Posts tagged Sean O’Brien
Commentary: Does Biden Know About This Impending Labor Strike?
May 29, 2023 // The most pro-labor union president is facing not one but two significant strikes under his watch. The latest is from the United Auto Workers Union
Teamsters oust suburban board after more than $1M in questionable expenses
May 4, 2023 // The International Brotherhood of Teamsters has removed leaders of Local 731 based in suburban Burr Ridge after an audit turned up questionable and excessive spending on everything from steak to booze and bonuses. It totaled well over $1 million. A letter sent by Teamsters general president Sean O’Brien to local members said an audit found Local 731’s board gave itself nearly $304,000 in bonuses over five years without the required approval of membership.
High-stakes negotiations between UPS and the Teamsters started this week. Catch up on the issues union leaders have vowed to strike over.
April 24, 2023 // Their contract expires July 31 and negotiations started this week in Washington, D.C. Friction has already increased as the Teamsters accused UPS of slow-walking local negotiations. Teamsters General President Sean O'Brien and his team met with UPS negotiators this week for the first of many sessions that will take place in the next three months. It's off to a rocky start as O'Brien has declared that not enough progress has been made on the supplemental contracts — local agreements which have been under negotiation for most of the year.
UPS is the next big labor deal to watch
April 18, 2023 // The union, part of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, has a new president, Sean O'Brien, who's been outspoken about the demands of delivery drivers all year — holding rallies and talking to workers around the country. Like so many workers in the U.S., UPS employees are more fired up coming out of the pandemic about their workplace demands. Plus, they've seen big changes in their workloads over the past few years as the pace and volume of online deliveries have grown.
UPS CEO addresses dangerous heat inside trucks and contentious weekend deliveries as a driver strike threatens to upend millions of deliveries
February 3, 2023 // At the heart of UPS's Saturday service is the "22.4" driver, named for the section of the contract that created the position. These drivers work Tuesday through Saturday and top out at $30.64, while regular drivers can reach $42. The Teamsters see these drivers as "second class" and now regret that the position was approved in the controversial 2018 contract. Because the contract restricts how many 22.4s the company can hire, UPS often pays weekday drivers overtime to work Saturdays. Tomé called weekend delivery service "table stakes."
Biden mends bridges with unions after rail dispute
December 12, 2022 // President Joe Biden has returned to the good graces of labor unions by announcing a $36 billion pension fund bailout that will prevent more than 350,000 truck drivers, warehouse workers, construction staff, and retirees from forfeiting their benefits. But Biden's intervention comes after he rankled the key Democratic constituency by urging Congress to enforce a tentative union dispute agreement between railroad companies and their employees in order to avoid a strike that would have crippled the economy before the holidays.
Bernie Sanders to hold pro-union rally in Philadelphia
August 15, 2022 // While many on Twitter were excited about the rally, there were others who pointed out that Sanders is a millionaire himself. John Dougherty, a powerful Philadelphia political boss who ran the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 98 for three decades, was forced to step down after he was convicted on federal corruption charges last November. Prosecutors say he bribed former Councilman Bobby Henon, who was a union electrician before he took office, to vote in line with Dougherty's agenda. In exchange, the councilman got a $70,000 annual salary and other perks like Eagles tickets.
“Nonunion drivers are getting paid better than us:” Car haul truckers in US determined to strike Tuesday night
May 31, 2022 // We had a lot of guys leave because it’s better pay everywhere else. But there are perks to the union and that’s why I’m still here; the union is a family, but we got to get this pay right. “All of the other drivers who are nonunion are getting paid better.” Referring to the so-called Teamsters reformers in charge of the union, including new president Sean O’Brien, he said: “We are not elevating the appropriate people.
Analysis: Big victory at Amazon gives unions promise – but no end to challenges
April 5, 2022 // At the same time, traditional unions are reaching out to help ALU leader Smalls. The Service Employees International Union (SEIU) is offering "whatever support we can," said its president, Mary Kay Henry.
This new union boss could start the biggest strike in decades
March 24, 2022 // O'Brien, a self-described "militant," is vowing to take a much harsher line with employers than his predecessor did. And that could lead to a strike at the nation's largest union employer when the Teamsters' UPS (UPS) contract expires on July 31 2023.