Posts tagged Teamsters
‘Blue Power’ and the Rise of Police Union Politics
April 18, 2026 // "Everybody else can indulge in politics—every black group, every political party group, every church group," groused Carl Parsell, then president of the Detroit Police Officers Association, in 1969. "Why are police officers so different?" The question goes to the heart of Stuart Schrader's Blue Power, a new book charting how police unions accreted and cemented power in the decades following Parsell's query. It's a ripe subject for review: Police officers' savvy use of public sector unions and lobbying to largely immunize themselves from oversight is one of the greatest political coups in recent American history. In under four decades, police unions evolved from beer-drinking clubs to organized bargaining units to potent political forces at the local, state, and national levels.
Teamsters Secure UPS Buyout Cap; NLRB Calls Amazon to the Bargaining Table
April 9, 2026 // Under the Driver Choice Program (DCP), UPS employees can opt to receive a $150,000 payment to accept early retirement from the company. The severance package would also include retirement benefits earned over their tenure, including pension and healthcare... The NLRB and Amazon have had an ongoing feud as unionization efforts across the company have popped up. In a separate complaint filed in September 2024, the Seattle-based Big Tech firm alleged that the NLRB improperly influenced the 2022 Staten Island election, and said the board’s structure was unconstitutional. That suit is still pending.
Teamsters still bankrolling Democrats, including Jay Jones, despite openly flirting with Trump and GOP
April 9, 2026 // “As for whether the Teamsters is compatible with the GOP, the union officialdom isn’t,” Mike Watson, an organized labor expert and director of research at the Capital Research Center, told the Washington Examiner. “The members are more open to the GOP for social-issues reasons, but the staffer class and officers are largely committed Everything Leftists.” “Everything Leftism” is a turn of phrase used to describe the tendency of some liberal staffers and activists to adopt causes seemingly unrelated to their primary area of focus;
Deal Or No Deal?
April 8, 2026 // Workers at the Moda Center, with the exception of a handful of engineers, are not unionized. That, Davison said, is atypical—particularly in states like Oregon without right-to-work laws. The Teamsters have union contracts at Lumen Field and Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle, Oracle Park in San Francisco, and Ball Arena in Denver, while other unions, like the Hotel Employees and Restaurant Employees Union, have a number of stadium contracts as well. But neither of those unions have a foothold at the Moda Center.
First Student bus driver strike averted after tentative agreement reached, union announces
March 31, 2026 // The union voted last week to authorize a strike, saying it showed that drivers are willing to do what it takes to get the agreement they believe they deserve. Key issues for union leaders included pay and benefits. The union said this new deal includes better retirement benefits, improved health care access, and contractual protections for all union members. Union members will be able to vote on the new agreement in the coming weeks, the union said.
UPS retracts driver buyout option in 13 states under union pressure
March 30, 2026 // United Parcel Service has notified the Teamsters union that it will withdraw its $150,000 buyout program for parcel and linehaul drivers in 13 central states in response to strong protests from local union chiefs, complicating the company’s effort to eliminate 30,000 jobs as it downsizes its network amid a reduction in parcel volume.
Teamsters terminate agreement, strike at Smurfit Westrock site set for closure
March 26, 2026 // The company says the union terminated the two parties’ labor agreement at the Wakefield, Massachusetts, corrugated converting plant.
Union for First Student authorizes strike if no deal is reached on contract negotiations by March 31
March 26, 2026 // The union for First Student has authorized a strike for drivers and employees if contract negotiations fail. The Teamsters union represents more than 17,000 workers nationwide, including bus drivers in New Hampshire.
Special Legal Notice for Michigan-Based Corewell Health Nurses Facing Teamsters Strike Threats
March 19, 2026 // In short, nurses who want to work during a union-ordered strike should ensure that they are not members of the union before they work during a strike. Unions can only fine their voluntary members for working during a strike. If an employee is not a union member, union officials have no power to fine or otherwise discipline him or her. Employees have a legal right not to be a member of the Teamsters or any other union. Employees who are union members, or are unsure as to what they might have signed, have a legal right to resign their membership at any time. So if an employee who joined a union wants to work during a strike, the employee can resign from the union before returning to work.
Teamsters nurses authorize strike against Michigan-based Corewell Health East
March 18, 2026 // Corewell Health East nurses, who are represented by the Teamsters union, voted on Tuesday to authorize a strike against the health system over their contract. According to the union, the vote from 10,000 nurses at nine hospitals and campuses received 90% approval for authorization. The union says that the nurses, who have been discussing their contract since June 2025, demand a safe nurse-to-patient ratio, fair wages, affordable health insurance and better workplace safety.