International Brotherhood of Teamsters

The Teamsters’ campaign to organize Amazon nationwide grows bigger and stronger every day. Amazon workers made history in California as the first drivers at the trillion-dollar company to become Teamsters, and history will continue to be made in California as more Amazon workers join the Teamsters. Mark your calendars for Thursday, August 29, and join our livestream for an “Amazon Teamsters Day of Solidarity” rally with Teamsters General President Sean M. O’Brien and Congressman Adam Schiff!

“If the Painters ever find themselves in a fight, you’ll have the full power of the Teamsters Union standing behind you.” Teamsters General President Sean M. O’Brien helped the International Union of Painters and Allied Trades (IUPAT) kick off its convention on Monday in Florida, thanking the Painters for being one of the first unions to throw its support behind 340,000 UPS Teamsters during our historic contract fight in 2023. O’Brien thanked IUPAT General President Jimmy Williams and all delegates for their brotherhood and solidarity in the labor movement, with the convention aptly themed, “One Union, One Family, One Fight.” The Teamsters General President also encouraged all Painters to work collaboratively with rank-and-file Teamsters to help take on the world’s greediest employer, Amazon. Like most building trades unions, the Painters help build Amazon facilities. “If Amazon is fine with union labor to build its facilities, they should have no problem having a union for their warehouse workers and delivery drivers,” O’Brien said. “Corporate America is our common enemy. Jeff Bezos and Amazon are some of the biggest, most lethal threats facing American workers today. But together, we can and we will force them to respect the men and women who make their success possible.” IUPAT represents more than 140,000 hardworking members in North America.

Railroad corporations like CN and CPKC want to exploit rail workers across borders. They have no allegiance to anyone besides their shareholders. They want to leave rail workers defenseless, fatigued, and without long-term protections for their families and union brothers and sisters. The Teamsters have bad news for CN and CPKC. We are 1.3 million members strong, including 60,000 railroad Teamsters across the U.S., who will fight like hell to protect 10,000 railroad workers in Teamsters Canada currently on picket lines across the continent.

United Airlines Teamsters Determined to Win Historic Contract For the first time ever at United Airlines, the Teamsters have assembled a rank-and-file negotiating committee featuring representatives from every local union with members at the carrier. Joe Prisco of Teamsters Local 856 is a member on the union’s bargaining committee working alongside his Teamsters brothers and sisters to achieve the industry-leading wages and benefits all workers deserve. The Teamsters Union is going to win this fight at United Airlines and get the contract we have earned for over 10,000 aviation maintenance and related Teamsters nationwide! 

As negotiations continue with United Airlines in Denver, the Teamsters persist in fighting for members’ proposals with the carrier. Today, the United Airlines National Negotiating Committee is proud to announce movement on a critical issue related to job security that was raised during this round of bargaining. During the opening of this week’s negotiations, Teamsters demanded changes to Article 6, increasing furlough protections for United Airlines Teamsters. After pressuring the company, the union is proud to announce that the carrier has tentatively agreed to increase the timeline for Teamsters’ recall rights from six years to 10 years. “We still have a lot to fight for as bargaining continues, but this tentative agreement serves as a testament to the dedication and determination of our rank-and file members," said Clacy Griswold, Chairman of the United Airlines Teamsters National Negotiating Committee. The second round of negotiations with United Airlines will continue until today, August 22. To keep informed and engaged, please download the Teamsters Airline Division App.

Costco Teamsters Suspend National Contract Negotiations, Over 18,000 Teamsters Will Fight to Hold Costco Accountable Costco Teamsters were forced to suspend negotiations for a new National Master Agreement after the wholesale giant, despite its claims of being pro-union, refused to accept a card check agreement that would make it easier for nonunion Costco workers to join the Teamsters. The current national contract, first negotiated in 2022, is up for renewal and protects more than 18,000 workers across the country. The contract expires January 31, 2025. Despite Costco’s public reputation as a “worker-friendly” company, the wholesaler has undergone a troubling shift in its corporate culture and governance. Increasingly, Costco has been catering to Wall Street shareholders at the expense of workers. Nationwide, Costco workers face deteriorating working conditions. This decline has driven an increasing number of nonunion Costco workers to start organizing with the Teamsters. Hundreds of Costco workers in Virginia and Washington recently joined the Teamsters. “Costco’s so-called ‘pro-worker’ image is now nothing more than a talking point for investors,” said Teamsters General President Sean M. O’Brien. “We are not here for empty rhetoric — we’re here to win an industry-leading contract that stops Costco’s corporate backsliding and guarantees workers the right to organize with a card-check agreement.”

558 flight attendants represented by Teamsters Local 120 at Sun Country Airlines in Minneapolis, Minn., have voted by an overwhelming 99 percent to authorize a strike! Last year, Sun Country Airlines exceeded $1 billion in revenue for the first time. In the first quarter of this year, they reported greater revenue than ever before. The flight attendants haven’t had a wage adjustment since 2016, and their collective bargaining agreement became fully amendable on December 31, 2019. Their current pay scale puts them far behind their colleagues at similar carriers. “We voted to strike for one simple reason — Sun Country is dragging out the negotiation process and we are fed up. We are fighting for the contract we deserve,” said Tanya DeVito, a flight attendant and member of the Sun Country Teamsters Local 120 Bargaining Committee. “99 percent of those eligible to vote have authorized a strike. That is not a number that Sun Country can or should ignore. We expect a solid economic package to be brought to us at September’s mediation session, or we will take this to the next level.”

Amazon KCVG Teamsters Fighting to Win “No matter what it takes, we’re going to win this fight and organize Amazon at KCVG.” Amazon’s air cargo hub at the Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport, known as KCVG, shares the same property with DHL, home to thousands of ramp and tug and sort workers actively organizing and winning contracts with the Teamsters. The Teamsters won at DHL's global air hub at CVG and are going to organize and fight every day to ensure Amazon’s workers at KCVG win Teamsters contracts too.

“Labor law must be reformed. Americans vote for a union but can never get a union contract. Companies fire workers who try to join unions and hide behind toothless laws that are meant to protect working people but are manipulated to benefit corporations. This is economic terrorism at its worst. An individual cannot withstand the assault.” — Teamsters General President Sean M. O’Brien, Monday, July 15, 2024, Milwaukee, Wisconsin

Today, Teamsters General President Sean M. O’Brien and General Secretary-Treasurer Fred Zuckerman visited United Airlines technicians represented by Teamsters Local 210 at Newark Liberty International Airport as bargaining continues with the company. “This is the first step towards what will be an historic contract for United Airlines Teamsters,” O’Brien said. “Thanks to the leadership of our negotiating committee and the solidarity of United Airlines Teamsters across the country, we are taking this fight right to the carrier’s doorstep and will not rest until we get the contract we deserve.” With over 900 on-site technicians, Newark hosts the third-largest cohort of United Airlines Teamsters nationwide. “It’s time to put United Airlines on notice — the Teamsters are standing together. We are not playing games,” said David Mahood, a United Airlines technician from Local 210 and a member of the United Airlines Teamsters National Negotiating Committee. “Our strength comes from our determination to win. By speaking with one voice, we will deliver the industry-leading contract United Airlines Teamsters have rightfully earned.”