Justin, TX – En una muestra audaz de unidad, los trabajadores del Centro de Distribución de Piezas de Volvo en Justin marcharon ante la gerencia el 13 de abril para exigir el reconocimiento sindical, intensificando su lucha por el respeto, seguridad y una voz real en el trabajo.

Los trabajadores del almacén entraron juntos a la oficina del jefe, entregando su mensaje directamente, declarando, “Estamos organizados, somos militantes y esperamos que reconozcan a nuestro sindicato”. La acción marca un punto de inflexión en una campaña de organización donde los trabajadores han dejado de lado sus diferencias en favor del poder colectivo.

El almacén, operado por Volvo Group, constituye un vínculo crítico en la cadena de suministro de la compañía. Los trabajadores manejan el flujo constante de piezas que mantienen en movimiento camiones y equipos pesados en todo el país. Pero quienes realizan el trabajo dicen que los han llevado al límite – enfrentando horarios agotadores, aumentos en las demandas de producción y constantes preocupaciones de seguridad.

Los trabajadores describen un trabajo donde la velocidad es todo y las heridas son un riesgo siempre presente. La falta de personal ha empeorado las condiciones, obligándolos a jornadas más largas y cargas de trabajo más pesadas. Muchos dicen que la gerencia ha ignorado sus preocupaciones durante años, dejándoles poca opción más que organizarse.

La acción también toma impulso más allá de Texas. Hace apenas unos meses, los trabajadores de Volvo en una instalación de distribución de piezas en Joliet, Illinois votaron para unirse a la Local 179 de la Hermandad Internacional de Camioneros (International Brotherhood of Teamsters Local 179 en inglés), demostrando que los trabajadores en toda la red de la empresa están empezando a moverse en la misma dirección. Esa victoria ayudó a mostrar lo que es posible y les dio a los trabajadores de Justin la confianza adicional para dar un paso adelante.

Al marchar ante el jefe como grupo, los trabajadores dejaron claro que este esfuerzo no viene de un puñado de individuos, sino que es una demanda colectiva respaldada por un creciente apoyo en todo el almacén.

Marchar ante el jefe es una táctica con una larga historia en el movimiento obrero – los trabajadores actuando juntos, presentando sus exigencias directamente y demostrando su unidad de una forma que la gerencia no puede ignorar. Suele ser un paso clave para ganar reconocimiento y construir la confianza necesaria para la lucha por el contrato.

La demanda es directa: reconocimiento sindical y el derecho a negociar un contrato digno. Los trabajadores quieren mejores salarios, condiciones más seguras, cargas de trabajo razonables y el fin de la falta de respeto que dicen ha definido este empleo.

Para los trabajadores de Volvo que actuaron, esto es solo el comienzo. La gerencia ahora enfrenta una decisión. Puede reconocer al sindicato y respetar la decisión de los trabajadores o enfrentar el poder de la solidaridad de sus trabajadores.

De cualquier manera, el mensaje desde el taller es claro. Los trabajadores están organizados, son militantes y están listos para luchar por lo que merecen.

#DallasTX #TX #DFW #JustinTX #UPS #Labor #Volvo #Teamsters

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

Indianapolis, IN – More than 60 members of Teamsters Local 135 rallied outside the UPS facility in Plainfield on Tuesday, August 19, as company UPS CEO Carol Tomé visited the site. The action put the company’s top executive face-to-face with UPS workers’ anger over rampant contract violations, illegal buyout schemes, and building closures that threaten job security and working conditions.

“Local 135 has a simple message for Carol Tomé,” said Dustin Roach, president of Teamsters Local 135. “We're done tolerating corporate games and illegal practices.”

The rally took place outside the UPS Plainfield hub, the largest in the Indianapolis metro area. Teamsters quickly raised a giant “greedy pig” inflatable, said to represent Tomé’s tenure as CEO, and carried signs reading “No way Tomé” and “UPS lies.”

Local 135 organized the rally in response to UPS’s pattern of ignoring the national contract, including violations of the 9.5-hour work protections for package drivers, excessive overtime, building closures and layoffs, heat safety violations and more. Members also singled out the company’s attempt to push an illegal buyout scheme as a direct attack on workers’ rights and livelihoods.

“UPS cannot claim to be a world-class company while engaging in blatant disregard for the contract it signed with its workers,” said Roach. “Our members deliver for this company every single day, and we will not stand by while management tears down the standards we've fought to secure.”

For several hours, workers gathered out front chanting, “Who are we? Teamsters!” and “Teamsters make the business run, Carol Tomé contributes none!” In addition to the main demonstration, smaller groups of workers with signs posted themselves at two other entrances to the facility, determined to confront the CEO wherever she might try to enter.

Shortly after noon, a black Cadillac Escalade carrying Tomé was spotted driving past the building’s entrances. Teamsters at the main rally site saw her filming the demonstration, greedy pig inflatable and all, with her phone as the SUV passed without entering. Rallygoers cheered, raised their fists and chanted, “Who’s got the power? We’ve got the power! What kind of power? Union power!”

About an hour later, Teamsters near the truck entrance gate reported the vehicle with Tomé finally entering the facility.

Her visit was brief. Teamsters at a little-used back gate reported her Escalade leaving the premises about 30 minutes later. Once again, she was confronted by workers chanting and carrying signs in protest.

The demonstration underscored both Local 135’s commitment to enforcing the contract and the larger fight by UPS Teamsters across the country to hold the company accountable. Workers at the rally emphasized that their stand in Plainfield is part of a national struggle to defend the contract gains secured in the historic 2023 Teamsters-UPS agreement.

“If UPS wants to move forward, they need to start respecting the contract and respecting the people who built this company into what it is today,” said Roach.

#IndianapolisIN #IN #Labor #UPS #Teamsters #IBT135 #Feature

Atlanta, GA- On Tuesday, August 12, Teamsters out of Local 728 at UPS SMART hub presented a petition to management with the signatures of about 100 rank-and-file workers. The petition demands that UPS identify designated areas in the hub as shade or cool zones and educate all SMART workers of their rights to use such areas for cooldown breaks.

Cool zones were won as an addition to Article 18, section 27 of the 2023 Teamsters contract. But the gain has gone unrecognized in many hubs, including SMART, which is the third largest UPS hub.

This has prompted rank-and-file Teamsters to take action in enforcing the contract and asserting their power on the shop floor. By not designating cool zones, many workers are unaware of their right to take a cooldown break when they feel overheated. This is in addition to their ten-minute break.

Management wants to maximize production and has attempted to deny cool zone language altogether because it may lead to workers taking breaks more frequently. This practice puts workers' lives at risk, especially in Atlanta, where temperatures inside the hub regularly soar past 100 degrees.

It is not uncommon to hear of workers experiencing heat stroke in the summer. Nesean McCollough, a UPS Teamster for over eight years states, “There have been incidents when a lot of people have passed out, and supervisors don’t really care or even have empathy for others. It’s up to us to stand up for our own rights.”

In the summer of 2024 Teamsters at SMART hub launched a campaign of education and enforcement surrounding heat safety rights. This involved distributing fliers with contract rights and demanding management acknowledge the right to take cooldown breaks. This culminated in grievances being filed on the blatant violation of Article 18. By November 2024 the grievance was settled, and UPS was, in theory, made to accept the new contract language. But when summer 2025 began and temperatures rose, there were no cool zones to be found.

To Teamsters at SMART, it was clear an escalation was necessary. This led rank-and-file workers to launch the petition effort in June and July. It was met with overwhelming support. Brittney Wills, a signee of the cool zone petition, stated, “We’re not slaves and we deserve more respect. They want you to work faster in humid heat inside of the trailers and I feel like we need to be more about it. We need to start coming together as people and get things right.”

When the issue of cool zones was raised in the July safety committee meeting, a SMART hub health and safety manager stated that the cool zone topic was basically a non-issue because the cool zone signs were sitting in her office and just needed to be put up. She may have believed this to be a satisfactory response to workers’ demands, but signs sitting in an office do workers on the shop floor no good. Without clearly designated cool zones in the hub, enforcing the right to a cool down break is substantially more difficult. To the surprise of no one, the cool zone signs continued to sit unused in the manager’s office.

Upon being confronted with the concerns of rank-and-file workers at the August 12 safety committee meeting, the same health and safety manager was defensive when she was presented with the petition, insisting that current practices were enough to address safety concerns. After failing to divert the conversation away from “union stuff” she was forced to give in to the demands of the workers and admitted that cool zones should be established if workers want them so badly.

Within two hours of the meeting's conclusion, the first cool zone sign appeared inside SMART hub. This shop floor victory is a testament to the power of Teamsters when they unite in fighting contract violations. When the grievance process falls short, it’s up to the rank and file to mobilize in defense of their rights.

#AtlantaGA #GA #Labor #Teamsters #UPS #IBT728 #Feature

Minneapolis, MN – On July 3, the International Brotherhood of Teamsters published an alert laying out a plan by the United Parcel Service (UPS) to offer buyouts for UPS drivers to retire early in exchange for cash payouts. When the Teamsters sent out the alert, UPS had not yet announced the plan publicly. Then on July 4, the company announced the plan which they are calling the Driver Voluntary Severance Program (DVSP). For many drivers, taking the buyout would forfeit benefits they have accrued as part of their contract.

Carol Tomé is the CEO of UPS, and the company has been focused recently on plans to reduce jobs at UPS across the country This includes closing outlying centers, consolidating warehouses, laying off employees, and re-orienting the company’s model to cut union jobs and focus on business and medical shipping.

The Teamsters are currently working under a union contract which began in 2023 and ends in 2028. The union has slammed the planned program as an outright violation of that contract and an attack on workers and jobs. The Teamsters say that the DVSP plan is a violation of UPS’s contractual obligation to offer 22,500 additional permanent full-time positions for existing part-time workers over the course of the agreement.

“UPS is trying to weasel its way out of creating good union jobs here in America by dangling insulting buyouts in front of Teamsters drivers,” said the International Brotherhood of Teamsters President Sean O’Brien in the July 3 release, “It is an illegal violation of our national contract.”

UPS made over $91 billion in revenue in the 2024 calendar year. The total scope of the DVSP is unclear, as is the cash amount being offered. What UPS has said clearly is that the company is offering the buyout to all full-time drivers in the United States and has already announced it to drivers at many hubs around the country as of July 7.

Fred Zuckerman, secretary-treasurer of the Teamsters, called on Teamster drivers to stand strong, stating, “All drivers should reject this illegal and insulting buyout when UPS makes it public. UPS has forced buyouts on its own management in the past. They can’t force anything on us. Carol Tomé can screw over her own team. But she’s not gonna push around the Teamsters.” Whatever the scope or numbers of the DVSP are revealed to be, it is expected to have significant ramifications for Teamster represented UPS workers.

The DVSP plan is the latest piece to be revealed of a reconfiguration strategy at UPS. Over the last decade their strategy has been focused on market share of the U.S. shipping network, including residential shipping. Under Tome’s regime, that strategy has been shifting towards a primarily business-to-business and medical focus. While the direct delivery dominance of online retail giants like Amazon significantly increased, UPS’s own shipping of Amazon volume is planned to drop by 50% by the next calendar year.

Closures and consolidations of outlying centers and hubs, especially in rural and smaller communities, have already occurred across the country. In Minnesota, closures at the Morris, Red Wing and Owatonna centers were announced. The volume those centers handle will be consolidated into larger hubs.

In their contract, Teamsters have the right by seniority to follow their work and transfer to these hubs, as well as to be recalled in seniority order from layoffs. Closures like these force workers to decide whether to move, take on long commutes, or else find a job elsewhere.

At the same time UPS has been carrying out hub and network renovations of the centers it intends to keep open. In many cases the renovations have included automation of tasks previously carried out by union workers. The Teamsters Democrat, Republican, Independent Voter Education (DRIVE) political action division has raised concern about automation at UPS. The Teamsters sounded the alarm on UPS’s increasing interest and experimentation in automation, including testing self-driving trailer shifters in hub yards and self-driving irregular package trams in many places around the country.

While it attempts to consolidate its operations and cut union labor, UPS is not entirely abandoning the residential shipping market. In 2021 UPS purchased a logistics technology company called Roadie which specializes in same-day delivery and the delivery of oversized packages through a network of gig delivery drivers. As of July 2025, most residential volume remains in the UPS system proper, but the company has begun to test outsourcing some of this volume from Teamster drivers to the gig-economy platform.

The Teamsters rightfully say this is an attempt by UPS to circumvent its obligations set forth in the 2023-2028 contract and that they intend to fight back to protect their union jobs and conditions at UPS.

#MinneapolisMN #MN #Labor #UPS #Teamsters

Minneapolis – Local 638 Teamsters tabled at the northeast Minneapolis UPS hub on Thursday, July 3. They distributed flyers on heat safety and union contract enforcement.

Drivers coming in, and warehouse workers leaving for the day, stopped to learn about their rights, grab some lemonade, and share experiences as temperatures reached the 90-plus range in Minneapolis. Inside the warehouse and inside package cars, temperatures are regularly five to ten degrees higher for workers.

As the result of a months-long contract campaign and credible strike threat in 2023, UPS workers won strong contract language. This requires UPS to install 2500 new water fountains, 18,000 new warehouse fans, and 28,000 new or replacement delivery vehicles equipped with air conditioning over the life of the five-year contract.

As of July 2025, the company has delivered next to zero of these AC-equipped vehicles. Beyond these hard-fought victories, UPS is now required to provide adequate access to ice by delivery or ice machine. Another crucial win was the right to cool-down breaks whenever a union member feels the heat puts them at risk of injury.

Even in Minnesota, as summertime rolls around, UPS warehouses and delivery trucks become dangerously hot and humid. Management-by-stress and harassment tactics are used by supervisors to intimidate employees into working at a dangerous pace and prevent workers from taking breaks. Many rank-and-file Teamsters at UPS have been fighting back to enforce their contact wins and fight for safety in the summer heat.

Siobhan Moore, a Teamster and union steward on the preload shift, reported, “UPS pays lip service to heat safety while forcing drivers out for long days in furnace-like package cars without AC. Complaints of poorly functioning fans from inside workers are regularly ignored. Last summer we fought and won the installation of fans on the box lines, but the fight goes on. We won't back down from enforcing our contract and ensuring the safety of our fellow workers.”

The rank-and-file Teamsters tabled to educate fellow union members on contract enforcement and heat safety rights. They want Teamsters to stand up together. Organized workers can fight to protect their right to safety and dignity in the workplace, forcing UPS to follow the contract.

#MinneapolisMN #MN #Labor #Teamsters #UPS #IBT638 #Heat

Commerce City, CO – In the early morning hours of June 21, police were called to the United Parcel Service (UPS) Hub in Commerce City to remove a group of rank-and-file Teamsters who were passing out educational materials to their fellow workers.

These Teamsters, members of Teamsters Local 455 and the Colorado chapter of Teamsters for a Democratic Union (TDU), were in the parking lot that day to spread the news of what was happening on their shop floor and to educate their coworkers of their contractual rights, as well as to collect statements for an upcoming grievance hearing. Within an hour of setting up their table, preload manager Edward Cordova ordered these workers to leave, threatening to call the police if they did not comply.

One of the union members tabling that day, Salem Chadwick, was informing workers of her recent termination. She was fired in response to her filing grievances about UPS supervisors taking work from Teamster package-handlers, as well as her winning a sum of over $1400 of back-pay after being laid off from UPS for over a month.

Chadwick was joined by Katherine Draken, a Teamsters union steward representing her in her upcoming termination hearing. After management and company security threatened to call the police on them, Chadwick, Draken, and the growing crowd of workers who had by then left the building, refused to budge. Management then called the Commerce City Police Department to try and remove them from the parking lot.

“Management knew we weren't doing anything wrong,” said Katherine Draken, “they called the cops to intimidate us into leaving, but we know our rights, and I'm not leaving.”

After an hour of back and forth between management, security, the police and Teamsters union representatives, Salem Chadwick agreed to leave the premises to avoid further police interference, while the remaining workers continued passing out information.

Keegan Estrella, a rank-and-file Teamster and TDU member, was among those who refused to leave the table. “We have a right to be out here,” said Estrella, “but it’s not surprising that management would stoop to the level they did. It shows that they're scared of people getting organized.”

Since this incident, Chadwick has won her termination case against management and has returned to work with renewed vigor to continue the fight.

“Management wants to intimidate me,” Chadwick said after she won her job back, “but everything they try just pushes me to fight even harder.”

#CommerceCityCO #CO #Labor #UPS

Chicago, IL - To honor International Women’s Day, on March 9, Freedom Road Socialist Organization hosted a film screening of Si Se Puede a documentary on the 1985 Watsonville, California strike, followed by a panel discussion with activists in the Black liberation, immigrant rights and labor movements.

The documentary tells the story of a successful 18-month strike of over 1000 food processing workers by Chicanas and Mexicanas, backed up by the Chicano movement across the country.

The event was well attended by a diverse crowd of over 50 community members and activists from various sections of the people’s movement including Arab, Latino, Black and white workers and students.

The Watsonville strike was sustained for 18 months because of the unity of the workers and the support of the community for their struggle. The company hoped that their coziness with the sellout union officials would make the workers give up, but the unity of the rank-and-file workers and support from the community carried them through to victory.

Two of the panelists picked up on the struggle against sell-out trade union bureaucrats in Watsonville and recognized this obstacle from their own struggles. 

Chanel Crittenden of the Labor Committee of the Chicago Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression put it, “This was a resistance led by the rank-and-file members of the union,” and that we should follow their example of unity when the capitalists attempt to undermine our unity with strategic attacks on older workers, or on healthcare benefits.

Eliza Schultz shared her experience as a UPS worker in the Teamsters in 2018 when the sellout leaders forced them to accept a contract that had been voted down. The union members who fought for a better contract were then joined by more members to defeat the sellout officers a few years later.

Vicky Lugo of El Consejo del Resistencia in defensa del Inmigrante (Resistance Council to Defend Immigrants), when she saw the Watsonville strikers having to stand up to the police, recalled her experiences organizing and winning permits for the street vendors in the Pilsen and Little Village communities in Chicago.

Another point underlined by Schultz was, “Unity is an idea built around an act.” The workers with many years of seniority revolted against the lowering of wages and cutting of benefits; younger workers were drawn in, and following that, the community rallied around them. The unity that resulted was how the strike was sustained for 18 months.

Crittenden compared the ironclad unity demonstrated by the workers in the documentary to the Chicago Teachers Union standing with their students against ICE, rallying the community with them and showing that it takes numbers to force the capitalist class to reckon with our demands.

Vicky Lugo recognized the people are scared, but they are not so scared they won’t fight back. She called for those in attendance to support a week of action beginning on May Day, including marches and boycotts, and led by their coalition of over 50 organizations.

Inspired by the women in the film, Crittenden stated, “Women didn’t fight for their right to work; Black women have always worked and want our work to be recognized. The capitalists will recognize the strength in our numbers and we can make shit happen.”

#ChicagoIL #IWD #UPS #CTU #ICE #CAARPR #Teamsters #SiSePuede #ChicanoLiberation

Arlington, TX— Teamsters of the shop floor committee at the UPS hub in Arlington conducted an anti-harassment workshop, February 2, to highlight the protections afforded to workers under article 37 of the UPS national contract with the International Brotherhood of Teamsters. The workshop was led and primarily attended by rank-and-file members, with participants including stewards and union staff.

Article 37 contains the rights won by UPS Teamsters that protect workers from harassment; but workers are often unaware of their rights protecting them from such harassment or often do not realize the mistreatment they are enduring from management constitutes harassment at all.

What constitutes harassment under article 37? Harassment is “over-supervision, coercion, intimidation, or retaliation taken against workers in performance of their duties or enforcement of their rights.”

It is important to remember that it is more effective to file a grievance on article 37 in conjunction with other articles, for example article 52 (suspension), article 36 (discrimination), 21 (attempting to prevent union protected activities), and article 18 (safety).

A group activity was conducted to help each participant hone their skills in writing grievances to enforce their rights in fighting harassment, with participants sharing strategies for how to make their grievances most effective.

The militant rank-and-file unionists that led the meeting plan to continue to conduct workshops informing workers of their rights and how to enforce them, with a workshop planned to cover the rights afforded workers to protect them from the heat in the coming months.

#ArlingtonTX #TX #Labor #Teamsters #UPS

Chicago, IL – On Thursday January 30, UPS announced a major cutback in Amazon package deliveries, with the goal of dropping over 50% of the volume from the company’s largest customer by June 2026. In conjunction, UPS is looking to permanently shutter 10% of buildings, shrink their fleet of vehicles and lay off workers.

The plan to close more buildings comes on the heels of the hard fought 2023 Teamsters contract, which resulted in major wage gains for part-timers and the end of the 2-tier system among package car drivers. The credible threat of a strike forced UPS to concede to the union’s demands in contract negotiations and look elsewhere for cost savings. Last year UPS laid off 12,000 corporate employees and announced major investments in the automation of hub operations as part of their “Network of the Future” initiative.

“When UPS closes hubs for renovations, they are laying the groundwork for mass layoffs due to automation,” said Alex Carson, a part-time unloader out of Atlanta. “Workers whose hubs get closed for over a year are given the option to drive to nearby hubs, which is untenable for most, as it can add hours to commutes. This allows UPS to effectively conceal how many people actually lose their job due to automation.”

Despite leading the industry with $8.5 billion in profit last year, UPS is being driven by its Wall Street owners to push profits even higher. Under CEO Carol Tome’s “Better not Bigger” strategy, UPS has instituted numerous rate hikes and shifted focus from e-commerce to higher revenue segments like small business and medical. UPS hopes that reducing operations will free up $1 billion in capital which can be reinvested in higher margin sectors requiring less labor. UPS has been making big purchases in healthcare warehousing and logistics, for example the recent acquisition of Europe-based Frigo-Trans and BPL.

“This is why it’s so important that our union continue to put a lot of resources towards organizing Amazon workers,” said Jenny Bekenstein, UPS Teamster and Amazon organizer out of Los Angeles. “Because of how the companies are in competition with each other in the industry and how UPS has the power to downsize or automate if it wants to, our jobs and all of the good things that we fought for in our UPS contract are not safe until we organize Amazon workers to have the same thing and set a real industry standard in logistics that these companies can’t get around.”

Automation and a smaller workforce at UPS make organizing Amazon an existential question for the Teamsters. The growth of Amazon as a non-union, independent delivery service puts competitive pressure on UPS to continue with automation and layoffs. UPS is the largest Teamster employer and job cuts will weaken the union.

The growth of a militant rank-and-file movement makes the Teamsters well poised to fight back against any job eliminations at UPS. Additionally, some drivers and warehouse workers at Amazon have joined the Teamsters in demanding higher wages and better working conditions. By the end of 2024, Amazon had become the largest private delivery business in the U.S., moving nearly 6 billion packages. This past holiday season also saw the first national Amazon strike with Teamsters walking out in California, Georgia, Illinois and New York.

#ChicagoIL #IL #Labor #Teamsters #UPS #Automation

Los Angeles, CA – As the holiday peak season wraps up, after workers around the country toiled away for a surge in parcel deliveries, the United Parcel Service (UPS) plans again to shutter large facilities due to automation.

On January 15, the UPS facility in Vernon, California, also known as the Grande Vista hub, will be shutting its doors for a year-long closure. The purpose of the closure is for building renovations and the automation of various classifications, part of UPS’s larger “Network of the Future” project, which aims to automate union jobs to reduce labor costs.

Grande Vista is one of 200 hubs around the country that UPS plans to close for automation. The closure is expected to affect over 1000 workers who are represented by the International Brotherhood of Teamsters.

During the closure UPS has claimed that they would offer the Grande Vista employees temporary transfers to other facilities “within reasonable commuting distance.” One of the options is in a neighboring city, Bell, but the other options are 25 to 60 miles away, in San Fernando and the Inland Empire region of the state. Since bidding goes by seniority, it is anticipated that higher seniority workers will take most available spots at the Bell facility, which can only house about 160 employees, and the hundreds of lower seniority employees will be forced to go to the further buildings, choose layoff, or quit.

UPS has been slow to communicate with Grande Vista workers and the local union about the upcoming changes and options for employees. Many workers fear for their jobs and livelihood.

Some rank-and-file union members are taking matters into their own hands and have decided to fight back against this blatant effort to demoralize workers into retiring, choosing layoff, or quitting. These outspoken workers are demanding closer options for workers to commute to and pointing out that San Fernando and the Inland Empire are not “within reasonable commuting distance.” So far, they have gathered hundreds of petition signatures and say they plan to present those petitions to the company and the public.

Alejandro Orellana is a union shop steward at the Grande Vista site and said, “We have to show UPS that we are united in denouncing automation, even if this changes nothing, least we can say is that we tried rather than stood by and do nothing. We are fighting for our lives and our future. Automation kills jobs and we the Teamsters should not be complacent to the termination of Teamster jobs in favor of an automated workplace.”

Once the automation and retrofit operations are completed, many workers are expected to be reclassified to fit the company’s needs. For the Teamsters at Grande Vista UPS, fighting back against this closure and automation is part of a long fight to save workers’ jobs.

#LosAngelesCA #CA #Labor #Teamsters #UPS #Feature

Commerce City, CO – On November 14, Teamsters Local 455 released an email stating that “approximately half” of the Commerce City UPS facility will be closing and undergoing renovations starting on January 15, 2025.

The renovations would automate a portion of the facility and are planned to take until around November 1, 2026. UPS management gave notice of the change on the evening of November 13, but have since given no further details, including specifically which workers in which areas of the building will be affected by the layoffs. This project is a part of UPS’s “Network of the Future” campaign announced in March of 2024, an attempt to automate jobs as a cost-cutting strategy.

While UPS has plans for their automation future, the announcement has left workers at the roughly 2500-person Commerce City hub feeling uncertain about their own futures, and wondering how the process will affect their lives and livelihoods. This new uncertainty has also led some of the affected workers to begin looking for other jobs, not knowing if they are going to lose their jobs after the holiday season, or “Peak Season,” officially ends on January 15.

Teamsters Local 455 has stated they will continue to gather information, including how to relocate a portion of the workforce to other nearby UPS facilities. Information about the process has been slow to reach union membership.

Union representatives met with UPS management on December 12, but the details of this meeting are currently a mystery to the workers. UPS management has also been unable to answer any further questions, with most of the management being kept in the dark about how this change of operations is going to look.

The Shop Floor Educators, a network of rank-and-file workers seeking to educate and help organize their fellow workers, have launched a campaign for disclosure of information to learn more about which workers, areas and shifts will be affected by the layoffs. The group has stated they will be making information about relevant contract language, unemployment, mental health services, and other topics available to members who may lose their jobs on January 15.

#CommerceCityCO #Labor #UPS #Teamsters #TheShopFloorEducators

Tampa, FL – On Thursday, August 15, Tampa Teamsters spoke to the media and handed out flyers exposing UPS’s ongoing failure to provide heat safety. The workers handed out thermometers to other workers and asked them to fill out heat safety surveys as a way of raising awareness of the intense heat that workers are facing every day during the Florida summer. 

UPS has made no efforts to follow the heat safety regulations stated in the recently agreed upon contract. Despite this, workerswere ready to make their voices heard to get better heat safety. One worker submitted the heat safety survey with the comment “Let’s make change now!”

“It’s infuriating to be in the middle of August and hear that UPS has had new fans for months and not taken the effort to install them. I have heard it has reached 88 degrees Fahrenheit in our building. That number is dangerous for the kind of work that we do,” stated Simon Rowe, a UPS pre-loader. Under the 2023-2028 UPS contract, UPS is required to install tens of thousands of fans across the country. Additionally new trucks are supposed to be outfitted with air conditioning after January 1, 2024. None have been purchased yet near the end of the first summer of the contract. 

Heat safety became a major issue of contract negotiations after UPS driver Esteban Chavez Jr. died due to heat exhaustion in 2022. Despite the promise of eventual air conditioning in UPS trucks, they still have made no effort to add AC in buildings. 

Heat safety is a key issues that has united workers across the board. From drivers to pre-loaders everyone agrees it’s too hot. Workers vow to continue their struggle to demand better from UPS. UPS made almost $10 billion last year, while workers continue to struggle in intense temperatures.

#TampaFL #UPS #HeatSafety #WorkersRights

Commerce City, CO – On Friday, August 2, a group of Teamsters at the UPS facility in Commerce City, part of the Denver metro area, confronted management to demand immediate action to address the excessive heat inside the building.

Many of these workers are part of the Shop Floor Educators, a group founded earlier this year to educate employees about their legal and contractual rights. They marched to managements’ offices to present a petition with over 800 signatures, calling for measures to address unsafe working conditions caused by high temperatures.

The petition demands the installation of more fans throughout the building to ensure proper ventilation, as well as air conditioning in break rooms during the summer months to provide workers with a space to cool down if they begin to suffer from symptoms of heat-related illness.

This year, 2024, is on track to be the hottest year on record, and stickers with the slogan “Cool zones now!” are visible throughout the Commerce City building, reflecting the urgency and popularity of the demands.

“These unsafe working temperatures are getting worse year after year, and management's ‘just keep drinking water’ advice is not adequate,” said Audrey Pandolfi, a rank-and-file Teamster who participated in the march.

Every year, UPS workers across the country suffer from heat exhaustion, with some incidents resulting in death. The concrete and metal UPS distribution facilities often trap heat inside due to poor ventilation, putting the workers who load trucks and sort and process packages at constant risk of overheating and becoming sick while on the job.

“At UPS, deaths happen every single year due to how hot it becomes,” said Keegan Estrella, a part-time UPS worker and Teamsters representative on the Safety Committee at Commerce City. “We're not asking for the world right now; we're asking for heat safety.”

The demonstration was seen as a success by participants. The UPS preload manager said he would discuss the workers' demands with the human resources department and address them at the upcoming monthly Safety Committee meeting.

Anthony Cole, a rank-and-file Teamster who played a key role in gathering petition signatures, underscored the power of collective action, stating, “Showing solidarity matters. Solidarity always makes the company scared. Solidarity lets other members know that there are those who are fighting. This may inspire other members to do the same – to join the fight or fight a little harder. And with more members comes more power. Change needs workers to come together. These actions let everybody know that, together, workers can make change for the better.”

The next monthly Safety Committee meeting will be in the coming week, and several workers have stated they will be there to show support for the demands.

#CommerceCityCO #Teamsters #UPS #UnitedParcelService #Labor

Skokie, IL – Amazon workers are striking the Skokie delivery center known as DIL7, because of the company’s union-busting tactics which violate federal laws. The drivers have faced Amazon’s unfair labor practices, a response to the workers’ efforts to organize with Teamsters Local 705.

Wearing matching t-shirts and holding signs calling for “Fair pay and safe jobs,” dozens of striking Amazon drivers set up picket lines at each entrance to the facility. Chants included “Jeff Bezos you can’t hide, we can see your greedy side!” and a favorite among the drivers “Amazon Prime – white collar crime!”

“We’re making our presence known, we’re making history right now, this is only the second time this has ever happened,” said Amazon driver Luke Cianciotto, referring the strike of Amazon drivers in Palmdale, California last year. “We’re holding Amazon accountable for all the crimes that they commit, everywhere from illegally terminating our contract to just robbing people in every one of their paychecks.”

The Amazon drivers had been employed by Four Star Express Delivery, part of Amazon’s “Delivery Service Partner” subcontracting program, which Amazon uses to keep workers divided and to dodge responsibility. After the effort of the drivers to organize with the Teamsters for better pay and working conditions, Amazon brought in a team of union-busting consultants and ultimately closed down the delivery service partner, an illegal act of retaliation for union activity. The drivers are demanding Amazon recognize the union and bargain a decent contract.

“We’re out here, we’re making things happen, we’re building a community and we’re standing up for what’s right. That’s the only way that history has ever been made,” said Cianciotto, calling on other workers to join the movement.

#ChicagoIL #IL #Labor #Strike #UPS #Teamsters #Amazon

Atlanta, GA – United Parcel Service (UPS) announced on March 26 that the company plans to close up to 200 UPS hubs and automate sorting at the remaining hubs within the next five years. The plan is part of a broader initiative by UPS called “Network of the Future” which looks to automate union jobs with a goal of saving the company $3 billion in labor costs by 2028. UPS made $6.7 billion in profit last year and UPS CEO Carol Tomé took home $23.4 million in total compensation.

The plan was announced at the UPS investor and analyst conference held at Worldport in Louisville, Kentucky. The company is investing $9 billion in network upgrades with 63 automation projects planned between now and 2028. This would bring the total number of automated sorting facilities in the UPS network up to 400.

The Network of the Future initiative is not just limited to automating the sorting of packages, UPS is planning on automating additional jobs as well. “Every single work area is being scrutinized for automation opportunities, not just our sortation hubs,” said Nando Cesarone, executive vice president of UPS. The company is planning on automating address correction and package redirection as well as automated dispatch for package cars and feeder runs. The company is also testing automating trailer loading and unloading.

“Network of the Future is targeting all activities for automation within our four walls,” Cesarone said. “These building consolidations and automations yield real savings. For example, we’ll have fewer feeder runs. We’ll be able to eliminate both a.m. and p.m. ground and air feeds in many, many locations.”

The goal of UPS’s investment in automation equipment, and their plan to automate Teamster jobs, is to squeeze as much profit as it can out of the hubs while reducing its costs paid in wages. UPS’s Network of the Future envisions a future with fewer Teamster jobs but more profit for shareholders.

#AtlantaGA #UPS #LaborRights #Teamsters #TeamsterUnion #UnionStrong

400 Teamsters, SAG-AFTRA (Screen Actors Guild – American Federation of Television and Radio Artists), WGA (Writers Guild of America), SEIU, CWA, and UTLA (United Teachers of Los Angeles) members gathered at the hub, shutting down traffic at the intersections of Blaine and Olympic. A semi-truck branded with Teamsters logos served as a stage, and a giant inflatable cat that represents UPS corporate greed was on the scene.

Sean O’Brien, the general president of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, addressed the crowd, saying, “Buckle up!” and, “Do as we do in Boston: if you see a picket line, don’t cross it!”

Jared Hamil, a driver and union steward for Teamsters Local 396 spoke about the long hours UPS drivers had to work during the COVID-19 pandemic when they were delivering everything, including vaccines. “We didn’t get time to rest and more importantly, we didn’t get time to spend with our families. And for me, I have a toddler at home. I didn’t get to see her the first year of her life. Meanwhile, this company padded their pockets, they made record profits. So I’m here to say enough is enough! I’m here with my sisters and brothers and we’re standing strong in this fight!”

Hannibal Aguilar, another driver and union steward, spoke about the dangerous working conditions at UPS that put workers at risk of dehydration and heat stroke. He said, “UPS tells us to work safely yet they put profits first, pushing our bodies to the limit until they break down.” He ended with, “If we don’t get what we want by July 31, we’re gonna shut it down!”

Part-time employees make up around 65% of the UPS workforce but are paid a fraction of what full-timers are. Most UPS workers struggle to make ends meet.

Jennifer Bekenstein, part-time UPS worker and union steward for Teamsters Local 396, spoke about working hard in hot, sweaty facilities, lifting heavy boxes and dealing with management harassment every day. “We come in the middle of the night and work hard every day, all so that UPS can make billions of dollars in profits every year,” Bekenstein said, “We may be part-time UPS workers, but we are full-time Teamsters, and we are ready to fight for the contract that we deserve!”

“It was a great turnout for today's rally,” said Ricardo Contreras, Teamsters 396 union steward at the Olympic hub. “We’ve shown the company that we want a fair contract for all UPS Teamsters and that we are not fucking around.”

Teamsters are poised to strike in less than 12 days, unless a satisfactory deal is reached. Within hours of the rally, it was announced that negotiations would resume for next week. After weeks of practice picketing and the threat of a strike, the 340,000 Teamsters are aiming to win a strong contract. It remains to be seen what UPS may offer at the bargaining table, but one thing is for sure – the Teamsters will give them a real fight if UPS management doesn’t bring a proposal to that significantly addresses the issue of part-time pay.

#LosAngelesCA #Teamsters #UPS #picket #LA

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.

The Teamsters represent around 340,000 UPS workers across the country who have built a strong contract campaign and credible strike threat demanding better wages and working conditions. The current contract is set to expire on July 31. In June, rank-and-file Teamsters who work at UPS voted to authorize a nationwide strike by a 97% majority.

The ongoing practice pickets are to prepare working Teamsters for a strike and to show UPS management what their future will look like if the Teamsters do not get an offer that meets their demands.

Zach Callahan is a package car driver from Teamsters Local 639 who has been working at UPS for 24 years. Callahan has been a member of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters for 15 years and is a union steward. Callahan, who works a couple hours south of Landover in Virginia (a “right-to-work” state), joined the pickets bright and early in solidarity with his fellow Teamsters.

Callahan is classified as a part-time worker even though he consistently works 40-50 hours a week. UPS, a big corporation, uses a legal loophole by offering him part-time benefits and part-time pay, but asking him to come in a couple hours early almost every day until he ends up working full time hours. He never knows what his exact start time and schedule will be until the morning of his shift.

Part-time workers make up more than 60% of the UPS workforce. Most of the major gains that the Teamsters have made so far in bargaining have been around issues affecting the full-time employees. Because of this, Callahan says of UPS, “They are doing nothing about the part-timers. People are not getting breaks, they’re getting heat exhaustion. It’s brutal. And they’re getting paid poverty-wages. So Sean O’Brien is saying they deserve a raise, a $20 an hour minimum. These are issues that UPS refuses to address.”

Sean O’Brien is the president of the Teamsters Union and has been clear that the Teamsters are currently holding out and prepared to strike over the issue of part time wages. UPS management has given significant ground on many of the demands of full-time employees, while continuing to hold out and not offer real raises to the part timers. Regarding this, Callahan stated, “What UPS is trying to do is divide and conquer: part-timers versus full-timers.”

The CEO of UPS is Carol Tomé, whose 2022 annual total compensation was $18,977,605. The ratio of this to an average UPS employee then was 364-to-one. In 2022 the company made close to $14 billion in adjusted operating profit and returned $8.6 billion of cash to shareowners through dividends and share buybacks.

At the same time as recording record profits, UPS in recent years has refused to offer significant raises for the essential workers whose work created those profits. The Teamsters have said that they believe that drawing the line in the sand at UPS and striking if they don’t get a better offer will show UPS Teamsters and other workers around the U.S. that they deserve more and that by withholding their labor they have the power to achieve these demands.

Callahan said “We’re not asking for anything crazy. UPS made a killing off the pandemic, and what did we get? Maybe they gave us a little lapel pin that reads, ‘Essential Workers,’ that’s it.” There was no hazard pay for working during the pandemic, just a pin commemorating their hard work while the bosses profit hand over fist.

In regard to the upcoming strike and what the public can do, Callahan says, “If we do go on strike, it would be great if other people could show up at the picket lines and show up at our workplaces. Get as many people out there as possible, have the numbers, and then we can show people that workers have the power!” Callahan went on to say to non-union workers, “You should get together and try to organize your coworkers, and then we can show you what can be done.”

Callahan continued, “In this country, a lot of people don’t have healthcare. I heard most people can’t afford a $500 emergency. People don’t have paid time off, they don’t have maternity/paternity leave, so there’s a lot that needs to be fixed with the way things are.” He added, “But there’s a strike wave coming, so that’s good news, we can show the world that people matter more than profit. Because the way it is now, the government, the whole capitalist system, all they care about is making a profit, and exploiting the workers.”

As of July 16, bargaining between the Teamsters and UPS remains at a standstill with no further bargaining dates scheduled. If no deal is reached before August 1, then 340,000 Teamsters will be on strike. A strike at UPS is expected to have major ramifications on distribution of goods to homes and stores that may last weeks or months even after a strike concludes.

#LandoverMD #Teamsters #strike #UPS #Maryland

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!”

The event comes as contract negotiations between the IBT and United Parcel Service remain halted. The Teamsters already negotiated a major win for full-time drivers with the end of the two-tier classification system, known as 22.4. However, negotiations broke down when the Teamsters demanded better pay for part-time package handlers, who load and unload trucks at the warehouses. The IBT has authorized a strike if an agreement is not reached.

“I’m here to support my Teamsters brothers and sisters, and I’m ready for the strike come August 1,” said Frank Perez, a package car driver. Perez continued, “I want to let the company know that I won’t be bullied or intimidated, and I won’t stand down. I’m going to fight for the better contract that all my Teamster family deserves.”

As package car drivers such as Perez arrived to join the picket lines at 7:45 a.m., part-timers clocked out and exited the warehouse after hours of work on their early morning shifts. Many package car drivers wore their brown UPS uniforms, while many part-timers wore brown-and-yellow shirts reading “pay up.” During the rally, speakers emphasized the power of solidarity between full-time drivers and part-time package handlers.

Many unions and community organizations attended in solidarity with the Teamsters, including the Chicago Teachers Union, Starbucks United, and the Chicago Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression. Also in attendance were progressive aldermen such as Byron Sigcho Lopez and Jessie Fuentes.

Given the importance of UPS to the distribution of goods, both in Chicago and across the U.S., major economic impacts are projected to occur if the Teamsters strike when the contract expires on August 1.

#ChicagoIL #Teamsters #strike #UPS

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.

Teamsters marched near the UPS Hub chanting, “Who are we? Teamsters!” A local television news station covered the event favorably. UPS Teamsters who participated in the practice picket mirrored the overall sentiment of UPS workers around the country – that the time for concessionary contracts is behind us and this contract needs to have big wins for workers.

A full-time UPS driver, Q Walker said, “This company has made billions off of the backs of my Teamsters brothers and sisters. It’s time for them to pay up!”

Solidarity between all those who work for UPS was a big theme at the practice picket. The company wants to divide workers based on different job classifications, but Teamsters are going to hold the line and demand a contract that benefits all hourly employees. Solidarity is one of the best weapons the working class has in their fight against greedy corporations.

Sean O’Brien and Fred Zuckerman are two of the many militant leaders of the IBT. They were elected in 2021 to lead the union as a whole. Now they must deliver on their promises to organize and win big at UPS, and to end the weakening and decline of the Teamsters Union.

Adam Gerardo is a part time UPS worker. He said, “Teamsters are ready to strike because we refuse to settle in our fight for a fair contract. We demand respect, better working conditions, and improved wages. Solidarity between full-timers and part-timers is crucial in this battle. We must stand together side by side to win the contract we deserve.”

A good contract at UPS between the company and the Teamsters will mean a huge win for the working class. The company does not have much time left on the clock to offer solutions before Teamsters begin what will be the largest single-employer strike in American history.

A second Local 512 practice picket is scheduled for Tuesday, July 18 at 8 a.m. for the newer Baymeadows UPS facility near the Southside of Jacksonville.

#JacksonvilleFL #Teamsters #UPS #picket