Grand Rapids, MN – At 6 a.m., July 15, around 200 members of Teamsters Local 346 walked off their jobs at the UPM Blandin Paper Company and began a strike. Grand Rapids gets its name because it sits along the Mississippi River in northern Minnesota. The UPM Blandin paper plant was built in its location on the edge of the river to use the river to power its paper mill. The plant has been an established feature of the town’s economy since its founding in 1901. Now, for the first time in the history of the plant its workers have gone on strike.
Landover, MD – On July 7 approximately 100 Teamsters of the Local 639 organized a practice picket outside their workplace in preparation for a potential strike.
Chicago, IL – On July 14, 300 workers turned out for the latest practice picket and rally at the UPS Jefferson Street Hub on the Near West Side of Chicago. International Brotherhood of Teamsters (IBT) Local 705 and Local 710 organized this event, which was the largest of many practice pickets in the Chicago area that occurred throughout the week. Flyers promoting the event read, “Chicago Teamsters stand up to UPS greed!”
Jacksonville, FL – 40 members of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters (IBT) rallied near the Jacksonville United Parcel Service Hub on the morning of July 12. Officials from IBT Local 512 called for members to hold a “practice picket” like others held around the country. These practice pickets are part of the overall Teamster campaign to win a good national contract at UPS. Teamsters around the country are prepared to go on strike come August 1 if their demands for higher wages and better working conditions in the new contract are not met by the company.
Chicago IL – 70 workers and community members marched outside of UPS’s Morgan Street Hub on the South Side of Chicago, July 11. This was one of many practice pickets that the International Brotherhood of Teamsters (IBT) Local 705, is organizing at UPS centers across the Chicago area. This comes as negotiations between the International Brotherhood of Teamsters and the United Parcel Service (UPS) remain at a standstill, primarily over pay for part-time workers.
Sunnyvale, CA – On July 6, members of the Teamsters union at the UPS Hub in Sunnyvale, in the San Francisco Bay area, held a picket in the lead-up to their contract expiring and a potential nationwide strike.
Commerce City, CO – After the contract negotiation fallout between UPS and the Teamsters a week before, 300 workers marched outside the UPS Commerce City Hub just outside Denver, Colorado, July 9. Teamsters Local 455 is holding practice pickets which have been exploding across the country as the Teamsters keep up their fight for a strong UPS contract August 1.
On Sunday, July 16 at 3 p.m. Pacific time (4 p.m. Mountain / 5 p.m. Central / 6 p.m. Eastern), Freedom Road Socialist Organization will be hosting an online event entitled “UPS Teamsters on the Frontlines” featuring rank-and-file Teamsters, some of whom are FRSO members, speaking on the latest in their current struggle for a contract with UPS.
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.
New Orleans, LA – On July 1, fifteen people gathered for a panel at the Nora Navra Library to hear report backs from the successful unionization of two local Starbucks coffee stores. The panel also included a report from the frontlines of the UPS-Teamster contract negotiations.
