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Local and National Union News
Teamsters rally against racism
Aug. 7, 2020 | Listen to the latest edition of the Teamsters Podcast and how learn how the union joined with labor allies in the Strike for Black Lives. Plus, we hear from a NIOSH official about how truckers can remain safe on the job. Featuring interviews and audio from Teamsters Human Rights and Diversity Commission Director Marcus King; UPS driver and Local 804 member Antoine Andrews; Local 322 member Kim Campbell; Local 777 President Jim Glimco; and Dawn Castillo, the director of the Division of Safety Research for the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health.What you need to know about Maryland’s mask mandate
July 27, 2020 | Gov. Larry Hogan issued an executive order Wednesday expanding mask-wearing restrictions, mandating that everyone older than 5 must wear masks inside all public buildings, including restaurants, houses of worship, gyms, casinos, stores and office buildings starting Friday at 5 p.m. Masks also will now be required outdoors whenever it is not possible to maintain social distancing of at least 6 feet from others. Learn more here.Hoffa: Infrastructure investment holds key to improving economy
July 27, 2020 | Most Americans use these systems every day, including hundreds of thousands of Teamsters, be it as truckers, railroad workers, bus drivers, building tradesmen and others. Our nation’s failure to maintain and improve this infrastructure is costing Americans. The irony is that increased infrastructure spending is widely supported, with a recent poll showing 80 percent back it. Increasing investments in necessary networks is essential to turning the economy around. Why? Because infrastructure jobs, unlike those in other sectors, can’t be outsourced… Continue reading here.Contracts ratified at Aramark Uniform, Potts & Callahan, P. Flanagan & Sons
July 24, 2020 | This year would have been a busy one in our Local even without a coronavirus pandemic coming along and turning our lives and livelihoods upside down. With more than a dozen contracts expiring in 2020, social-distancing requirements have challenged us to get creative and be innovative in the handling of our grievance processes and all aspects of negotiations – from proposal meetings to bargaining sessions with employers. Here’s what’s been going on: Members at Aramark Uniform ratified a new four-year contract retroactive back to January of this year. A one-year contract was approved by members at Potts & Callahan providing an increase in wages and pension. A three-year agreement with wage, 401(k) and pension increases, and maintenance of benefits was ratified by members at P. Flanagan & Sons. Members at Bond Distributing and Edgemere Terminal approved one-year contract extensions. Contracts continue under extension agreements while negotiations continue at Aramark Vending; Breakthru; Chesapeake Beverage; Ecology Services; Hagerstown Canteen; MTC Logistics; RNDC; Southern Wine; Systems Freight; and UCC.Older news stories can be found at Local News
Elsewhere in the News In Case You Missed It 
• Labor takes a hit from the Covid-19 pandemic
• US has lost 12,881,000 jobs since February
• Senate refuses to help stave off eviction crisis
• Laid-off workers endure loss of $600 aid
• Here’s how to request a Maryland mail-in ballot
• UPS, FedEx gear up to ship Covid-19 vaccine when ready
• US Foods workers in AZ threaten to strike over Covid-19 issues
• UPS readies freezer farms to store virus vaccine when approved
• Labor leader helps create ‘Strike’ The Game of Worker Rebellion
• Snapshots in Teamster historyMajor Unions Push for Paid Leave In Covid-19 Aid Bill
Aug. 7, 2020 | COVID-19 | The country's top five labor union groups are calling on Congress to include expanded paid leave benefits in a new COVID-19 relief bill. "Never before have paid leave protections been more necessary," the coalition of unions wrote in a letter to congressional leaders obtained by The Hill. The coalition, which includes the AFL-CIO, American Federation of Teachers, Communications Workers of America, National Education Association and the SEIU, represents more than 20 million workers. Specifically, the unions and labor groups are pushing for provisions in the HEROES Act, which House Democrats passed in May, to broaden earlier paid leave provisions they say excluded 106 million workers… MS NewsUSPS Workers Say New Policies Threaten Core Mission 
Aug. 4, 2020 | PRIVATIZATION | July has a flurry of confusion and stress for postal workers, as a barrage of new measures are threatening to fundamentally overhaul and undermine the culture and operations of the U.S. Postal Service. Earlier this month, the Washington Post reported on a memo from the new USPS Postmaster General Louis DeJoy urging postal staff to leave behind mail at distribution centers if they thought it would cause a delay for letter carriers. Another memo stated that the USPS would be looking to cut transportation and overtime costs, bringing about “immediate, lasting, and impactful changes” to the federal agency… Intercept
Can Labor Fix Our Broken Economy?
Aug. 3, 2020 | ECONOMY | Decades of soaring income inequality rendered tens of millions of Americans just one or two missed paychecks away from financial calamity. While CEO and shareholder income skyrocketed over the past four decades, ordinary Americans’ wages stagnated. Even those juggling multiple jobs struggle to feed their families, leaving them unable to save for retirement or squirrel away money for emergencies. But it doesn’t have to be this way. Labor unions force corporations to provide workers with family-sustaining wages, affordable health insurance, viable retirement plans, safe working conditions and other benefits that help workers survive crises like the pandemic. And only the growth of unions—along with a much-needed strengthening of U.S. labor rights—can restore fairness to the cruel economic system laid bare by COVID-19… LA ProgressiveIn Case You Missed It 
• Teamsters use new GOTV methods
• Covid-19 news updates for July 30
• Economy shrinks by 33 percent, 2M more jobless
• Why the working class votes against its own interests
• Meatpackers sue OSHA for virus safety enforcement
• Covid-19 among meatpacking workers: An American tragedy
• Employers require liability waivers as conflict mounts over workplace safety
• How Labor Sec’ty Scalia played chicken with meatpacking workers’ lives
• Unions urge congressional action on Philippines Human Rights Act
• If ‘cancel culture’ is about getting fired, let’s cancel at-will employment
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