Posts tagged Teamsters
GOP’s populists flex muscles with wins on Capitol Hill
May 29, 2026 // F. Vincent Vernuccio, president of the Institute for the American Worker think tank, which has argued against the bill, pointed to hesitation that one union official expressed about that format in a Senate hearing last year, calling it undemocratic. “It takes away the whole point of a union because it takes away the vote from workers, and that’s exactly what the Faster Labor Contracts Act would do,” Vernuccio told The Hill. “If the union and the employer can’t come to an agreement within 120 days, this arbitration panel that’s appointed by government bureaucrats would write everything in that contract.”
Massachusetts: School bus drivers, monitors go on strike in Marlborough
May 28, 2026 // Teamsters Local 170 says it has notified the school district that its hard-working and dedicated employees working for NRT Bus -- which holds the contract for school bus services in Marlborough and for Advance Math Science Academy -- have officially gone on strike. A couple dozen drivers and monitors were picketing at the NRT Bus entrance on Fox Road in Hudson Wednesday morning. According to the union, NRT Bus has given them a "last and final that falls far short" of what is needed to ensure they have access to affordable health care
Organized Labor’s Violent Privilege: The Supreme Court Loophole Shielding Union Officials from Prosecution
May 27, 2026 // Under federal precedent, they can often destroy property, assault workers, threaten communities, and even commit murder with reduced risk of serious prosecution — as long as the acts advance “legitimate union objectives” such as higher wages or work rules. This extraordinary immunity stems primarily from the U.S. Supreme Court’s 1973 ruling in United States v. Emmons, which gutted key provisions of the Hobbs Act. Combined with practical limitations in the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO), it has created a regime where violence during labor disputes is frequently treated differently under the law. The Emmons Decision: A Judicial Loophole In United States v. Emmons, 410 U.S. 396 (1973), three IBEW members were indicted for firing high-powered rifles at utility transformers, draining oil from equipment, and blowing up a substation during a strike. The Supreme Court held that such violence did not constitute “wrongful” extortion under the Hobbs Act (18 U.S.C. § 1951) because the union had a “claim of right” to pursue legitimate bargaining goals.
Cargill locks out more than 1,700 union workers from Colorado meat plant
May 21, 2026 // The beef plant has skidded to a standstill during a time when consumer complaints about high beef prices are growing. The slaughterhouse in northeast Colorado takes in live cattle and ships out boxed beef, and the union said the plant is pivotal for the local economy. Cargill reported base wages at the plant are $23.50, up from $15.35 in 2018.
The Union You’ve Never Heard Of Is Following A Blueprint You Should Know
May 18, 2026 // In 2021, IATSE members authorized a strike by 98.7%. What followed was four years of increasingly coordinated action across entertainment unions. WGA, SAG-AFTRA, IATSE, and the Teamsters built a solidarity coalition that showed up at each other’s picket lines in 2023, during a 148-day WGA strike and a 118-day counterpart for SAG-AFTRA. During contract negotiations, this coalition has been using pattern bargaining, and “wins” by one union become the baseline for those that follow. Each contract raises the floor for the next negotiation, and whether that method is sustainable for the industry isn’t relevant here. What matters is that other unions are watching, and they love to copycat each other.
Commentary: Josh Hawley’s Pro-Union Bill Would Let Washington Write Your Contract
May 16, 2026 // A Hawley-backed bill, known as the Faster Labor Contracts Act (FLCA), seems to be picking up steam and may soon pass the House of Representatives. Unfortunately, the FLCA is a trifecta of bad public policy: It suffers from constitutional infirmities, revives a corrupt government agency, and takes away the voice of both businesses and workers. Earlier this Congress, Hawley introduced the FLCA in the Senate, alongside one other Republican senator and three Democratic senators; he has since picked up another Republican and 10 more Democrats. Companion legislation in the House has 99 cosponsors, 17 of which are Republican.
Here’s how much money Shawn Fain, other UAW leaders made in 2025
May 15, 2026 // April Verrett, president of the Service Employees International Union, made $322,045. Sean O'Brien, the president of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, made $443,539. Fain's compensation for the year was the highest of his tenure by about two thousand dollars. In 2023, filings show Fain made $228,872. In 2024, Fain was paid $274,407.
The Union Organizing Boom Has a Number They Don’t Want You to See
May 14, 2026 // The Faster Labor Contracts Act, championed by union-aligned legislators on Capitol Hill, would impose a 90-day bargaining deadline. If no deal is reached, a government-appointed arbitrator writes the contract — and workers do not get to vote on the result. Critics have pointed out that this structure actually incentivizes union negotiators to stall and run out the clock, betting an arbitrator delivers better terms than good-faith bargaining would. Workers get a contract faster. They just lose the right to approve it. The dues keep coming either way.
California’s War on Autonomous Trucking
May 14, 2026 // As structural economic factors push costs for the freight industry and consumers higher, the American public has three options. It can accept higher prices for all transportation services; it can enlarge the labor pool through immigration; or it can embrace new technology that improves transportation productivity and resolves the Baumol dilemma. Becerra, Steyer, and Khanna have followed the path prescribed by FreightWaves’ Fuller, promising to force higher freight costs onto the public. While the Golden State’s coalition politics might require genuflecting to the Teamsters, Californians are bound to notice before long that they’re paying higher prices than people in other states while also lagging behind them technologically.
‘Demanding a voice’: Tri-State workers go on strike, want union recognition
May 12, 2026 // Workers at Batesville Products plan to begin a strike Monday morning after unanimously voting to demand union recognition, according to Teamsters Local 135. The group — including machinists, polishers, and shipping and receiving employees — is organizing with the union amid concerns over workplace conditions, long hours, pay and benefits. Workers say many have been required to work 60-hour weeks for months with little improvement in conditions. Employees requested voluntary recognition from the company April 28, but the request was denied. They then filed for a representation election with the National Labor Relations Board.