ballots were not determinative to the outcome. More than two-thirds of the challenged ballots were cast by striking workers, who voted yes. Caesars also challenged all dual rate ballots, continuing to claim dual rates are “supervisors,” despite multiple NLRB rulings rejecting that position.

A strike-day election

Polling opened at 5 a.m. inside the Horseshoe casino. Across the street, the striking dealers and dual rates held a mass rally before walking together in groups to cast their ballots. The NLRB’s decision to hold the election at the casino was an egregious example of the federal government violating the rights of workers. In ordering the election in this manner, the NLRB effectively forced strikers to cross their own picket line. Despite this gross violation of workers’ rights, turnout was not diminished in the slightest. Every striker voted, and the rally on the picket line across the street continued throughout the day.

When polls closed at 10 p.m., workers again assembled across the street for a victory gathering. An hour later, the results were announced. Striking workers celebrated an overwhelming win for the union.

Horseshoe General Manager Trent McIntosh and Table Games Manager Lee Ann Hinthorne were present during the vote count, along with an attorney from the casino. All three were advised by Littler Mendelson, the anti-union law firm that Caesars paid tens of thousands of dollars per day throughout the campaign. All looked on as the workers delivered a resounding defeat to Caesars’ months-long anti-union effort, which included illegal firings, threats, captive-audience meetings, illegal attempts at strike-breaking, and around-the-clock pressure.

The road to victory and beyond

The December 5 election came exactly 50 days after the strike began on October 17, when day-shift dealers walked off the floor in unison, shutting down table games. The strike came after Horseshoe management refused to honor the union's request to proceed with a neutral-administered election during the government shutdown, which indefinitely postponed all scheduled union elections.

Workers held a continuous, militant, round-the-clock picket line through storms, freezing temperatures, police repression, and a coordinated effort by the city of Shelbyville and Caesars to restrict public space around the casino. Their organization and persistence sharply limited Caesars’ ability to continue union-busting and held the unit together through the shutdown until victory.

Teamsters Local 135 President Dustin Roach called the outcome “a victory written in courage, sacrifice and snow,” saying the workers had “shown the world exactly what it means to fight for dignity.”

In a statement after the vote, Teamsters Local 135 said that the dealers and dual rates “faced down a billion-dollar corporation. They endured pressure, fear tactics, and every trick Caesars could throw at them. They sacrificed paychecks, sleep, family time and comfort — all for each other. And tonight, they won.”

The strike officially concluded on Monday, December 8, when the dealers and dual rates returned to work as recognized Teamsters Local 135 members. They are immediately beginning to organize a strong first-contract campaign.

The Horseshoe recognition strike now stands as one of the most consequential labor victories in recent Indiana history, and a rare example in the modern era of workers using a recognition strike to force a major corporation to the bargaining table.

#ShelbyvilleIN #IN #Labor #Teamsters #Strike #Feature

Lancaster, TX – In a bold display of unity and shop-floor power, warehouse workers at United Natural Foods Inc. (UNFI) in Lancaster marched on management this past Monday, November 17, to deliver a clear message – they are forming a union, and they want it recognized now. The UNFI workers have been organizing to join the International Brotherhood of Teamsters Local 745.

Workers from across the sprawling distribution center walked from the parking lot, across the floor together and confronted supervisors in their office, demanding immediate recognition of their union. Employees say they are fed up with unsafe conditions, short staffing, constant turnover fueled by low pay, and impossible production standards.

Management acts as if the workers are disposable, but the warehouse runs because of the labor of the workers. By marching on their boss, the workers at UNFI Lancaster showed management that they are organized and are not backing down.

The “march-on-the-boss” comes during a period of growing worker militancy at the Lancaster UNFI hub. Earlier this year, the drivers at the very same facility won their union, a victory that electrified the rest of the workforce. Those drivers are now deep in negotiations for their first contract, fighting for higher wages, predictable schedules and protections against retaliation.

Warehouse workers say the drivers’ breakthrough has inspired them to push forward. When the drivers won their union, it proved that UNFI workers at Lancaster can beat this company. Now they’re at the bargaining table, and the warehouse workers are next.

UNFI has a long history of union busting nationwide, but Lancaster workers say they’re ready for whatever the company tries. Their march-on-the-boss was organized quietly and quickly, with workers from every shift participating. They report that management was visibly rattled when confronted by dozens of determined employees demanding union recognition.

Workers also emphasized that their fight isn’t just about their own facility, and instead is part of a bigger movement. Across the country, workers at Amazon and UNFI are getting organized to stand up against these giant corporations that get rich off working people’s labor.

As the Lancaster drivers press forward in bargaining and warehouse workers push for union recognition, workers say the message to the company is simple: respect us, recognize our union, and bargain a decent contract.

#LancasterTX #TX #Labor #Teamsters #Warehouse #IBT745 #UNFI

UPS workers are represented by the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, and many rank-and-file Teamsters have been sounding the alarm, saying that automation will reduce staffing, degrade workplace safety and eliminate union jobs. As Teamsters leave UPS, in many cases the company is not expected to replace staff as they depart the company.

Glen Reed works inside the Lonestar and said, “Work that was once done by people has been directly replaced with automation. Inside workers are being forced to return to trailers, which routinely run [around] 20°F hotter than the outside temperature. This in turn has pushed some workers to quit, especially those of an older age group.”

Older workers, in particular, have been pushed to quit rather than endure the increased heat and strain. The company’s actions amount to a quiet long-term staffing reduction designed to hide job cuts behind attrition.

Workers at the Lonestar hub have reported that construction workers have been arc welding in or near active work areas without safety screens and that this has resulted in hub workers being directly exposed to bright flashes, flying sparks and noxious fumes. It has also been reported that at least one driver of an “irreg” (irregular package) cart had sparks fly into his eyes while passing by one of the areas where automation work was being performed, causing the worker to quit his job over the incident. Other workers have reported headaches that they say are from fumes due to welding in the enclosed warehouse. There have also been reports of congestion in walkways creating dangerous work conditions. Against the backdrop of this automation work, the Hub has continued to run with workers working their shifts loading, unloading and sorting packages in the same space with the construction work.

Despite the major impact on working conditions, UPS rolled out its automation plan with little to no consultation with the Teamsters union. UPS plans to automate through AI-driven refurbishment of buildings particularly ones designated as “automated hubs.”

UPS Lonestar is an automated hub. At UPS, administrators and specialists do a range of tasks to keep things running smoothly. Dispatchers and operations specialists, who help move shipments through the belts and yards, are among the most common positions. In automated hubs where UPS is shifting more of its volume, specialists are particularly crucial to maintaining advanced sorting and AI technologies. One thing is clear: without the workers, UPS's AI rollout falls apart.

James Dylan, another inside worker, said, “The rollout has been abrupt, with a clear priority of speed and production over worker safety.” This demonstrates a clear lack of respect on the part of UPS for the people who do the work to make UPS run.

Despite UPS moving fast to reshape its workforce around automation, workers will need to be just as organized and determined to defend jobs, ensure safety and protect the gains won through struggle.

The fight against automation-driven job cuts is not just about new machines—it’s about power. And workers at the Lone Star hub are making one thing clear, when the company attacks jobs and safety, Teamsters should fight back.

#ArlingtonTX #TX #Labor #Teamsters #Automation #UPS

Shelbyville, IN – Thirty days into their historic strike for union recognition, the Horseshoe Indianapolis table games dealers and dual rate dealers marked the milestone the way striking workers always have: together, in solidarity, and in full public view.

At noon on November 15, striking workers and their supporters gathered for “Labor Day in November,” a large cookout held directly across from the Horseshoe Indianapolis casino. Despite being one month into a bitter showdown with casino giant Caesars Entertainment, morale on the line was high and the sense of momentum unmistakable.

More than 100 Teamsters from other shops joined the celebration, alongside members of the UAW, USW, AFSCME, AFT, and other unions from across central Indiana. Indiana State Senator Andrea Hunley and Indianapolis City-County Commissioner Jesse Brown also attended, walking the lines and speaking directly with the dealers and dual rates who have held out for a month in the face of weather, corporate pressure and coordinated strike-breaking by the company and the city of Shelbyville.

A giant Teamsters Local 135 tractor-trailer drove up and down North Michigan Road, blaring its horn in support of the striking workers. At one point, Shelbyville police – who evicted the striking workers from their picket lines on day 20 by force and have effectively operated as Caesars' private security force – pulled the truck over, threatening to ticket the Teamster driver for supposedly “violating a noise ordinance.”

After lunch, the crowd surged back onto the picket lines, now re-established in the grassy public medians along North Michigan Road and CR-200 W, where striking workers stand on public right-of-way and easement. With fresh banners and high spirits, strikers marched in formation, chanting, “Hey Caesars, you can’t hide, we can see your greedy side!”

Dustin Roach, president of Teamsters Local 135, led the crowd in a chant, “Who’s got the power? We got the power! What kind of power? Teamster power!”

Strikers and their supporters leafleted customers as they entered the casino, explaining the strike and urging them not to cross. Many drivers honked, waved, or turned around—another sign of the broad community support the strike has gained.

A militant month

The 30-day mark follows a week of high energy on the line. One night saw picket-line karaoke, drawing dozens of strikers to sing and laugh together despite the cold. On another, two local bands, Work Friends and Boozehounds Bluegrass, held a solidarity concert for the striking dealers and dual rates. Work Friends delivered a set of union classics like Union Maid, and even a Horseshoe-strike version of Which Side Are You On? – featuring the lines:

They say in Shelby County,

There are no neutrals there,

You’ll either stand with Caesars’ greed

Or fight for what is fair.

Later that night, the entire swing shift sang Solidarity Forever together in full view of the casino.

Reviving the recognition strike

The strike began on October 17, when day-shift dealers set phone alarms for noon, closed their lids, secured their tables, raised their hands, and walked off in unison – shutting down table games and launching a 24-hour picket that has held firm ever since.

The walkout followed an NLRB election that was postponed indefinitely because of the government shutdown. Caesars refused to accept a union proposal to hold the scheduled election through a neutral third-party election supervisor, despite both the union and company having previously agreed to all terms of the election.

In response, the workers chose a route rarely seen in the modern U.S. labor movement, a recognition strike – a tactic common before the 1935 NLRA but almost unheard-of today.

Their determination has only grown stronger. The strike has weathered torrential storms, freezing nights, unexpected snow, strike breaking attempts by the city of Shelbyville's police and the company, and more. Through it all, the dealers and dual rates remain disciplined, united, and unwavering.

NLRB reopens and moves toward an election

The federal government shutdown ended on the night of November 12, marking the longest shutdown in U.S. history at 43 days. The NLRB reopened the following day and is now moving to schedule an expedited election for the Horseshoe dealers and dual rates.

Labor Board policy has been to expedite elections when a strike is taking place. With a historically large backlog of elections, hearings and cases stemming from the shutdown, the priority that the Horseshoe election is getting from the NLRB speaks to the effectiveness of the dealers' and dual rates' strike for recognition.

Workers say that whatever date is chosen, they are ready to win their strike and begin bargaining their first contract.

“One day longer, one day stronger”

If Caesars hoped the cold, the storms, or the city’s interference would break the strike, Saturday made clear just how wrong they were. The Day 30 turnout demonstrated growing support from other workers and unions, as well as community members and elected officials.

In the last week, dealers and dual rates began filling out bargaining surveys on the picket line. They are eager to begin the collective bargaining process immediately to address their many issues, including wages, health insurance, PTO and unjust discipline.

As the crowd marched down North Michigan Road after the cookout, one chant echoed louder than any other: “One day longer!” “One day stronger!”

And after 30 days on the line, the Horseshoe dealers and dual rates mean every word.

#ShelbyvilleIN #IN #Labor #Teamsters #Strike #IBT135 #Feature

Shelbyville, IN — The historic strike at the Horseshoe Indianapolis casino has taken a dramatic and scandalous turn.

Since October 17, table games dealers and dual rates—workers who deal cards part of the week and serve as floor leads the rest—have led a militant strike demanding that Caesars Entertainment recognize their union with Teamsters Local 135 and bargain over wages, benefits and working conditions.

Caesars, which earned $9.5 billion in revenue in 2024 and reported $336 million from Horseshoe Indianapolis alone, has waged a sweeping anti-union campaign since September. Now the city of Shelbyville has become an active participant on the side of big business.

For 20 days, workers lawfully picketed on the public easements and right-of-way outside the casino’s three entrances on North Michigan Road.

Everything changed on November 5, when Shelbyville police, standing shoulder to shoulder with casino security and management, evicted strikers by force and threatened trespass and arrest. Officers claimed the sidewalks, easement, and roadside were all “private property.” Yet North Michigan Road is a historic public road connecting county roads, lined with homes and farms, and carrying public easements by definition.

How could police justify this sudden reversal?

Because the mayor’s office struck a corrupt bargain with Caesars the day before.

A quiet morning meeting, a major strike-breaking scheme

On November 4, Mayor Scott Furgeson’s administration handed Caesars exactly what it wanted.

That morning, the Shelbyville Board of Public Works and Safety held a brief meeting with only two members present – both appointed by the mayor. There was no public debate, no explanation, and no acknowledgment of the citywide controversy surrounding the strike, despite continuous police presence at the picket line.

In minutes, the board approved a legal agreement with Caesars’ shell company, Centaur Acquisition LLC, redefining ownership of the land in front of the casino.

The city used a long-ignored paperwork technicality to redraw the public right-of-way into the narrowest possible shape, directly aiding Caesars’ efforts to break the strike.

The “Confirmation of Implied Dedication of Roadway Easement” declared that the public only owns the roadway “from curb to curb.” Everything outside the curb, including the entire grassy shoulder and roadside where strikers stood, was declared Caesars’ private property.

The board voted 2-0 to adopt this unusually restrictive dedication. They did not request shoulder access, pedestrian easements, or the traditional centerline-based right-of-way used throughout Indiana.

City Attorney Jennifer Meltzer admitted in the meeting minutes that the original easement from the 2008–09 road realignment was never recorded. Instead of correcting that omission in line with standard Indiana practice, she framed the new dedication as “preventing issues 30 to 50 years down the line.” She made no mention of the immediate issue unfolding outside Horseshoe—where the strike was entering its fourth week.

The timing speaks for itself.

Less than 24 hours later, police move in

On November 5, armed with the new agreement, Shelbyville police and Horseshoe management moved to expel workers from the roadside. Officers tore down tents and canopies set up to withstand freezing nights and threatened arrests for standing where strikers had legally stood for three weeks.

Only when officers sought trespass warrants did a judge refuse to sign them, noting the city could not prove the workers were not on public easement.

The message from city hall was unmistakable: Shelbyville was now enforcing Caesars’ strike-breaking strategy. In doing so, Mayor Furgeson has revealed himself as an enemy of the very working families he is supposed to serve.

Scandal in Shelbyville

Caesars is a multi-billion-dollar corporation desperate to stop its workers from forming a union. The strike has severely damaged operations and profits. Instead of remaining neutral, Mayor Scott Furgeson’s administration intervened on the company’s behalf, using government power to eliminate public space, restrict free speech and undermine federally protected labor rights.

The deal was rushed through quietly, with no public comment and no transparency. It wasn’t “administrative clean-up.” It was a political favor to a corporation during an active strike.

The strike unbroken

On the night of November 5, more than 100 striking workers and supporters flooded the Shelbyville city council meeting to condemn the city for siding with Caesars. The next day, many dealers wrote letters to Mayor Furgeson and called his office directly. Strike captains are preparing further escalation to force the city to abandon its support for Caesars’ union-busting tactics.

Despite the city’s maneuver, the Horseshoe strike remains unbroken. Strikers have regrouped across the street on a confirmed public lot, continuing 24/7 picketing under bitter conditions.

Disciplined, determined and militant, the dealers and dual rates have made one thing clear: They will not stop until their union is recognized.

#ShelbyvilleIN #IN #Labor #Teamsters #IBT135 #Strike #Feature

Shelbyville, IN - The strike for union recognition at the Horseshoe Indianapolis Casino has now entered its fourth week, marking more than 23 days on the picket line for table games dealers and dual rate dealers. These workers, who greet one another each day with the call-and-response “One day longer” and “One day stronger,” are carrying out one of the most significant and courageous private-sector labor battles in modern Indiana history, and one of the only major recognition strikes seen in the United States in decades.

Their struggle is being closely watched across the state and around the country. The dealers and dual rates are fighting to preserve their rights, defend free speech, and win democratic recognition in the face of corporate union-busting, a federal shutdown, and now an unprecedented attempt by the city of Shelbyville to help Caesars Entertainment crush the strike by forcibly removing lawfully picketing workers from public land.

The road to the strike

Dealers and dual rates – workers who deal cards part of the week and serve as floor leads the other part – began organizing with Teamsters Local 135 roughly six months ago. Although Caesars misclassifies dual rates as “supervisors,” they have no authority to hire, fire or discipline; they are workers like everyone else.

By early September, the group had reached super-majority support for forming a union. On September 4, they marched on the boss and demanded voluntary recognition. Caesars refused. Workers then offered a neutral card check. Caesars refused again.

Local 135 filed for an NLRB election, originally proposing September 26. Caesars pushed for October 17. Knowing the company could stall the process even further through hearings, the union accepted the date and location proposed by management.

Immediately afterward, Caesars launched a full-scale union-busting campaign with the notorious law firm Littler Mendelson, known nationwide for helping employers crush organizing drives. Workers were bombarded with captive-audience meetings, threats, surveillance and nonstop anti-union television propaganda. Local 135 filed multiple unfair labor practice charges in response.

The shutdown, the delay and the strike authorization vote

On October 1, the federal government shut down after Congress failed to pass a funding bill. The NLRB ceased elections, including the Horseshoe vote planned for October 17.

Within hours, Local 135 proposed a solution: move forward with the October 17 election using a neutral, licensed third-party election supervisor under the exact rules already agreed to by both sides. Caesars refused to even acknowledge the proposal.

Workers now faced a choice. They could wait months for the NLRB to reopen and expect management to escalate union-busting in the meantime. Or they could revive a tactic that built the American labor movement before 1935: namely, a strike for union recognition.

In mass meetings, workers chose the latter. On October 10, in a secret ballot vote open to all dealers and dual rates, 92% voted to authorize a recognition strike.

October 17: The walkout that shut down table games

At exactly 12:00 noon on October 17, day-shift dealers set alarms on their phones – since casinos have no clocks. When the alarms sounded, they closed their lids, secured their tables, raised their hands, announced the strike, and walked off the casino floor together.

Outside, they were joined by grave and swing shift workers, and more than 100 Teamsters supporters. All entrances were soon covered by 24-hour picket lines. Table games were shut down.

The strike was on.

A powerful strike line – day and night, through rain and cold

From day one, the picket lines have been militant, disciplined and unbroken. Workers marched in formation. They leafleted customers. They carried signs like “Horseshoe Teamsters Hold All the Cards” and “Horseshoe Teamsters on Strike.”

For 23 days straight, they have held the lines in pouring thunderstorms, freezing nights and high winds. On October 18 and 19, storms tore down canopies and destroyed signs. By sunrise, day-shift strikers had rebuilt everything.

Some dealers who did not initially join the strike have come outside on strike since the beginning. One woman noted that management has taken to working the dealers inside excessive hours and refusing to grant “early outs,” or EOs, even in cases of being sick or a child's birthday.

The strike has also had real economic impact. Customers have turned back in large numbers, vendors have refused to cross, and Horseshoe’s table games operation has been reduced to a fraction of normal capacity. Sysco, UPS, Pepsi and other Teamster-represented vendors have honored the line. Caesars has resorted to unmarked, unrefrigerated box trucks to move food, and even then, workers intercepted and blocked deliveries.

Even as managers from these companies intervened to drive deliveries across the picket line, reports from inside the casino show an increasingly dire situation for the casino, including spoiled chocolate milk and empty vending machines. Escalators, which union technicians refuse to service behind a picket line, remain inoperable.

Recognition strike rattles Caesars and the city

Customer traffic plunged. Halloween, which was on a Friday, was unusually slow owing to the effect of the picket line. Caesars has attempted to lure in scabs from Harrah’s Hoosier Park with $45 per hour pay and $50 gas cards. They also began hosting “banquets” for high-tier customers (Diamond, Seven Star, GM Club) in an attempt to appear unaffected. Many of those elite customers, however, have joined the strike publicly and announced they will boycott Horseshoe until the union is recognized.

Striking workers kept the picket lines militant, loud and visible. No player was able to get into the casino without being talked to by the striking dealers and given a flyer, asking them not to cross. With thundering chants of, “What do we want? Union! When do we want it? Now!” and “If we don't get it? Shut it down!,” customers either pledged to not cross in the future or complained to their hosts inside about the strike. Both responses help the strike.

Feeling this pressure, Caesars turned to its puppets in the city of Shelbyville. For 20 lawful days, strikers picketed on the public easements along North Michigan Road, land that has been public since the city moved the road in 2007. But on November 5, in a backroom maneuver, the city suddenly declared nearly all land beside the curb to be private Caesars property – even though the casino does not maintain, plow, pave, or own the roadway and cannot legally “own” public right-of-way.

Shelbyville police, standing shoulder to shoulder with casino security and management, attempted to forcibly evict the strikers from their lawful picket areas.

Teamsters Local 135 President Dustin Roach and Dairy Teamster Brody Kanouse refused to retreat, in an act of civil disobedience. Police sought trespass warrants, but a judge declined, noting that officers could not prove the workers were not on public easement. Workers stood on the public land across the street, chanting “Shame!” as officers and managers ripped apart their tents and canopies, which were erected on a public easement to withstand the cold and the rain.

Dealers fight back: Legal action, political pressure and escalation

That night, over 100 striking workers and supporters flooded the Shelbyville city council meeting, the largest turnout in decades. Workers demanded that the city stop acting as an arm of Caesars Entertainment and defend working families instead of corporate power.

On November 6, Local 135 filed a federal lawsuit seeking an injunction against the city of Shelbyville and the Shelbyville Police Department for violating workers’ First Amendment rights, their NLRA-protected right to picket, and the protections guaranteed by the Indiana Constitution.

On November 7, a federal judge ordered the city to respond by Monday at noon, with union rebuttal due at 4 p.m. A ruling is expected shortly thereafter. The union is demanding full injunctive relief to restore strikers’ rights to picket on long-established public easements.

Meanwhile, strikers continue holding the line from a smaller section of confirmed public land across the road – complete with Scabby the Rat towering over the entrance for anyone who chooses to cross.

The significance of the recognition strike

Recognition strikes were once common before the National Labor Relations Act of 1935, but today, they are almost unheard of. Very few private-sector unions have struck for recognition in a generation. The Horseshoe Indianapolis dealers and dual rates are doing what workers did in the 1910s, 1920s and early 1930s: using the strike itself as the democratic mechanism to win a union when the legal process has been weaponized against them.

Their decision to strike has already changed the political landscape in Shelbyville and forced national attention onto Caesars’ conduct. Workers say they will continue the strike “one day longer, one day stronger” until Horseshoe recognizes the union and respects their right to collectively bargain a decent contract.

Whether the judge grants the injunction or not, the workers remain resolute in the fight to break management and have the union they formed recognized.

#ShelbyvilleIN #IN #Labor #Teamsters #Strike #Feature

Shelbyville, IN – At noon on October 17, the movement to unionize Horseshoe Indianapolis erupted into open action as the table games dealers and dual rate dealers walked off the job and launched a strike for union recognition with Teamsters Local 135. “Dual rates” split their workweek as dealers and floor leads.

Hundreds of people packed the strike kickoff outside the casino – including a strong majority of the more than 200 dealers and dual rates – turning the Horseshoe entrance into a sea of picket signs, chants and Teamster unity. Many carried signs reading “Horseshoe Teamsters hold all the cards” and “Horseshoe Teamsters on strike.”

The strike began with a dramatic show of worker power on the casino floor. Because casinos have no clocks, day-shift dealers set alarms on their phones to hit exactly noon. When the alarms sounded, dealers closed their lids, secured their tables, and announced that they were on strike before marching off the casino floor together and pouring out the front entrance. They were joined by dual rates and other supporters in a strike procession that stretched across the property as they joined the picket lines.

From the outset, the strike took on a powerful and militant character. Workers established 24-hour picket lines at every entrance of the casino, vowing to shut down business as usual until Horseshoe recognizes their union.

The chants were deafening. “What do we want? Union! When do we want it? Now!” and “If we don’t get it – shut it down!” echoed across the property while cars honked in support.

Workers handed out fliers to customers calling for a boycott of the casino until management agrees to recognize their union and negotiate a fair contract. Management responded by calling in lines of casino security and Shelbyville police, who positioned themselves alongside management in an attempt to intimidate workers. It didn’t work.

Despite police threats, workers held the line, raised canopies, patrolled crosswalks, and kept pickets moving. Eventually the picket lines were established and the police presence pulled back.

The strike comes after weeks of escalating tension at Horseshoe. A majority of dealers and dual rates began organizing earlier this year and demanded union recognition on September 4. Instead of respecting workers’ choice, Horseshoe management launched a union-busting campaign led by the notorious anti-union law firm Littler Mendelson. Workers were forced into mandatory anti-union meetings, threatened, surveilled and fed misinformation. Teamsters Local 135 filed multiple unfair labor practice charges in response.

After management refused voluntary recognition, workers filed for an NLRB election. The vote was scheduled for October 17 – but on October 1, the federal government shutdown forced the NLRB to postpone all elections indefinitely. To keep the vote on schedule, Teamsters Local 135 proposed using a neutral third-party election supervisor under the same rules already agreed to by both sides. Horseshoe management ignored the proposal and used the shutdown to stall the process even further.

With no election in sight and management refusing to respect workers’ rights, the dealers and dual rates voted 92% on October 10 to authorize a strike for recognition. One week later, they delivered on that promise.

Now, the strike at Horseshoe Indianapolis is one of the most significant private-sector labor battles in Indiana in years, and one of the only recognition strikes in recent Teamster history.

The message from the strike line is loud and clear: the workers who run Horseshoe are standing united, and they aren’t backing down. Striking Horseshoe Teamsters are asking players and customers of the casino to stand with them and boycott Horseshoe Indianapolis until management recognizes the union.

The picket line is open to public support out front of the Horseshoe Indianapolis casino on 4300 N Michigan Road, Shelbyville, Indiana.

#ShelbyvilleIN #IN #Labor #Teamsters #IBT135 #Strike #Feature

Shelbyville, IN – Table games dealers and dual rates at the Horseshoe Indianapolis casino have authorized a strike for union recognition.

At an October 14 press conference, Teamsters Local 135 President Dustin Roach announced that 92% of dealers and dual rates voted yes to authorize a strike. The vote, held on October 10 directly across from the casino, saw participation by a strong majority of both groups.

Roach was joined by more than 50 dealers and dual rates carrying “Teamster power” signs and a banner reading “Respect is a Teamster contract.” After addressing the press, the group chanted, “Tick tock, you’re on the clock,” signaling the countdown to a potential work stoppage if management refuses to recognize the union.

Background

Horseshoe Indianapolis is owned by Caesars Entertainment and ranks as the company’s second-most profitable property outside of Las Vegas, earning $336 million last year.

Most workers at Horseshoe are already covered by a union contract bargained by three unions that make up the Central Indiana Gaming Council. Teamsters Local 135 represents all slot attendants and warehouse workers at the casino.

This year, the largest remaining group of nonunion casino workers – nearly 200 table games dealers and 30–40 “dual rates,” who split their workweek as dealers and floor leads, launched an organizing campaign with Teamsters Local 135. They demanded union recognition on September 4.

Management refused to recognize the union voluntarily, leading Local 135 to file for an election through the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB). The union proposed a vote three weeks from filing; management pushed for October 17 instead. To avoid further delay, the union agreed.

Horseshoe management also tried to divide the workforce by claiming that dual rates were supervisors and ineligible to join the union. The union rejected that tactic and successfully secured their eligibility to vote “subject to challenge.”

Corporate union-busting

According to the union, Horseshoe management launched an aggressive anti-union campaign after workers demanded recognition. Managers held small-group and one-on-one meetings, threatened pro-union employees, and flooded casino TVs with anti-union propaganda. Teamsters Local 135 has filed multiple unfair labor practice charges with the NLRB.

At the center of this campaign is Littler Mendelson, a high-priced anti-union law firm known for helping corporations block organizing drives.

Dealers and dual rates say, “Enough is enough”

Dealer Ericka Hacker said working conditions have worsened even as Horseshoe’s profits have soared.

“Over the last two or three years, things have changed—and not for the better,” Hacker said. “Corporate has become increasingly focused on profits over people. Dealers who helped build this department since it launched in 2020 are now being rewarded with insulting 3% raises—just 11 cents an hour—and that’s only if you qualify.”

She added that management has “taken away our Christmas bonuses,” forced workers to work through “pre-approved vacations, floods and gas leaks,” and changed short-term disability benefits without notice.

“Instead of listening to our concerns, we’re told we’re replaceable,” Hacker said. “We’re tired—tired of being undervalued, tired of being ignored, tired of corporate pocketing record profits while the workers who keep this place running get the short end of the stick. That’s why my coworkers and I are coming together to form a union and team up with Teamsters Local 135 to give us a voice.”

Government shutdown

On October 1, Congress failed to pass a spending bill, triggering a federal government shutdown that halted operations at the NLRB. The agency announced that all scheduled elections and hearings were “postponed indefinitely.”

“Our union election was scheduled for October 17 but was delayed due to the shutdown,” said Zachary Holbrook, a dual rate at Horseshoe. “In good faith, we proposed moving forward with a neutral third party to oversee the election. But management chose to ignore that request and instead used the delay to spread fear and misinformation.”

Horseshoe management has ignored Local 135’s proposal, which would have protected workers’ right to vote in their scheduled election.

Strike authorization

With no timeline for a government reopening—or for rescheduling the NLRB election—the organizing committee held a strike authorization vote on October 10.

If the company continues to ignore the workers’ demand for recognition, Local 135 says a strike could begin as early as this week.

Roach made it clear that the union is prepared to stand its ground.

“Let me be clear: if Horseshoe casino thinks they can steal, intimidate or silence these workers, they’re dead wrong,” Roach said. “Local 135 will stand shoulder to shoulder with these dealers and dual rates until their voices are heard, their rights are respected, and their union is recognized. The time for excuses is over. It’s time for justice.”

#ShelbyvilleIN #IN #Labor #Teamsters #IBT135 #Feature

Indianapolis, IN — On October 9, striking Teamsters at Brulin Holding Company marked the eighth day of their unfair labor practice strike with a defiant rally outside the company’s Indianapolis facility.

Workers, fellow union members and community supporters filled the picket line with chants of “Hey hey, ho ho, Brulin’s greed has got to go!” and “Hey Nelly, hear our call – stop breaking federal law!” The latter was directed at Brulin’s head of human resources.

“I don’t know when this is going to end,” said Mark Caldwell, a Brulin Teamster who addressed the crowd. “All I know is that if you don’t stand for something, you’ll fall for anything.”

Brulin is a chemical manufacturer responsible for cleaning products used in most Kroger grocery stores in the area. During the pandemic, they saw massive profits as their workers labored to meet increased demand. But even as tens of millions of dollars in revenue flowed in, the workers did not have a raise in four years.

Teamsters Local 135 called an unfair labor practice strike at Brulin after the company broke the law at the bargaining table. Management put forward insulting counterproposals to the union’s demand for substantial raises, calling it their “last, best and final offer.” Further illegal conduct demonstrated their refusal to bargain in good faith, which led Local 135 to file an unfair labor practice, or ULP, with the National Labor Relations Board. Brulin Teamsters then voted unanimously to authorize a strike.

Despite management’s efforts to bring in replacement workers, the 12 Brulin Teamsters remain united and determined to win a fair contract. Not a single member has crossed the picket line. Everyone spends six to eight hours picketing the company’s three entrances, Monday through Saturday. Brulin is not open on Sundays.

“Brulin broke federal labor law,” said Teamsters Local 135 President Dustin Roach. “These workers are out on an unfair labor practice strike because the company refused to bargain in good faith. This could be over today if Brulin would just come back to the table and respect its workers.”

The rally drew strong community and political support, with Indiana State Representative Mitch Gore and Indianapolis City-County Councilor Jesse Brown joining the line to stand with workers. Both gave fiery speeches denouncing Brulin’s refusal to bargain in good faith and praising the courage of the striking workers.

Brulin workers continue to hold the line at 2920 Dr. Andrew J. Brown Avenue, calling for fair pay, respect and an end to the company’s illegal conduct at the bargaining table.

Teamsters Local 135 invites supporters in other unions and the community to show their support on the picket line, Monday through Friday from 5 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Saturday from 6 a.m. to 11 a.m.

#IndianapolisIN #IN #Labor #Teamsters #Strike #IBT135

Indianapolis, IN — Teamsters at Brulin Holding Company went out on strike in the early morning hours of October 1. The strike was called by Teamsters Local 135 in response to unfair labor practices committed by Brulin management during contract negotiations, which have dragged on for months.

With picket lines at all three company entrances, workers chanted, “What do we want? Fair contract! When do we want it? Now!” and “If we don’t get it, shut it down!” They also put up a giant Scabby the Rat inflatable at the front entrance on Dr. Andrew J. Brown Avenue.

Richard Dean, a manufacturer at Brulin for two years, described the reasons for the strike, “Instead of wanting to work with their employees, they’re only about their business. Brulin is choosing their own profits over making their employees’ lives easier.”

According to Teamsters Local 135, the company has refused to bargain in good faith, prompting the union to file an unfair labor practice charge with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB).

Speaking on the company’s tactics, Dean continued, “How is that your last and best offer when it’s the first offer you’ve made? It makes me see they’re more corporate-oriented than caring about our families, which is what they say.”

Workers at Brulin have gone without a contractual pay increase for three years. The company, which manufactures cleaning chemicals and supplies, saw enormous profits during and after the pandemic – profits made possible only by the workers’ labor.

“They think we’re overpaid,” said Doug Johnson, who has worked in shipping and receiving at Brulin for almost 13 years. Johnson, who sits on the union’s bargaining committee, continued, “I think they ain’t loyal to their senior workers, and that’s what gets me. You’ve got people who have been here 16 or 17 years, and they’re always kicked to the back burner – when we apply for another position or even during layoffs. That ain’t the way you do people when they serve you for however many years. That’s not cool. You’ve got to respect your seniors.”

Ambulatory picketing at the gates in the early morning caused a line of cars to back up as striking Teamsters chanted, “What do we want? Fair contract! When do we want it? Now!”

Dustin Roach, president of Teamsters Local 135, stated, “Brulin thinks they can get away with starving out their workers for three years, but our members aren’t backing down. They are united, they are strong, and they will not accept anything less than the fair pay and respect they’ve earned. Brulin has bargained in bad faith, and that’s why Local 135 has filed an unfair labor practice charge with the NLRB. The time for games is over – it’s time for Brulin to do right by its workers.”

The strike deadline was set for September 30 at 11:59 p.m. After last-minute preparations that day, with Roach and Business Agent Jesse Mikesell meeting members at the facility, the union warned that Brulin’s refusal to change course left workers with no choice but to strike.

Shortly after the strike began, Indianapolis City-County Councilman Jesse Brown arrived to walk the picket line with Brulin Teamsters. Bringing coffee and snacks, he joined in the chants and ambulatory picketing of Brulin’s south entrance.

The union has called on the broader labor movement and community allies to join the workers on the picket line outside Brulin’s Indianapolis location at 2920 Dr. Andrew J. Brown Avenue.

#IndianapolisIN #IN #Labor #Teamsters #IBT135 #Strike #Feature

Minneapolis, MN – After five days on strike at the University of Minnesota, late on the night of Friday, September 12, Teamsters at the U of MN announced that they had a new offer from the university which met all of their major demands. As a result, they ended their strike in the early hours of Saturday morning.

According to an advisory from Teamsters Local 320, which represents the university workers, the new contract offer includes a 3.5% raise in the first year, another 3.5% raise in the second year, and 3% in the third, for 10% over three years. The university’s “last best and final” offer had included only one set raise of 2% over the life of the contract.

Additionally, a major issue for the Teamsters was an expiration date for the contract, which lands in summer, whereas the U was stuck on only settling with an expiration in December. This matters because it affects timing of future contract fights and timing of actions or strikes in the future.

This settlement is a huge win for the Teamsters at the university, and a major blow for university management.

Throughout the strike, the Teamsters’ picket lines only grew stronger, and the community only showed up more and more in support of the strike. In addition to winning widespread public support, they also made it impossible for the university to run effectively.

The Teamsters do facilities, dining work and more at the university and it was clear from overflowing garbage cans seen all over campus that things were not running smoothly. There were reports on picket lines and from students as well as other unions that the university was desperately trying to get anyone they could find to work as scabs during the strike, including asking students to work in their own dining halls to keep themselves fed.

The university also attempted to intimidate strikers by ordering police to attack picket lines.

Late in the strike, musicians Willy Nelson, Margo Price, Neil Young and other headliners – who were supposed to perform at the 40th Annual Farm Aid concert being held on September 20 at the university’s stadium – wrote a public letter informing the university and public that they would not cross the picket line and perform if the strike was still ongoing. This resulted in the Farm Aid organization stating that they would cancel or move the show if that happened. This resulted in increased pressure on the University to settle.

The support that Teamsters won from the performers and Farm Aid only demonstrates further the level of public support the Teamsters were able to garner with their energetic and militant strike, and the impact of stopping trucks coming in to set up for the concert.

Because the strike was strong and visible, and because the rank-and-file workers won both the battle for the public narrative, and the battle to damage the university’s ability to function, the university quickly had no choice but to cave on only the fifth day of the strike and meet the Teamsters’ demands.

This is a major victory for the Teamsters at the University of Minnesota.

#MinneapolisMN #MN #Labor #Teamsters #IBT320 #Feature

Minneapolis, MN – On Friday September 12, at 5:30 p.m., Teamsters who work at the University of Minnesota held a large rally and mega march around campus demanding higher pay and for a contract expiration date during summer. 1400 Teamsters at University of Minnesota campuses began striking this week.

Between 5 p.m. and 5:30, a large crowd began to amass at Northrop Plaza on the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities campus. In addition to striking Teamsters, the crowd included many supporters from other unions, as well as students, faculty and community members. It was raining, but the environment was high energy as a marching band played rally songs in between boisterous chants.

Then at 5:30, Teamsters from all over campus marched up to the waiting crowd. The chants from the march echoed off the walls of campus buildings as the march went from picket line to picket line growing in size as it moved. The Teamsters were greeted by loud cheers and the crowd kept getting larger.

Shortly after the rain cleared, the rally began. Teamsters spoke about why they are on strike, and Jackson Kerr, the Teamsters 320 business agent and chief negotiator for the Teamsters contract at the university, delivered a powerful speech from the steps of the plaza against the backdrop of Scabby, a large inflatable rat often seen at Teamsters strikes.

The crowd was also addressed by supporters from the Graduate Labor Union, undergrad students and AFSCME Local 3800, which represents clerical, technical and healthcare workers at the university. Additionally, two University of Minnesota Regents, Robyn Gulley and Mary Turner, spoke in support of the strikers’ demands. Mary Turner is also a president of National Nurses United, and Robyn Gulley is also the executive director of the New Brookwood Labor College.

Once the speeches and chants wrapped up, the crowd began to march. All throughout the rally the crowd kept growing and by the time the march started moving the 1000-plus crowd stretched out over blocks of campus and the chants boomed across campus.

The march proceeded across the campus mall area, taking a winding route past the student union building, then on to the medical area of campus where the crowd stopped and more speeches were delivered. After those speeches ended, the march turned around going back the direction it had arrived from and dropped Teamsters off at their picket lines as it went.

Friday was day five of the Teamsters strike at the university. It is impossible to say how long it will go on, but one thing can be said. Each day the strike has gained increased numbers of supporters and held larger actions. What remains to be seen is how large it will get before the university calls the workers back to the table with an offer that meets their demands.

Editor’s note: The strike ended late Friday night with a union victory. We will have more coverage of the strike in coming days.

#MinneapolisMN #MN #Labor #Teamsters #IBT320

Minneapolis, MN – Roughly 1400 Workers at the University of Minnesota walked off the job on Monday night, September 8. beginning an open-ended strike. The workers are represented by Teamsters Local 320 and do grounds maintenance, facilities, dining services and many other important jobs that keep the university running.

The strike began on Monday night on the Crookston campus. After that, Duluth joined in, and the Twin Cities campus, which is the largest of the university campuses, began striking on Tuesday night with a large opening rally.

In the Twin Cities, around 500 Teamsters and union supporters rallied Tuesday night at 7 p.m. to support and kick off the campus pickets. The energy level was high with booming chants coming from large picket lines wrapping around the “Superblock,” which is a block of four dormitories located near the hub of the campus.

On Wednesday morning, picketing began at 5 a.m. at the Superblock and other locations, and strikers could be seen at loading docks turning away delivery trucks and vans full of scabs. The pickets were lively and boisterous.

At a loading dock between the Student Union building and hospital on campus around 6 a.m., a non-union semi-truck turned away and did not make its delivery after Teamsters held the line. Many other trucks were turned around across campus, including union truckers who honored the picket line.

The Teamsters are striking because, after months of negotiating and mediation, the university is only offering, in its last best and final proposal, minimal raises for the first year and no second-year offer. At the same time, the U is demanding a major healthcare concession that would cost more than workers would gain in the small raise, making it a fight for raises against a take-back proposal by university management.

This strike is open ended, so there is no way to know how long it will last. Dining and other services at the university are dramatically impacted by the strike.

The Teamsters are resolved to do whatever it takes to win and do not appear ready to back down any time soon.

#MinneapolisMN #MN #Teamsters #Labor #Strike #Feature

Chicago, IL – 150 striking workers at the Mauser Industrial Packaging facility in Little Village were joined on September 8 by activists from the Coalition Against the Trump Agenda (CATA) to support the months-long strike campaign for a decent contract.

Stronger protections against Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) are top of the priority list for the striking workers of Teamster Local 705, 90% of whom are Latino immigrant workers. Other key demands include fair wages to keep pace with inflation, consistent hours and breaks on the job, and employer-provided uniforms to protect employees from bringing toxic chemicals home to their families.

Despite this being the first strike for most of the Local 705 workers, the fight has been consistent and militant, attracting support across Chicago. The entire facility’s workforce has struck un-broken for three months, in which time they have received visits from local elected officials including Mayor Brandon Johnson, as well as picket support from other unions including the United Electrical, Radio and Machine Workers of America (UE) and the Chicago Teachers Union (CTU).

The Mauser Teamsters were featured in the program of the recent Workers Over Billionaires protest organized by the CTU and the Chicago Federation of Labor at the beginning of the month, where 10,000 Chicagoans joined with broad labor forces to protest against Trump’s attacks on all working and oppressed people.

Richard Berg, a co-chair of Labor Against the Trump Agenda, addressed the striking workers on behalf of the CATA contingent who marched several blocks to join the picket this morning. He stressed the importance of standing with workers who are fighting back in this time of heightened repression from Trump and the federal government.

“Chicago is with you,” Berg said. “What you’re standing up for is so important.”

The support was received with enthusiastic applause from the workers, who have come under attack from right-wing forces including Fox News because of the fact that most of the workers are immigrants fighting for better conditions and protections from ICE.

“We feel first surprise, then gratitude,” said Arturo Landa, a steward for the local who has worked at Mauser for 12 years. Landa described the fear his coworkers feel witnessing ICE raids in their community and said it’s important for their fight to connect with other organizations and social movements fighting back against the ruling class.

The broader implications for the Teamsters 705 strike are also clear to Nicolas Coronado, the chief negotiator between Mauser and the local. Only ten of the 120 Mauser facilities are unionized, which, for Coronado, means that other workplaces are watching closely to see what gains can be won from an organized workplace on strike. If the Mauser Teamsters contract campaign in Chicago is successful, it could inspire other Mauser facilities to unionize and fight for their own contracts. “This fight is existential for the company,” he said.

Since Trump’s threats to increase the presence of ICE and federal troops in Chicago, the Mauser workers moved their picket into a rented lot across the street from the packaging facility. The wire fences surrounding the lot are fixed with dozens of signs warning federal agents that they do not have consent to enter the property unless they have a valid judicial warrant.

Chicago Jobs With Justice (CJWJ), a worker’s center that has worked closely with the anti-Trump coalition, has been organizing volunteers to conduct ICE watches at as many picket sites as possible since the Teamsters reached out to them for support.

Protecting the rights of vulnerable workers on strike is especially important at a time when labor forces are needed in the broader fight against Trump’s attacks on all working and oppressed people, according to CJWJ’s executive director, Jill Manrique.

“I don’t think there’s any way for us to win unless we’re unified and fighting this in solidarity,” Manrique said. “We’re never going to agree on everything. But, we can agree on the fact that our rights are being taken away, and workers are at the center of it.”

Workers interested in getting involved in the movement against Trump are encouraged to visit coalitionagainsttrump.org to learn more.

#ChicagoIL #IL #Labor #ImmigrantRights #CATA #LATA #Teamsters

Jacksonville, FL – On August 29, the Jacksonville Immigrant Rights Alliance (JIRA) held a protest against Governor DeSantis's planned concentration camp within the Baker County Correctional Facility. The protest took place within the center of Jacksonville, at the city's own Friendship Fountain.

After JIRA mobilized over 700 people to Camp Blanding on July 19, Governor Ron DeSantis changed the location of the planned detention camp from Camp Blanding to the Baker County Correctional Facility. The site was previously shut down in 2021, with inhumane conditions being one of the cited reasons.

A JIRA speaker called the project the “Baker Cruelty Camp” rather than the “Deportation Depot” as Ron DeSantis has dubbed it, stating, “Let's be clear: people were tortured in this building. Guillermo Serrabi was held in solitary for 88 days – he was assaulted by a guard who ruptured his eardrum, and he was denied medical care. Ana Doe, a survivor of trafficking, was placed in solitary, stripped, restrained and sexually mocked by guards! This is this facility's legacy. This is what DeSantis is reopening!”

The Jacksonville Immigrant Rights Alliance organized the event which drew support from Freedom Road Socialist Organization, Jacksonville Palestine Solidarity Network, Jacksonville Community Action Committee, Students for a Democratic Society, the UPS Teamsters Union, FloridaRising, 50501 Veterans, the Malaya Movement, and the Democratic Socialists of America.

As dozens of protesters gathered atop the hill at Friendship Fountain, Monica Martinez with JIRA said, “This cruelty doesn't just affect those who end up inside its walls. This puts a target on the back of every immigrant in northeast Florida. Right now, ICE is operating indiscriminately – kidnapping and attempting to deport community members regardless of their status, tearing families apart and terrorizing our communities.”

Martinez then talked about a person recently detained within Duval County: Diana Marcela Mieja, owner of a small business within the Springfield area of Jacksonville.

“This is not abstract!” Martinez said. “She was detained by ICE after a mental health crisis. She is a legal resident, a business owner, a beloved member of our community. This is who they are targeting! This is why we fight!”

#JacksonvilleFL #FL #ImmigrantRights #ICE #JIRA #JPSN #JCAC #SDS #FloridaRising #50501 #Teamsters #MalayaMovement