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Local and National Union News
National health officials warn Americans to plan for the coronavirus
 Feb. 26, 2020 | Dr. Nancy Messonnier of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) told reporters yesterday, “It’s not so much a question of if this will happen anymore, but really a question when it will happen – and how many people in this country will have severe illness.” As of today, there have been about 15 confirmed cases in the U.S, and an additional 42 who were travelers on the cruise ship docked in Japan and have been repatriated to the U.S. Learn more about the coronavirus and how to protect yourself and your family. This infographic shows how the CDC is preparing communities to deal with and prevent the spread of the coronavirus (COVID-19). Finally, stay informed through trustworthy sources, such as the CDC, the World Health Organization (WHO) and your local health departments.
General President Jim Hoffa won’t seek re-election in 2022
Feb. 20, 2020 | James P. Hoffa on Friday signaled the end of an era for the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, telling The Detroit News he will not seek re-election just as the labor union this week makes a historic exit from government oversight. "I think it's time for the next generation to take over," the 78-year-old labor leader said. "We rebuilt this union. We've rebuilt our finances. We rebuilt the spirit. We put the swagger back in the union. ... I'm very proud of what we have done, but I also realize maybe it's time for the next generation to take over." Hoffa, the second-longest serving Teamsters president, will leave behind a complex legacy when he steps down in March 2022 after 23 years, experts said. The Detroit native now says he feels confident in the finances, unity and momentum of one of the country's largest unions — and its restored integrity… Detroit News
Take the Teamster poll to rank the presidential candidates
 Feb. 20, 2020 | The Teamsters Union has not endorsed a presidential candidate, and instead has made a concerted effort to get all the candidates on the record on key union priorities such as pension reform and collective bargaining rights. As the primary process continues, the union wants to hear from its members about what candidate they favor. Go to TeamstersVote to see where the candidates stand on the issues and then take the Teamsters Preference Poll to rank the remaining candidates in order of your preference. The Teamsters will use the results to help guide its choice if it does ultimately decide to endorse a candidate for the 2020 Presidential Election.
Black History Month means more to the Teamsters
 Feb. 13, 2020 | But for the Teamsters Union, black history isn’t just an add on to our story or recognition of advancements. It is part of the core of our history. Black and white Teamsters rallied together after the Civil War to improve conditions, starting the first independent team driver locals. Black teamsters (and women teamsters for that matter) were part of the original conventions forming the Team Drivers International Union in 1898 and its spin-off The National Teamsters Union in 1902. T.A. Stowers (second from left in photo), a black delegate from Chicago was a leading voice at the 1903 convention to create the Teamsters Union as we know it today. He helped write the union’s constitution, yet few have heard of him. Stowers was the force behind adopting a creed vastly different from other unions, allowing members of any race, creed, gender or religion into the Teamsters. That’s a mainstay of our history and should be remembered… NJ Today
Deadline fast approaching for this year’s Hoffa Memorial Scholarship
Feb. 13, 2020 | The deadline for applying for an academic or vocational/training program scholarship from the James R. Hoffa Memorial Scholarship Fund is March 2. The college and vocational scholarship programs are available only for the sons, daughters and financial dependents of active and retired Teamsters. Visit the scholarship fund's website for information on who is eligible to apply and how to apply.
Older news stories can be found at Local News
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 Feb. 26, 2020 | BLACK HISTORY MONTH | Black leaders, activists, and organizers formed the backbone of the U.S. labor movement. Even when the forces of structural racism and segregation sought to stifle their contributions, their resolve to fight for workers’ rights alongside the cause of civil rights remained unshakable. Black women, in particular, have played an enormous role in the movement’s legacy and development. The Washerwomen of Jackson formed Mississippi’s first labor union in 1866. Lucy Parsons, the anarchist firebrand, cofounded three influential radical unions in 20th-century Chicago. More recently, United Auto Workers (UAW) organizer Sanchioni Butler battled Nissan in a years-long campaign to organize Southern auto-plant workers. Along with so many others, these Black women have long been the bedrock of a workers’ rights movement that has often tried to shut them out… TeenVogue.com
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Feb. 24, 2020 | OPINION | Black History Month is traditionally a time to honor black Americans and, theoretically, accord them their proper place in American history. Every February we re-examine the exemplary lives of Harriet Tubman, Charles Drew, Frederick Douglass and those of lesser-known but truly significant leaders, artists, scientists, thinkers, and others. The occasion has always felt too narrow to me. We are eager to celebrate our favorite figures and their trailblazing achievements — Barack Obama is the latest — but less eager to examine the fact that their heroism was based more often than not in fighting an American system that fought — and still fights — against their status as full Americans… History News Network
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 • Workers are struggling because labor law is broken
• Letter: Make America union again
• Candidates visit Teamster shops during NH primary
• 20 movies reveal the black experience in America
• Labor's dispute over ‘Medicare for All’ tests its 2020 clout
• Will FedEx Express link up Ground make organizing easier?
• ‘We can’t afford healthcare’: US hospital workers fight for higher wages
• Workers face retirement with fear after GOP refuses to back pension protection bill
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Feb. 20, 2020 | ECONOMY | […] Two factors likely are driving workers to stage walkouts en masse, according to the Economic Policy Institute, a nonprofit think tank whose research focuses on trends involving working people. Employees are well aware that if they lose their jobs for striking they're likely to find another quickly. And employees aren't getting the wage gains that a tight labor market normally brings. "[It's] people kind of looking around and saying, 'Oh my God, we're 10 years into this recovery. The unemployment rate is 3.6%. Why am I not seeing decent wage increases?'" said Heidi Shierholz, one of the authors of EPI's analysis and a former Department of Labor chief economist in the Obama administration… CNN Business Related: Some striking numbers
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 Feb. 19, 2020 | COLLECTIVE ACTION | Last April, more than 30,000 Stop & Shop grocery workers across the Northeast won a raucous 11-day strike against the company, beating back health care and pension cuts. Now, another major grocery strike has become a serious possibility, this time in and around the nation’s capital. On Wednesday, UFCW Local 400 announced that it will be holding a strike vote early next month for more than 25,000 workers at hundreds of Giant Foods and Safeway stores across DC, Maryland, and Virginia. The union has separate contracts with Giant and Safeway, but both of those contracts have been expired since last October. Negotiations in the ensuing months proved fruitless, and now the union is preparing for what could become the first large strike of 2020… Working In These Times (Photo: Marvin Joseph/The Washington Post via Getty Images)
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