Teamsters 2010 members handed out about 400 leaflets and talked to dozens of students and residents heading into the Phase II opening of the UC Merced 2020 Project. The leaflet “congratulates” campus administration for selling out the Merced community.
The 2020 Project portion of UC Merced campus is a public-private partnership, which is a fancy way of saying that good, union jobs maintaining the buildings and grounds have been subcontracted out by the Canadian-based developer.
Keep readingAfter being wrongfully terminated by Land O Lakes in August 2018, 21-year employee Ron Arcino now has his job back with his seniority restored, and the arbitrator awarded him more than $100,000 in pay, pension and healthcare.
“When Ron was fired, the union immediately filed a grievance. The company promptly denied it, refusing to do a 2×2 panel as is called for in the contract,” explains Business Rep Steve Nelson. “We took the case to arbitration,
Keep readingEveryone with a CDL needs to know about the following new development from DOT: As of January 6, 2020, the Federal Motor Carrier Administration (FMCSA) is establishing the Commercial Driver’s License (CDL) Drug and Alcohol Clearinghouse (Clearinghouse). This new database will contain information about drug and alcohol violations. All violations of the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) controlled substances (drug) and alcohol testing program for holders of CDLs will now be recorded in a central database.
Keep readingThis year’s legislative session came to one of its weirder ends in recent memory. Perhaps it was the full moon or the fact that it was Friday the 13th. Whatever the reason, it was crazy.
The halls were packed with protesters, mostly from the so-called “anti-vax” movement. These folks were there to protest the Legislature’s passage and ultimately the Governor’s signature on two bills to toughen our state’s vaccination laws. I’ve seen many protests over the years—human rights groups,
Keep readingBowing to complaints from the trucking industry, the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) has proposed revisions to its hours-of-service regulations. Heralded as an opportunity to give drivers “relief from rigid mandates,” the proposed revisions are actually a thinly-veiled attempt to allow companies to limit the quality of driver resting time and extend the overall hours a driver can drive.
Teamsters General President Jim Hoffa condemned the proposed revisions stating: “Trucking is already one of the nation’s most dangerous jobs.
Keep readingMore than 32,000 Teamsters across the nation work in the Solid Waste and Recycling Division. Every morning, Teamsters are out at the crack of dawn collecting America’s garbage and recyclables.
Unlike other Teamster industries, waste and recycling is concentrated into the hands of a few powerful corporations. Waste Management and Republic Services alone provide collection services to more than half the country. Despite this, the Teamsters are growing and organizing in this industry.
Keep readingThe good news is that, according to Gallup Polls, public approval of unions jumped to 64% this year, putting it near its 50-year high. The bad news is that since 1979, union representation of workers has dropped by more than half, descending from 27% to less than 11%. Half of Americans believe that the decline in union representation is bad for working people.
“It’s been a decades-long attack on working people,” said AFL-CIO Secretary-Treasurer Liz Shuler.
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2019 OND Teamster Color
Keep readingFor the past several months, Teamsters have traveled to Sacramento to lobby the state senate and assembly with one key goal: to pass AB5 and put a stop to worker exploitation in the “gig” economy. A million California workers are denied key workplace protections—including the minimum wage—because their employers falsely label them as independent contractors. But that practice will now come to an end as the legislature passed the bill and the governor signed it on September 18.
Keep readingIn June, with a resounding 90% yes vote, the members of Teamsters Local 601 voted to merge with Local 856. Their goal for the merger is to increase member strength, build on the current Teamster Central Valley infrastructure, and advance organizing opportunities while maintaining local control. Local 856 is fully committed to meeting those goals.
The merger, effective August 1, establishes the creation of the Teamsters Local 856 Food Processing Division, with a board of rank-and-file leaders headed by Director Ashley Alvarado.
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