February 7, 2012: A Chicago-based local of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters can be held liable for wages lost by union members after the local failed to properly request negotiations with the employer under the wage-reopener clause of the bargaining unit's contract with the employer, the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois ruled (Begeske v. Int'l Bhd. of Teamsters Local 673, N.D. Ill., No. 09 CV 4009, 1/31/12).

January 31, 2012: YRC Inc. is getting out of the next-day delivery business as it continues to shift its focus to being a pure-play long-haul carrier.

January 30, 2012: LONDON, Ontario—Outside a rail locomotive factory owned by Caterpillar Inc. here, locked-out workers have set up a trailer and a wooden shack to keep warm between bouts of waving union flags and shouting slogans. In a high-profile test of union clout in Canada, they are digging in for what looks like a long struggle.

January 30, 2012: The chairman of the National Labor Relations Board hopes to have another round of regulations in place by the end of the year that would make it easier for unions to establish and win representation elections in workplaces.

January 23, 2012: America’s unionized workers, buffeted by layoffs and stagnating wages, face another phenomenon that is increasingly throwing them on the defensive: lockouts.

January 20, 2012: As they fought to put a “right-to-work” bill to a voter referendum, Indiana Democratic legislators boycotted House sessions yesterday and today—and were locked out of caucus rooms by Republican-majority leaders.

January 17, 2012: Anti-worker politicians in Indiana are trying to push through “Right to Work” legislation. Indiana Teamsters are saying this law is “Bad for Indiana.”

January 9, 2012: YRC, looking to restructure its operations as the trucking operator seeks to rebuild its finances, is preparing for talks with the Teamsters union on a redesign of its freight terminal network and how its union employees handle shipments.

January 6, 2012: Trying to persuade locked-out workers in Canada to accept a sharp cut in pay, Caterpillar Inc. is citing lower wages elsewhere. But instead of pointing to the usual models of cheap and pliant labor, such as China or Mexico, it is using a more surprising example: the U.S.

January 6, 2012: Trucking company YRC Worldwide Inc. said Thursday it is selling the former Roadway headquarters in Akron to the developer of the new Goodyear headquarters and expects up to 100 people will lose their jobs in upcoming months.

January 5, 2012: Bakery Teamsters are facing production harassment and concessions. Some are even losing their pensions. The International Union’s response: Yee-haw, let’s go to the Calgary Stampede!

January 5, 2012: President Obama Jan. 4 announced his intent to recess appoint two Democrats and a Republican to serve as members of the National Labor Relations Board, restoring a quorum on the five-seat board that was lost Jan. 3 with the departure of Member Craig Becker.

January 3, 2012: U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood today announced a final rule specifically prohibiting interstate truck and bus drivers from using hand-held cell phones while operating their vehicles.

December 30, 2011: The owners of a New York City construction and demolition debris trucking contractor have been indicted on charges that they engaged in a scheme to skirt a collective bargaining agreement and embezzle more than $1 million in union benefit fund payments, prosecutors announced Dec. 22.

December 30, 2011: Members of the International Brotherhood or Teamsters have ratified a first contract with United Airlines, a subsidiary of United Continental Holdings Inc., that provides some 5,500 aircraft mechanics and related employees with “significant” wage increases, maintenance of health care benefits, and enhanced job security protections, the union announced Dec. 29.

December 23, 2011: Throughout 2011, the NLRB's General Counsel increasingly has used its power to issue and prosecute unfair labor practice complaints against employers that have disciplined employ

December 22, 2011: The long-awaited final rule on revised hours of service has been released, keeping the current 11-hour daily driving limit but cutting by 12 hours the maximum number of hours a truck driver can work within a week.

December 16, 2011: YRC Worldwide said late Thursday it has sold “a significant portion” of the assets of its truckload unit YRC Glen Moore to truckload carrier Celadon Group.

December 14, 2011: The Department of Transportation and the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration have set Thursday, Dec. 22 as the date the FMCSA will release the final rule on Hours of Service, a source has told The Trucker.

December 14, 2011: After decades of uncertainty over millions of dollars of potential pension withdrawal liability, Teamsters union-covered trucking companies in multi-employer pension plans finally have some tangible financial rays of hope.

December 13, 2011: Underwriters, trucking companies and industry groups have mixed opinions on the merits and potential impact of a new federal rule prohibiting commercial truckers and bus drivers from using hand-held cellphones while driving.

December 16, 2011: Hoffa and Hall have promised UPS will curb production harassment, hire more package drivers and respect members’ 9.5 rights.

It’s up to Teamster members to hold Hoffa and Hall to their pledge and to Make UPS Deliver on these commitments.

December 1, 2011: Shareholders of the Overland Park, Kan., company on Wednesday authorized what is called a reverse split of its shares. The split is intended in part to raise the per-share price above $1 and bring YRC into compliance with NASDAQ market listing rules.

November 30, 2011: The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration expects to complete work on a final hours-of-service rule within the next 30 days, according to a joint report of the agency and plaintiffs in a federal lawsuit.

November 28, 2011: U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood today announced a final rule specifically prohibiting interstate truck and bus drivers from using hand-held cell phones while operating their vehicles.

November 21, 2011: Not long ago, truckers pulled off highways across America and tuned in to someone whose CB handle was “Troublemaker.”

November 21, 2011: Teamsters President James Hoffa is expected to win another five-year term heading one of the nation’s largest labor unions.

November 09, 2011: Organized labor’s early flirtation with Occupy Wall Street is starting to get serious.

November 07, 2011: ormer truck driver Alexandra “Sandy” Pope, 55, is taking on one of organized labor’s biggest names -- Hoffa -- for the right to lead the 1.4 million-member International Brotherhood of Teamsters.

November 07, 2011: Shares of major freight railroads fell in afternoon trading Friday ahead of the weekend deadline for a presidential board to propose a settlement of labor talks between the industry and unions.

November 2, 2011: US Foods workers were forced to strike the nation's second largest foodservice distributor this weekend in response to the company's unfair labor practices, which include retaliating against employees for engaging in union activity and refusal to bargain in good faith with Teamsters Local 722 in La Salle, Ill.

October 31, 2011: United Parcel Service said it received a profitable boost from its trucking operations in the third quarter, helping it achieve 14% higher earnings of $1.06 per diluted share on 8% higher revenues of $13.2 billion compared to the same period last year.

October 28, 2011: Arkansas Best swung to a $12.3 million net profit in the third quarter from a loss a year ago despite lower freight volume at the less-than-truckload subsidiary, ABF Freight System.

October 28, 2011: The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration said it will not meet Friday’s court settlement deadline to issue its final hours-of-service rule.

October 28, 2011: Protestors affiliated with the Occupy Wall Street movement have raised awareness about the degree to which economic rewards in the U.S. are more concentrated in recent decades.

October 27, 2011: Less-than-truckload carrier YRC, moving to overhaul its operations after a change in leadership, is consolidating geographic regions and streamlining its management under new president Jeff Rogers.

October 25, 2011: Locked-out Teamster art-handlers talk about their role in the world of high-end art auctions, and how they feel about the work they so artfully handle.

October 21, 2011: The Occupy Wall Street protests that began as a nebulous mix of social and economic grievances are becoming more politically organized — with help from some of the country’s largest labor unions.

October 21, 2011: Guillermo Pérez knows all eyes will be on his trucks, but he says he’s up to the challenge. He’s a manager at Transportes Olympic, the first Mexican trucking company to receive U.S. approval for direct, long-haul trips north of the border.

October 17, 2011: Get the answers to common questions about the election process for Teamster President.

October 12, 2011: If you did not get your ballot yet, call the Election Supervisor to request a replacement ballot at 877-317-2011.

October 3, 2011: The secretary-treasurer of a Hamilton based Teamsters local is alleging corruption and misuse of nearly $250,000 in union dues in a bombshell letter to members.

September 27, 2011: Sandy Pope says things you might not expect to hear from a union leader.

September 27, 2011: YRC Worldwide’s new CEO James L. Welch eliminated two executive positions at the trucking giant as he reorganizes its management team and functions.

September 20, 2011: Gary Skarka had a rewarding middle-management career at AT&T, along with some of the best retirement benefits in the country.

September 19, 2011: In a show of solidarity and apparent disdain over police actions at rough protest last week, the entire membership of International Longshore and Warehouse Union Local 21 turned themselves in Friday in response to warrants filed against some union members for vandalism.

September 20, 2011: Why He Can’t Win and Why That’s a Good Thing....

September 15, 2011: A Teamster candidate challenging James P. Hoffa took a swing at YRC Worldwide’s board of directors this week, attacking increases in cash retainers for directors.

September 9, 2011: In a debate held in advance of the upcoming election for officers of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, candidates Sept. 7 laid out their visions for the Teamsters' future while drawing sharp contrasts with their opponents and pointing to past accomplishments.

September 9, 2011: A U.S. District Court judge in Tacoma on Thursday enjoined International Longshore and Warehouse Union picketers from engaging in violence and impeding rail or ship traffic at the new EGT grain terminal in Longview, Wash.

September 1, 2011: YRC Worldwide Inc. is giving the members of its board of directors a raise.

August 30, 2011: The dockets are now available for the second UPS national panel of the year, September 12-15 at the Mission Bay Hyatt Regency in San Diego.

August 30, 2011: A federal appeals court overturned a rule that would require certain trucking companies to use electronic onboard recorders to monitor drivers.

August 25, 2011: U.S. trucking companies may face a 30 percent surge in wage bills by 2014 as rising demand for freight shipments threatens to push the industry’s driver shortage to the longest on record.

August 24, 2011: The IBT has filed objections to the recent vote of United Airlines and Continental fleet service workers.

August 19, 2011: Our leaders have asked for “shared sacrifice.” But when they did the asking, they spared me. I checked with my mega-rich friends to learn what pain they were expecting. They, too, were left untouched.

August 17, 2011: On August 12, Ken Hall came to the Earth City hub near St. Louis to campaign, and so UPS management tidied the place up for him.

August 12, 2011: The union that represents ramp workers at United Airlines won an election on Thursday to cover more than 14,000 workers as it combines with Continental.

August 10, 2011: The second quarter brought good news again for the US's four major public rail carriers, while Old Dominion again flew high among less-than-truckload carriers in a quarter that all improved their results if not exactly deliver outstanding results in some cases.

August 9, 2011: Take action to support 45,000 workers on strike to save good union jobs at Verizon.

August 8, 2011: The new CEO of less-than-truckload (LTL) carrier YRC Worldwide Inc. said Friday he is focusing much of his early efforts on fixing the operating culture at the company's national LTL division, saying the network and the attitude supporting it "are not where we want it to be."

August 3, 2011: Arkansas Best Corporation (NASDAQ:ABFS) climbed to a profit in the second quarter and beat Wall Street’s expectations in the process.

August 3, 2011: As the International Brotherhood of Teamsters nominated three candidates for general president at last month’s convention, Sandy Pope’s acceptance speech was noteworthy on several levels.

August 2, 2011: Hoffa has chickened-out of the official campaign debate, and has designated Ken Hall as his stand-in. Hall will debate Sandy Pope on September 7 in Washington DC, in the forum sponsored by the Election Supervisor.

August 1, 2011: Bill Zollars, the worst CEO in the history of LTL transportation has finally left the building but what he has left behind still lingers as an ongoing concern.

July 23, 2011: YRC will soon have a new CEO, whose name will be familiar to many former Yellow Teamsters: James L. Welch. This will be announced tomorrow by YRC, but word has leaked out for the past two weeks.

July 21, 2011: If 55 package handlers at the FedEx Ground warehouse in Brockton, Massachusetts, win the union election scheduled for August 3, it will be the first time ever for package handlers at the giant non-union shipper. They’re facing a fierce anti-union campaign.

July 19, 2011: The ballots for Teamster General President and lesser offices will be mailed out on or about October 6, and must be returned by November 14, when the count will begin.

July 15, 2011: Teamster rail workers are urging fellow unionists in the United Transportation Union (UTU) to reject a substandard contract negotiated by UTU leaders.

July 14, 2011: An Appeal To Reason - United Transportation Union (UTU) recently released to the public their tentative national agreement with the Class 1 Freight Railroads resolving wages, health care and rules covering the six year period from 2010-2016.

July 13, 2011: On July 6, 2011, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 8th Circuit in St. Louis, MO issued its decision on the appeal filed by ABF in its lawsuit against the union and the YRCW companies, regarding the financial relief that was given to the YRCW companies to help them survive the worst economic recession since the Great Depression.

July 12, 2011: YRC Worldwide is one step away from completing its financial restructuring by a July 22 deadline, a key official at the $4.4 billion trucking company said Monday.

July 11, 2011: A series of union concessions between YRC Worldwide Inc. and the International Brotherhood of Teamsters is in jeopardy again after a federal appeals court restored a legal challenge by rival trucker ABF Freight Systems Inc.

July 7, 2011: The United States and Mexico Wednesday signed a cross-border trucking agreement under which the U.S.

July 7, 2011: A series of union concessions between YRC Worldwide Inc. and the International Brotherhood of Teamsters is in jeopardy again after a federal appeals court restored a legal challenge by rival trucker ABF Freight System Inc.

June 30, 2011: Hoffa has run the convention as a five-day show of testimonials, videos, speeches and praise for himself and his administration. Hoffa delegates frequently drift from the hall, and the casino fills up with the “red vest” Hoffa supporters by mid-afternoon.

June 30, 2010: Teamsters will have a real choice this fall: five more years of Hoffa, or a new direction. Sandy Pope was nominated today and will challenge Hoffa for General President this fall.

June 15, 2011: Proposed hours of service (HOS) regulations currently being promulgated by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) to improve driver safety are unnecessary and could prove costly to small trucking businesses, lawmakers and witnesses told a House panel June 14.

June 15, 2011: The United States and Mexico are close to signing a formal cross-border trucking agreement and could do so as early as this month, according to a Mexican government minister, Bloomberg reported Tuesday.

June 10, 2011: In another blow to Hoffa’s cover-up of corruption in Local 82, the Independent Review Board has rejected the findings of an IBT panel for being too soft on schemers who rigged contract votes and embezzled union funds.

June 10, 2011: After 5000 United Airlines mechanics and related workers solidly rejected a proposed contract, the Hoffa administration is pulling their usual trick: blame the members instead of standing up for them like leaders.

June 3, 2011: United Airlines mechanics have voted down a proposed tentative agreement by a vote of 2,376 to 1,765.

June 3, 2011: The International Union has announced that they reached a tentative national agreement with the carhaul industry. It would be a 51-month contract, expiring August 31, 2015.

June 2, 2011: YRC Worldwide Inc., Overland Park, Kan., on Wednesday resumed making contributions to its union pension plans after a 23-month hiatus, but the contributions are 75% less than they had been.

June 1, 2011: UPS is constantly trying to counter increasing fuel prices. This is likely true with every company in transportation, but UPS recently announced and demo’d its mostly plastic delivery truck that’s 40% more fuel efficient than the current.

May 25, 2011: Teamsters at YRC have given up a lot to save jobs and a Teamster foothold in trucking. So why is Hoffa letting YRC move Teamster jobs to India and the Philippines?

May 20, 2011: The national carhaul contract will expire on May 31, but it is apparent that it will be extended.

UPDATED MAY 26, 2011: Local 82 members have bounced a top Hoffa appointee and his number one thug from our union.

May 19, 2011: The Independent Review Board (IRB) has completed an extensive investigation into corruption in Los Angeles Local 630 and recommended a trusteeship and charges against three officials.

May 10, 2011: The UPS National Grievance Panel was held more than two months ago. So why haven’t the decisions been issued yet?

May 10, 2011: Joe Korziuk has spent 23 years working for U.P.S. washing trucks, delivering packages and driving tractor trailers. Though he loves the job, it has a downside: At 45, he has had surgery on both knees and a shoulder, developed bulging disks in his back and sustained a concussion when boxes fell on him.

May 10, 2011: Forty-two House members joined Reps. Duncan Hunter (R-Calif.) and Daniel Lipinski (D-Ill.) in a May 4 letter to Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood blasting a proposed North American Free Trade Agreement cross-border trucking program with Mexico.

May 4, 2011: The Western Conference of Teamsters Pension Fund has made it official: YRC Teamsters are no longer participants in a pension plan.

May 4, 2011: Members of Teamsters for a Democratic Union (TDU) are proud that the IBT is honoring Victor G. Reuther by hosting his induction ceremony to Labor’s International Hall of Fame on May 17.

May 3, 2011: YRC Worldwide (YRCW), the financially ailing second-largest less-than-truckload (LTL) company which has lost in excess of $2.7 billion the last four years, says it has reached another “milestone” in its long-awaited restructuring plan now scheduled for completion in July.

April 27, 2011: United Parcel Service Inc.’s next- day package shipments rose in the first quarter as business customers refilled stockpiles to meet higher demand from the recovering economy, Chief Financial Officer Kurt Kuehn said.

April 26, 2011: The top two officials of a Fullerton-based Teamsters Union affiliate quit while under investigation for financial improprieties, The Register has learned.

April 21, 2011: James Hoffa, after caught using union jobs, salaries, and pensions to bribe people for political support, is finally being forced to comply with the judge’s order in the case.

April 21, 2011: In what may be the strongest signal yet of the new pro-labor orientation of the National Labor Relations Board under President Obama, the agency filed a complaint Wednesday seeking to force Boeing to bring an airplane production line back to its unionized facilities in Washington State instead of moving the work to a nonunion plant in South Carolina.

April 15, 20011: Just hours before their strike deadline, Teamster bus drivers won a contract that delivers on the key issues.

April 12, 2011: Fort Smith-based Arkansas Best Corp appealed the dismissal of its lawsuit against the International Brotherhood of Teamsters and had its day in court this morning.

April 12, 2011: American Trucking Associations is endorsing a federal proposal that trucking companies use electronic logging devices to monitor drivers’ compliance with hours-of-service rules.

April 11, 2011: Chittenden County Transportation Authority bus drivers overwhelmingly rejected a proposed three-year contract Sunday and began bracing for a strike.

April 7, 2011: More than a quarter-million dollars worth of marijuana was smuggled into Charlotte, Gaston County police said.

April 7, 2011: While Teamsters employed by YRC continue to suffer from drastic concessions, company executives are getting obscene payments.

April 5, 2011: After six months of investigation and three months of appeals, court-appointed election overseers have ordered Teamster President James Hoffa to acknowledge that he attempted to buy election support by offering jobs and pensions.

April 1, 2011: Bus drivers for the Chittenden County Transportation Authority say they are contemplating a strike over the authority’s push for shorter work weeks and an increase in the number of part-time drivers.

March 30, 2011: Imagine an election where all non-voters are counted as “NO” voters. It’s undemocratic, and it would make it extremely hard to get enough “YES” votes to pass anything.

March 31, 2011: A drastic overhaul of Ohio's nearly 30-year-old collective-bargaining law cleared the legislature on Wednesday after nearly two months of contentious hearings, raucous protests and passionate debate.

March 31, 2011: The Central States, Southeast, and Southwest Areas Pension Fund, which administers pensions for some members of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, March 22 announced major changes to the pension plan for IBT members employed at financially struggling trucking company YRC Worldwide Inc.

March 22, 2011: Regional less-than-truckload carrier Holland will hire nearly 1,000 drivers this year as freight demand accelerates, the YRC Worldwide subsidiary said Monday.

March 18, 2011: John Lamar, YRC’s new restructuring officer, will pull down $80,000 per month, in addition to “director compensation” and a possible $500,000 bonus later this year, according to YRCW’s filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Lamar holds positions with other corporations as well.

March 17, 2011: Working from the inside, Ken Paff has brought about reforms that give Teamster members more say in the running of their union. Now, he's working to eject the old guard and bring in new leadership.

March 18, 2011: Allied’s attempt to leverage higher rates from the auto manufacturers, banking on the higher demand for carhaul services, is continuing.

March 10, 2011: Allied Automotive Group management informed the International Union yesterday morning that they would unilaterally break the Teamster national carhaul contract by cutting pay 20% across the board. The cut supposedly will hit paychecks issued tomorrow.

March 10, 2011: The attack on public employee unions in the Midwest is about more than collective bargaining rights. It’s a corporate attack on democracy itself.

March 9, 2011: Good labor relations between employers and trade unions helped the European Union through the economic crisis of 2008-2010, a European Commission report said March 3.

March 9, 2011: President Obama and Mexican President Felipe Calderón March 3 announce their agreement on a “path” toward resolving the protracted North American Free Trade Agreement cross-border trucking dispute with Mexico and the eventual lifting of retaliatory Mexican tariffs on over $2 billion in U.S. goods.

March 7, 2011: Attorney General Eric Schneiderman today announced a $1.3 million settlement with United Parcel Service, Inc. dealing with allegations that their delivery trucks are in “serious despair” but knowingly permitted on the roads in New York.

February 22, 2011: No one calls Teamsters' president Jim P. Hoffa Jimmy.

February 18, 2010: Labor and community supporters are rallying to protect good jobs and quality bus service in Vermont.

February 16, 2011: Thousands of people descended on the Wisconsin state Capitol again Wednesday to protest a bill that would strip most public employees of their collective bargaining rights, but Gov. Scott Walker insisted he has the votes to pass the measure.

February 14, 2011: Representatives from several unions and student groups rallied Sunday behind Chittenden County Transportation Authority bus drivers fighting for a new contract.

February 8, 2011: All 47 Republicans in the U.S. Senate submitted a letter to President Obama objecting to his renomination of attorney Craig Becker to fill the remainder of a five-year term as a board member ending Dec. 16, 2014, and asking Obama to “respect the will of the Senate” by withdrawing the nomination.

February 7, 2011: A longtime Memphis union leader is at the center of an investigation into whether Teamsters boss James Hoffa and his supporters broke election rules.

February 4, 2011: YRC Worldwide broke into the black in the fourth quarter, reporting a $23 million net profit on $1.09 billion in revenue, and cut its full-year loss to $322 million.

February 3, 2011: Arkansas Best Corporation today announced a fourth quarter 2010 net loss of $3.1 million, or $0.12 per share, compared to a fourth quarter 2009 net loss of $88.7 million, or $3.54 per share.

February 1, 2011: UPS profits soared to $5.8 billion after taxes in 2010, the company announced on Feb. 1. Brown’s profits hit $1.8 billion for the fourth quarter, including peak. In all, the company had $49.8 billion of revenue for the year.

January 28, 2011: Citing dire financial circumstances, three subsidiaries of freight shipping firm YRC Worldwide Jan. 25 asked the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit to expedite a decision on an appeal filed earlier this month by ABF Freight Systems to a federal judge's decision to dismiss its legal challenges to concessions negotiated between the company and the International Brotherhood of Teamsters (ABF Freight Sys. Inc. v. International Bhd. of Teamsters, 8th Cir., No. 11-1159, motion to expedite briefing and argument filed 1/25/11).

The 2011 TDU Convention will be held the weekend of Sept 30 - Oct 1-2 at the Cleveland Airport Sheraton, a recently remodeled hotel conveniently near the Cleveland Airport.

January 24, 2011: Wall Street greed and the corporate attack on unions has triggered a crisis in our pensions.

February 1, 2011: Can a new plan with a blank slate help organize new members into our pensions?

January 24, 2011: From June 27-July 1, some 1,700 delegates, from all local unions, will convene in Las Vegas for our union’s five-yearly convention.

January 24, 2011: Under fire for weak contract enforcement at UPS, Hoffa and Ken Hall convened a national conference call last summer to brief shop stewards and promise International Union action.

February 1, 2011: Members are spreading the word about Sandy Pope’s campaign for Teamster General President.

January 24, 2011: A six-month investigation by the Election Supervisor found that Hoffa and his administration tried to buy off three top Teamster officials, by offering them lucrative jobs and pensions in exchange for their backing in the IBT election.

January 19, 2011: ABF Freight System Inc. is appealing a federal judge’s decision last month to dismiss its legal challenge of concessions negotiated between YRC Worldwide Inc. and the International Brotherhood of Teamsters.

“…If you stand up straight, people can’t ride your back. And that’s what we did. We stood up straight.”

That's how Taylor Rogers explains the success of the 1968 Memphis sanitation strike. Rogers was a principal organizer of the historic strike.

January 17, 2011: With a proposal to expand the requirement for electronic onboard recorders pending in the regulatory pipeline, owner-operators are fighting a legal action against the limited recorder requirement that is scheduled to take effect next year.

January 14, 2011: We celebrate the birthday of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr, because of his leadership in the nonviolent movement for civil rights for all Americans.

January 14, 2011: It has been 27 years since Dr. King’s birthday became a federal holiday, but still very few Teamster employers recognize it.

January 13, 2011: More than 400 union and civil rights activists will march to Cincinnati’s City Hall Jan. 14 to condemn the plan recently elected Gov. John Kasich (R-Ohio) has to strip Ohio child care and home health care workers of their right to bargain for a better life.

January 11, 2011: On January 10, the Teamster Election Supervisor issued his report on the efforts of the Gegare slate to become accredited candidates for International Union office.

January 10, 2011: The U.S. proposed opening its highways to Mexican trucks under a second test program that would require Mexican drivers to be proficient in the English language and U.S.

January 5, 2011: The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said it will propose requiring speed limiters on heavy trucks at 68 mph after trucking groups asked for the regulation.

December 28, 2010: Teamster drivers who would like to comment on proposed regs from the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration can do so with these links.

December 27, 2010: See a detailed chart with the proposed hours of service changes.

December 27, 2010: Corporate America was on the attack in 2010. But Teamsters were coming together and standing up for our rights.

Find out what the made TDU’s best and worst list in 2010.

December 21, 2010: Industry speculation suggests the new Hours of Service proposal will cut back driving time from 11 hours a day to 10 hours. A change in the 34-hour restart rule is also anticipated.

December 21, 2010: The Department of Transportation Friday proposed banning interstate truck and bus drivers from using hand-held cell phones while operating a commercial motor vehicle, and sets stiff fines for violators.

December 20, 2010: WASHINGTON - The U.S. government on Friday proposed prohibiting commercial truck and bus drivers from using cellphones while behind the wheel.

December 22, 2010: The UPS National Grievance Committee settles national disputes and other grievances that have been deadlocked at both the local and regional levels. It’s also where some Teamster officials go to golf with management.

December 22, 2010: Over 75 waste Teamsters came from across Southern California to discuss their rights and how to enforce them at the TDU Southern California Chapter meeting.

December 17, 2010: A federal judge on Thursday dismissed a lawsuit ABF Freight System filed against rival trucker YRC Worldwide and the Teamsters aimed at blocking a labor agreement central to YRC’s survival.

December 13, 2010: A former secretary-treasurer for a local Teamsters Union has pleaded guilty to embezzling union funds over a three-year period, the U.S. Attorney's office said Friday.

December 10, 2010: The International union has responded in detail to the lawsuit filed by ABF against the IBT and YRCW. The lawsuit demands that ABF be given concessions by the IBT to match those given to YRCW and approved by YRCW Teamsters.

December 6, 2010: The Teamsters union at one point pressured ABF Freight System to buy ailing rival YRC Worldwide, ABF Freight System revealed on a company Web site.

December 2, 2010: Bus drivers and mechanics employed by the Chittenden County Transportation Authority or CCTA are working without a new contract that's because the two sides seem to be miles apart.

Note: This case involves salaried (non Teamster) employees. Teamster YRC employees are in Teamster pension plans and are not affected by the falling price of YRC shares.

December 1, 2010: Former YRC Worldwide Inc. salaried employees are not entitled to a jury trial in their action alleging the fiduciaries of the company's pension plan breached their fiduciary duties by continuing to invest in YRC stock when its stock price plummeted, the U.S. District Court for the District of Kansas ruled Nov. 29 (In re YRC Worldwide Inc. ERISA Litigation, D. Kan., No. 09-2593, 11/29/10).

November 30, 2010: Smaller trucking companies and expedited carriers are asking a federal court to stay a portion of the federal CSA 2010 safety initiative set to take effect next month.

November 18, 2010: The Chittenden County Transportation Authority board postponed until Dec. 1 a public airing of issues in its contract negotiations with bus drivers and mechanics.

November 17, 2010: YRC Worldwide has filed a motion asking a court to dismiss a suit by rival less-than-truckload carrier ABF Freight System, and said separately it will close 31 terminals around t

November 16, 2010: YRC has submitted a proposed change of operations to the International Union in which 31 terminals would be closed. In addition, line haul lanes will be adjusted and some reversed.

November 16, 2010: The decisions from the October National Grievance Panel in San Diego are now available online.

November 12, 2010: Anti-union employers say the Teamsters are a bunch of thugs and members have no voice in our union. Why is Hoffa VP Randy Cammack helping union-busters make their case?

November 10, 2010: In what labor officials and lawyers view as a ground-breaking case involving workers and social media, the National Labor Relations Board has accused a company of illegally firing an employee after she criticized her supervisor on her Facebook page.

November 10, 2010: Expanding retirement plan coverage most likely will take a back seat to reducing budget deficits when control of the House shifts to the Republican Party in January 2011, Hill watchers told BNA in interviews leading up to and after the election.

Are you running for delegate to the Teamster Convention, or other union office? Then TDU’s new book Running for Local Union Office is for you.

November 8, 2010: The presumed new chairman of the U.S. House Transportation Committee said a provision sought by UPS and the Teamsters that would make unionizing FedEx easier is effectively dead.

November 8, 2010: Ohio Teamsters are experiencing a classic case of what happens when a company is ready to break the law to keep a union out.

November 8, 2010: An ousted union boss who used to lord over Teamster workers at Boston’s two convention centers has found himself a plum new job - at one of the Hub’s convention centers.

November 3, 2010: Freight Teamsters have every reason to be mad. YRC Teamsters were backed into accepting concessions. ABF Teamsters are under the gun, too.

November 2, 2010: YRC Worldwide Inc. has won a third round of concessions from its union employees in the ongoing saga of its attempts at a financial turnaround.

November 1, 2010: ABF Freight System, Inc. (ABF), the largest subsidiary of Arkansas Best Corporation (Nasdaq: ABFS) and a leading less-than-truckload transportation company, has filed legal actions today against the International Brotherhood of Teamsters (IBT) and other parties including several YRC Worldwide subsidiaries (Nasdaq: YRCW) for violation of the National Master Freight Agreement (NMFA), the collective bargaining agreement covering most unionized trucking employees in the country.

October 30, 2010: A trusteeship in Boston Local 82 was supposed to clean up corruption in the local run by a top Hoffa appointee. But the massacre of members’ rights continues.

October 30, 2010: With the gun of a threatened shutdown aimed at their heads, YRCW Teamsters have approved new concessions and a contract extension until 2015 by a 62% margin at YRC and Holland and by 69% at New Penn.

October 29, 2010: New Jersey Local 863 warehouse and distribution Teamsters are battling to save union jobs.

October 29, 2010: A union representing warehouse workers and drivers is demonstrating outside the headquarters of the Great Atlantic and Pacific Tea Co. in Montvale this morning over a decision by C&S Wholesale Grocers to supply the grocer from out of state.

October 27, 2010: YRC Worldwide Inc. will have some breathing room with its lenders, even if the tentative concessions agreement with its union fails to pass later this week.

October 25, 2010: The Obama administration on Monday proposed the first ever fuel efficiency and emissions standards for big tractor trailers and other commercial trucks.

October 25, 2010: Overtime lawsuits are increasing nationwide, particularly in some states where truckers who were at first denied overtime pay may find that their employer has violated the overtime law.

October 22, 2010: Some 400 Reddaway Teamsters in Washington and Oregon are fighting to save their jobs, alongside their local union leaders.

October 21, 2010: United Parcel Service Inc. reported an 81% surge in third-quarter profit and raised its 2010 financial forecast amid what the shipping giant called a lethargic economic recovery.

October 20, 2010: YRCW has informed the union of a change of operations to close New Penn, as part of its contingency plan if the concession vote is rejected.

October 20, 2010: For the third time in less than two years, YRC Worldwide Inc. drivers and dock workers are about to decide the fate of the long-troubled trucking company.

October 15, 2010: Sandy Pope, a national Teamster leader and long-time reformer, has entered the race for Teamster President. In just days, her campaign has started to generate excitement and campaign action.

October 13, 2010: Sandy Pope, president of a Teamsters local in New York City and one of the most prominent women in the union, announced on Monday that she would challenge James P. Hoffa for the presidency.

October 13, 2010: Sandy Pope, International Brotherhood of Teamsters Local 805 president in Long Island, N.Y., announced Oct. 10 to union members that she plans to challenge James P. Hoffa, the incumbent general president, during the union's 2011 national election.

October 7, 2010: Central States, Southeast & Southwest Areas Pension Fund, Rosemont, Ill., hired Mellon Capital Management to run $926 million in an MSCI EAFE index find, according to a filing in U.S. District Court in Chicago.

October 5, 2010: UPS Inc. said it has purchased 130 hybrid electric vehicles, which the package carrier will launch into service next year.

October 4, 2010: UPS Freight will raise its non-contract rates 5.9 percent Oct. 18, becoming the fourth major less-than-truckload carrier to ask shippers for a general rate increase.

October 4, 2010: Financially ailing trucking giant YRC Worldwide, which has lost more money than any trucking company in U.S. history, is getting a change at the top. Chairman and CEO William D. "Bill" Zollars says he is leaving the company after 13 tumultuous years at the helm.

October 4, 2010: Thousands of YRCW Teamsters have gone to local union meetings to learn about the proposed agreement.

September 30, 2010: The third UPS national panel of the year will meet October 11-14 in San Diego.

UPDATED September 30, 2010: The proposed agreement between YRCW and the International Union is headed for a membership vote, with ballots going out on October 7.

September 29, 2010: The main cargo ports in New York Harbor were shut down by picketing dockworkers on Tuesday and could be idle again on Wednesday if local longshoremen decide to defy a federal judge.

September 29, 2010: YRC Worldwide Inc. chief Bill Zollars, who led the Overland Park-based trucking company through some of its strongest and leanest times, said Tuesday he will retire soon.

September 28, 2010: Canadian National Railway offered new contract terms that include cutting the crew size on some trains, said a spokesman for the Teamsters Canada Rail Conference, and the union is preparing a response.

September 28, 2010: ABF Freight System said today it will raise its general tariff rates 5.9 percent, following an identical increase announced last week by competitor YRC.

September 28, 2010: These Teamster bus workers make less than the minimum wage!

September 23, 2010: Trucking giant YRC Worldwide raised its tariff rates at national carrier YRC by 5.9 percent Sept. 20, the company’s second general rate increase this year and a strong sign that truckers are anxious to raise pricing amid improving demand.

September 22, 2010: UPS said it is preparing to follow its ban on driver texting with a broader policy on use of cell and smart phones while its employees are behind the wheel, in support of federal policies to combat distracted driving.

September 21, 2010: About 40 medical marijuana industry employees joined with the Teamsters Local 70 in Oakland, California earlier this month, ratifying a contract after their employer recognized their union without interference.

September 16, 2010: FedEx Corp., the second-largest U.S. package-shipping company, forecast earnings for the current quarter that fell short of analysts’ estimates, and said it will eliminate 1,700 jobs.

September 15, 2010: Federal Magistrate Judge Susan E. Cox has granted preliminary approval to a $10 million, five-year consent decree which will end the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission’s (EEOC) race harassment and discrimination lawsuit against Roadway Express and YRC, Inc.

We need your help! As part of Retirement USA’s “Wake Up, Washington!" Month, the Pension Rights Center is looking for stories from individuals who have concerns about their retirement security. Tell us your story!

September 13, 2010: ABF Freight System is waging a two-front campaign to cut its labor costs by negotiating with the Teamsters about contract concessions and lobbying Congress for legislation to ease the burden unionized companies face under multiemployer pension plans, the carrier’s CEO said.

September 13, 2010: The Great Divergence coincided with a dramatic decline in the power of organized labor. Union members now account for about 12 percent of the workforce, down from about 20 percent in 1983. When you exclude public-employee unions (whose membership has been growing), union membership has dropped to a mere 7.5 percent of the private-sector workforce. Did the decline of labor create the income-inequality binge?

September 13, 2010: Package-delivery giant United Parcel Service Inc. is launching a global ad campaign to promote its expanding logistics business to small and medium-sized businesses that want to sell their wares globally.

September 8, 2010: The Obama administration has defined the misclassification of employed workers as independent contractors to be an important problem resulting in workers losing legal protections and benefits, and governments losing tax revenue and insurance contributions from employers.

September 8, 2010: YRC Worldwide Inc. plans to ask Nasdaq stock market officials for additional time to avoid having its shares delisted.

The Teamsters union said workers at Coca-Cola Enterprises facilities in College Park and Marietta will vote Oct. 7 on whether to be represented by the union.

September 3, 2010: The International Brotherhood of Teamsters extends its deepest condolences to the families of the crewmembers that lost their lives in today’s crash of a UPS 747 in Dubai.

September 3, 2010: DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) -- A UPS cargo plane with two crew members on board crashed shortly after takeoff Friday outside Dubai, officials said.

September 3, 2010: Teamster leader Sandy Pope talks about the challenges facing working Teamsters and the labor movement in GritTV’s Labor Day feature.

September 1, 2010: Transport workers across the world are holding a day of action to ram home the message to UPS managers that the sacking of 157 workers in Turkey will not go unnoticed.

August 31, 2010: The prospective new owners of The Philadelphia Inquirer and the Philadelphia Daily News saw continued pushback from some of the newspapers’ unions Monday as a second group of employees voted Monday against a new labor contract.

August 30, 2010: It is an anxious weekend for hundreds of families who've now been told they no longer have medical coverage; ongoing fallout from the strike involving workers at Coca-Cola distribution centers.

August 27, 2010: A federal judge has upheld all elements of the Port of Los Angeles’ clean air program, including a controversial provision that bans independent truck drivers and requires them to be employees of companies that have obtained concessions.

August 24, 2010: Some 500 employees of Coca-Cola in Washington state have walked off the job and are on strike, according to a company official.

August 20, 2010: A Teamster hero was honored yesterday when New York City unveiled Ron Carey Avenue.

August 19, 2010: The battle over the employment status of drivers at FedEx Ground moved to Massachusetts this week as 31 current and former drivers sued the carrier, alleging improper classification.

August 18, 2010: In an unexpected role reversal, the leaders of Teamsters Local 377 are facing accusations of unfair- labor practices from the local union hall’s two employees.

August 17, 2010: The Laborers' International Union is rejoining the AFL-CIO five years after leaving in a bitter dispute that split the U.S. labor movement.

August 16, 2010: As Delta Air Lines workers prepare to vote in massive union representation elections later this year, labor leaders say wins at the company could influence organizing around the Atlanta area and the South.

August 13, 2010: A convoy of beer trucks with horns blaring and Teamsters drivers flashing the thumbs up would not normally bring a lump to the throat and a tear to the eye.

August 11, 2010: Dumped by his top running mate. His administration divided. Hoffa’s days may be numbered.

August 20, 2010: The New England is our union’s third largest fund.

Where it stands and what it will take to protect our pensions and rebuild union power.

August 11, 2010: Since March, laid off Teamsters on-call for YRC terminals in Cleveland and Copley, Ohio have had weeks where they are working six and sometimes seven days.

August 9, 2010: When Thomas P. Samatas, co-founder of Labor One Inc., was building his business, he turned to a part of the work force that is often shunned.

August 6, 2010:The inflatable rat is back, as New York City Teamsters strike to say it’s not fair to pay some movers $16-$22 an hour and others—mostly Black and Latino—just $8.

August 6, 2010: Bryan Cirigliano was a union steward with the Teamsters, a father, a husband and brother. He was also the first person killed during the workplace shooting rampage at Connectucut's Hartford Distributors.

August 3, 2010: YRC Worldwide Inc. still isn’t ready to announce decisions about two of the biggest issues facing the trucking company — a new pension agreement with its union employees and a reverse stock split.

August 2, 2010: Veteran Twin Cities labor leader Tom Keegel has been at James P. Hoffa's side in the Teamsters union for 12 years.

July 30, 2010: Waste Management, Inc. (NYSE: WM) today announced financial results for its second quarter ended June 30, 2010. Revenue for the second quarter of 2010 was $3.16 billion compared with $2.95 billion for the same 2009 period, an increase of $206 million, or 7.0%.

July 30, 2010: In 1976, my life and Daniel Schorr's intersected. When he died last week at age 93, I lost a friend, the public lost a trusted news analyst at National Public Radio, and the First Amendment lost one of its bravest defenders.

July 29, 2010: The grocery delivery company FreshDirect is being accused of playing a high-stakes game of chicken with employees trying to organize a union.

July 28, 2010: The Package Division is holding a telephone Conference Call on Thursday night, July 29 to update UPS Teamsters.

July 28, 2010: The former treasurer of Local 533 Teamster's Union is accused of stealing tens of thousands of dollars from his fellow members.

July 28, 2010: International Brotherhood of Teamsters General President James Hoffa has named Ken Hall to be his running mate as general secretary-treasurer for the IBT election in 2011, replacing Thomas Keegel, who recently announced he will retire at the end of his term, the union announced July 23.

July 27, 2010: Yellow Transportation must turn over the names and phone numbers of black employees who worked at the company's Chicago Ridge terminal as part of a federal lawsuit filed last year, alleging racial discrimination, according to a court ruling.

July 26, 2010: Unions must begin to make changes now or today's young activists, and their younger colleagues, will abandon the labor movement and pursue social justice in other organizations with more welcoming cultures and values, according to a report released July 16 by the Berger-Marks Foundation.

July 26, 2010: The Labor Department's Administrative Review Board properly concluded that Roadway Express Inc. failed to show it would have fired a truck driver even if he had not testified in a co-worker's grievance hearing, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit ruled July 22 in the case's second trip to the appeals court (Roadway Express Inc. v. DOL, 7th Cir., No. 09-1315, 7/22/10).

July 26, 2010: The Notice of Proposed Rulemaking for a new Hours of Service rule will be in the hands of the Office of Management and Budget on time.

July 23, 2010: The National Teamsters Hispanic Caucus passed a key resolution at its annual conference last week, committing to fight the exploitive business practices by online grocer FreshDirect as its workers seek union representation.

July 23, 2010: FedEx Corp., trying to defeat legislation that would make it easier for its employees to unionize, almost doubled its lobbying spending in the first six months of this year compared with the same period a year ago.

July 22, 2010: Profits are skyrocketing at UPS while working conditions continue to bottom out.

July 22, 2010: Tom Keegel, IBT Secretary Treasurer, has issued a letter in which he criticizes the direction of the IBT under James Hoffa, and announces that he will not run for reelection.

July 14, 2010: General Secretary Treasurer Tom Keegel will not run for re-election next year, according to reports from members of the General Executive Board and officials close to Keegel.

July 13, 2010: The first stage in the paperwork shuffle toward a new set of hours-of-service regulations kicked off in late June when FMCSA sent a draft of a notice of proposed rulemaking to the Office of the Secretary of Transportation for approval.

July 12, 2010: Why is our union holding a conference call for UPSers when they’ll still be on the truck?

July 6, 2010: For more than a year, FedEx and its bitter shipping rival, United Parcel Service, have been engaged in one of the fiercest lobbying battles in recent memory, with millions of dollars spent on advertising, Web sites, grass-roots organizing and other tactics more commonly seen in political campaigns.

July 1, 2010: Henry Perry, International trustee and president of Memphis Local 667, has been removed from the Hoffa slate for the International Union election.

July 1, 2010: Hoffa let UPS pull out of the Central States and gave UPS Freight a free pass on paying Teamster benefits.

Now Teamster members are paying the price.

July 15, 2010: Teamsters at the University of Chicago are united and mobilized for a decent contract.

July 1, 2010: Will YRC Teamsters start earning pension credits again when the concession agreement expires?

June 16, 2010: Allied Systems Holdings Inc. notified the International Brotherhood of Teamsters June 14 that it will “snap back” wages for about 3,300 truck drivers who had accepted wage cuts in 2007 as part of an agreement to save jobs at the company, the union announced in a June 15 letter to IBT-represented workers.

June 15, 2010: Allied Automotive Group has agreed to pay the full contract wage, retroactive to May 29 when their three-year concession deal expired, and will now come to carhaul Teamsters asking for a fresh concession package.

June 14, 2010: Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood said June 10 that a cross-border trucking program with Mexico needs to be launched and that the Obama administration would be relaunching the program.

June 14, 2010: Backed by Teamsters Local 117, workers at several loading companies in the Puget Sound region were scheduled to stage job actions Friday at distribution centers operated by Safeway, Fred Meyer and Unified Grocers, among others.

June 10, 2010: Imagine being aloft at 30,000 feet without a pilot in the cockpit. Scary?

It could be the airplane of the future.

June 8, 2010: Teamsters from several locations have reported seeing ads in local newspapers indicating that Holland Motor Freight, the largest YRC regional trucking subsidiary, is looking to hire.

June 8, 2010: Millions of newly laid-off workers and very low-income people may lose health coverage because key federal safety net assistance was not extended in the recent jobs bill, according to a report released today by the consumer health organization Families USA.

June 4, 2010: Allied CEO Mark Gendregske, in email correspondence with Teamster employees, blames the continuation of concessions on Jack Cooper’s CEO and nonunion competition, as well as the recession.

June 3, 2010: Allied Automotive Group’s CEO has sent a letter to some 3,000 working and laid-off Teamsters informing them that they will not end the wage concessions of the past three years, as they agreed previously. The letter says the agreement does not have a “snap back” clause.

June 3, 2010: BLET National President Paul T. Sorrow submitted a letter to National Secretary-Treasurer William C. Walpert today, advising that he is resigning the Presidency effective July 1, 2010, in order to retire.

June 2, 2010: Goldman Sachs has resigned from its fiduciary position of managing several billion dollars of investments for the Central States Pension Fund.

June 2, 2010: Teamsters vice president Fred Gegare will challenge James P. Hoffa next year for the top job at the International Brotherhood of Teamsters.

June 1, 2010: The Teamsters union’s Central States pension fund faces insolvency within 10 to 15 years unless Congress acts to stabilize the fund, its executive director said this week.

June 1, 2010: Retirees in multiemployer pension plans whose former companies failed shouldn't be penalized by pension reform, a pension expert said at a Senate hearing yesterday.

June 1, 2010: Teamsters Union members at less-than-truckload (LTL) carrier ABF Freight System have rejected a proposed agreement calling for a 15-percent wage cut over the next three years, leaving ABF at a significant cost disadvantage to rival YRC Worldwide Inc. and forcing union leaders and management who had negotiated the deal to scramble for alternatives to keep ABF's cost structure competitive with the industry.

June 3, 2010: Billy Hogan Jr, the former Teamster vice president and head of the Chicago Joint Council, has made a plea bargain to settle contempt charges in federal court.

May 28, 2010: On May 25, International Vice President Fred Gegare announced his candidacy for Teamster General President. Incumbent President James Hoffa announced his candidacy earlier, and is circulating petitions to become accredited.

Updated May 26, 2010: ABF Teamsters have rejected the proposed 15% wage cut, by a vote of 3,764 to 2,936.

May 26, 2010: Flanked by truck manufacturers and trucking industry executives, President Obama signed a first-of-its-kind order Friday clearing the way for medium- and heavy-duty trucks to meet more stringent fuel-economy targets.

May 25, 2010: When striking Shaw’s warehouse workers embark on a five-day march this weekend to draw renewed attention to their nearly three-month fight against the supermarket company, they will also be evoking the civil rights and farm workers’ marches of the 1960s.

May 25, 2010: Teamster representatives will meet with UPS Freight management in Providence Rhode Island for the quarterly national panel on June 9-11.

May 24, 2010: YRC Worldwide Inc. plans to talk with its union about its pension payments, which are supposed to restart early next year but may need to be delayed.

May 21, 2010: The second UPS national panel of the year will meet June 7–10 in Providence, Rhode Island.

May 20, 2010: UPS Airlines, a division of United Parcel Service Inc., will furlough 54 pilots Sunday, the first of 300 pilots slated to be grounded in an attempt by the shipper to cut costs and streamline its operations.

May 19, 2010: The presidents of the United States and Mexico wasted little time in their meetings before the subject of cross-border trucking came up.

May 18, 2010: As they continue to wage a high-dollar and nasty lobbying campaign, archrivals FedEx and UPS are awaiting final delivery of legislation that will determine whether they must abide by the same union organizing rules.

May 18, 2010: The international Teamsters board has ousted two of its critics from the helm of a large local in Chicago.

Teamsters Local 743 represents about 11,000 workers.

May 14, 2010: Hoffa has signed off on a power grab that ousts reformers Richard Berg and Gina Alvarez from office in Teamsters Local 743. But members continue to fight for their local.

May 13, 2010: By uniting the members and mounting a credible strike threat, Local 814 members in New York City have won a contract that delivers big in a bad economy.

May 11, 2010: A 76-year-old transportation law was swept away Monday under a rule change announced by a federal agency.

May 5, 2010: As required under the Pension Protection Act (PPA), Central States has mailed an Annual Notice regarding the plan’s funding status.

May 4, 2010: While YRC Worldwide Inc. CEO Bill Zollars said the company is making headway in its comeback bid, he acknowledged that pension expenses loom as a hazard.

May 3, 2010: YRC Worldwide Inc. outlined an overhaul of its board of directors on Friday. The move is part of a deal the trucking carrier struck to entice bondholders to swap debt for equity.

April 30, 2010: John Youngermann, a TDU member and UPS feeder driver out of the Earth City, Missouri, hub won an important OSHA ruling that supported a driver’s right to refuse to drive unsafe equipment.

April 29, 2010: The IBT is mailing ballots to all ABF Teamsters—active and on layoff—on Friday, April 30, and they will be counted on Monday, May 24.

April 28, 2010: Watch the new Teamster video and take action to win organizing rights and level the playing field at FedEx.

April 28, 2010: Waste Management and Teamsters Local 174 have reached a tentative agreement on a new five-year contract.

April 28, 2010: More than 34 Teamsters in Puerto Rico have won justice after they were illegally fired for striking to defend their union rights at Coca Cola.

April 27, 2010: UPS executives announced that the company hauled in $533 million in profits after taxes in the first quarter of 2010. Brown’s profits are up by 33 percent or $132 million compared to the first quarter last year.

April 22, 2010: A strike Wednesday by Waste Management garbage haulers could affect garbage collection throughout Renton, although company officials have said they planned to hire replacement drivers in the event of a strike.

April 21, 2010: Local garbage haulers for Waste Management say they are going on strike because the company is refusing to discuss contract terms with the union.

April 20, 2010: Yes, garbage workers are lucky to have jobs in these tough economic times. But The Times seems a little tone-deaf with such statements as “incomes are even burnished by mandatory overtime” [“Quit talking trash; sign a fair contract,” Opinion, April 15].

April 14, 2010: The sudden departure of YRCW’s President and Chief Operating Officer Timothy Wicks has led to a flurry of speculation in the media, wild rumors fueled by competitors, and some anger among YRC Teamsters.

April 13, 2010: Timothy Wicks, president and chief operating officer of YRC Worldwide Inc., has resigned to take a job with his prior employer, United Healthcare.

April 13, 2010: The newly reconstituted National Labor Relations Board under the Obama administration is eager to start resolving cases but is not likely to usher in any “radical” policy changes, NLRB Chairman Wilma B. Liebman said April 12.

April 13, 2010: A female trucker fired for failing a physical ability test on returning from a work-related injury raised a jury issue of sex discrimination under Title VII of the 1964 Civil Rights Act because the plaintiff had successfully performed the job in the past, her injury had healed, and the employer did not require injured male employees to take the test, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit ruled April 9 (Merritt v. Old Dominion Freight Line Inc., 4th Cir., No. 09-1498, 4/9/10).

April 12, 2010: Depending on your viewpoint, Waste Management President Larry O'Donnell's star turn in the CBS reality show "Undercover Boss" confirms everything you need to know about America's largest trash company.

April 9, 2010: The Wall Street Journal reports on a UPS training facility, "Integrad," where drivers get hooked into a contraption that simulates walking on ice and learn to "bond with their keys."

April 9, 2010: April 9, 2010: Bill Zollars, the CEO of YRCW, took a 10 percent salary cut in 2009, according to YRC’s annual report to shareholders.

April 6, 2010: Garbage company Waste Management said Tuesday night that the union representing garbage haulers in King and Snohomish counties has broken off contract talks.

April 6, 2010: The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration Friday issued a rule that will require carriers with serious patterns of hours-of-service violations to user electronic on-board recorders in all vehicles.

April 5, 2010: The International Brotherhood of Teamsters (IBT) has seen a lot in its 107 years of existence.

April 2, 2010: The latest proposed change of operations submitted by YRC has been approved. The telephone bid will be conducted on April 12, 2010 while the implementation date is slated for April 18, 2010.

April 9, 2010: Baltimore Teamsters have suffered some of the worst pension cuts in the country.

April 2, 2010: As of the end of March, the International Union was meeting with ABF regarding a concessions proposal to present to ABF Teamsters.

April 5, 2010: IBT Vice President and Package Division Director Ken Hall says local officers and members are to blame for weak contract enforcement because they bring cases “with no facts.”

April 5, 2010: Board of Ed administrators told Ann Arbor school bus drivers to take pay cuts or face privatization.

April 9, 2010: One year ago the officers of Colorado Local 17 announced that they were all taking a 10 percent pay cut, in solidarity with the freight Teamsters who had just taken that cut.

April 2, 2010: Pension legislation that could help Teamsters, or hurt us, has been proposed in both the House and Senate.

The election for IBT General President and General Executive Board starts this year.

A federal Election Supervisor has been named. Election rules will be final by May 1, 2010.

April 2, 2010: IBT Vice President Ken Hall says that the UPS Freight National Panel is doing an “outstanding job.”

April 2, 2010: Article 44 contains the following language that drivers can use to protect jobs from subcontracting: “However, if sufficient freight is generated in the future to provide loads ret

April 2, 2010: Amid all the debate on health care, many Teamsters are asking a nitty-gritty question—how will this affect my Teamster health coverage?

April 1, 2010: A garbage strike has been averted - at least for now.

March 30, 2010: United Parcel Service (UPS) will make about US$1 billion in technology investments this year to improve the efficiency of its operations, with the goal of cutting billions more from its costs over t

March 29, 2010: The union representing about 500 garbage truck drivers voted Sunday to authorize a strike against two major trash hauling companies that serve thousands of homes and businesses in King and Snohomish counties.

March 26, 2010: Hoffa and Hall told UPS shop stewards via conference call to “be ready” for a push to win passage of a law that will make it easier for FedEx workers to join our union.

March 26, 2010: Reflecting YRC Worldwide Inc.’s dismal 2009, CEO Bill Zollars saw his annual compensation decline almost 10 percent to $1.9 million, according to an analysis of securities filings

March 26, 2010: Garbage, recycling and yard-waste haulers for more than 1 million homes in King and Snohomish counties are threatening to strike next week.

March 25, 2010: SEATTLE - Millions of people who live in King County and parts of Snohomish County could see their garbage start piling up if trash collectors walk off the job.

March 23, 2010: The Senate passed the Federal Aviation Administration reauthorization bill yesterday, but excluded a provision that would make it easier for FedEx workers to unionize.

March 23, 2010: YRC Worldwide Inc.’s push to get relief for its benefits costs picked up momentum Monday as the U.S. Senate began to consider a bill that would address problems with multi-employer pension plans.

March 19, 2010: Just three days after TDU.org exposed a deal between YRCW and the IBT to weaken the freight contract clause requiring the call-back of laid-off Teamsters, the deal appears to be canceled.

March 19, 2010: A nepotism scandal has exposed an IBT Vice President. But movie work is still being doled out to Local 107 officials and their relatives including on the TV pilot “Justice.”

March 18, 2010: As the Teamsters mull concession talks with ABF Freight System, YRC Worldwide is still trying to get some members to accept concessions approved last year.

March 18, 2010: William Diaz of the 462nd Transportation Battalion feels like he's fighting a war on two fronts. In April, the 39-year-old U.S. Army Reserve corporal is being deployed to Kuwait for a year-long tour.

March 16, 2010: In a decision issued on March 15, 2010, Department of Labor Judge Daniel Leland ruled that New Prime, Inc. (also known as "Prime") illegally fired Cynthia Ferguson because she refused to continue operating a commercial vehicle in hazardous weather.

March 16, 2010: Shareholders of Arkansas Best Corp. of Fort Smith will elect three directors at the company's annual meeting April 22 and vote on a proposal to raise maximum executive pay from $1 million to $3 million annually.

March 15, 2010: It's a chance to rub elbows with Hollywood stars.

March 12, 2010: Members of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters in three locals in New Jersey, New York, Maryland, and Virginia March 11 ratified a new three-year contract with Costco Wholesale Corp.

UPDATED March 10, 2010. The results are back from the March UPS Freight national grievance panel, but they aren’t pretty. Out of 27 grievances heard, the union won only five cases.

March 9, 2010: YRC has issued a company policy saying no cell phones, including hands-free types, may ever be used while operating a YRC vehicle.

March 9, 2010: In a vote tallied on March 8, Teamsters employed by Reddaway Truck Lines, a regional subsidiary of YRCW, rejected a contract offer including concessions.

March 8, 2010: Teamsters can take a small step to protect our pensions.

The International Union has started an online petition to build up support for legislation to strengthen multi-employer pension plans.

March 8, 2010: Senator Bob Corker, who represents FedEx Corp.’s home state of Tennessee, said he will block legislation funding the Federal Aviation Administration because a provision may be added later making it easier for workers at the company to join unions.

March 5, 2010: The former president of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen has pleaded guilty to bribery charges for accepting $20,000 in bribes from a St. Louis lawyer.

March 5, 2010: Mayor Daley today shook off a 3-to-1 strike-authorization vote by city of Chicago truck drivers and vowed to keep O’Hare and Midway Airports open even if the drivers walk off the job.

March 5, 2010: The Election Supervisor has been named for the 2011 election for International Union officers. And proposed Election Rules—which will go into effect on May 1—are now available for comment before they are finalized.

March 4, 2010: United Parcel Service has agreed to pay a $53,931 civil penalty to EPA Region 7 to settle a series of alleged violations of federal laws regarding the management of hazardous wastes at its freight facility in Lenexa, Kan.

March 3, 2010: For many years, Jim Santangelo ruled Los Angeles Local 848 with an iron hand. Now the members realize their local belongs to them and it's paying off.

March 2, 2010: United Parcel Service Inc. (UPS) said the total compensation paid to Chief Executive Scott Davis fell about 0.6% last year, to $6.24 million.

March 2, 2010: A grand jury is looking at allegations that top Teamster officials working at the city’s convention centers intimidated witnesses in assault cases involving union members, sources say.

February 26, 2010: The Teamsters and YRCW are working together to support proposed pension legislation that would help both the company and union pension plans.

February 25, 2010. YRC continues to push forward with further consolidation they claim is a response to inefficiencies and poor economic conditions.

February 24, 2010: Dean Henderson’s career with FedEx ended abruptly when a reckless driver plowed into his company truck and mangled his leg. His doctor will decide this week if it needs to be amputated. No longer able to drive, stripped of value in our commodity culture, he was tossed aside by the company.

February 22, 2010: Reeling from the recession and general hard times in the media world, the Teamsters unit representing newspaper delivery truck drivers and pressmen in the Chicago area has been thrust into a trusteeship by James P. Hoffa.

February 19, 2010: "It will be quite a battle," said Sandy Pope, the president of Teamsters Local 805, referring to an attempt by employees of online grocer Fresh Direct to join the union.

February 18, 2010: The U.S. Department of Transportation has published a proposed rule that would toughen its workplace drug-testing program for truck drivers and other transportation workers, including testing for the drugs “ecstasy” and heroin.

February 18, 2010: YRC Worldwide Inc. on Wednesday said its shareholders approved a series of measures required as part of a recent debt-for-equity exchange and a recent agreement by investors to provide YRC with $70 million in new liquidity.

February 17, 2010: As part of its drastic cost cuts in 2009, YRC Worldwide reached an agreement that allowed it to suspend monthly payments into its union pension plans.

February 15, 2010: Can your boss hack the job you do? If you saw the clever new CBS TV show “Undercover Boss,” you know Waste Management chief Larry O’Donnell doesn’t have what it takes to do Teamster work. He actually got fired.

February 15, 2010: United Parcel Service of America Inc.

February 11, 2010: Can you imagine Teamster officials willing to dissolve their local union rather than settle a case with a member that they blacklisted from working?

February 3, 2010: UPS raked in $757 million in profits in the Fourth Quarter—nearly tripling its profits over the same period last year. Overall, Brown made $2.15 billion in profits in 2009.

February 2, 2010: After three votes, a YRC concession package has passed in Chicago Local 705, but without a 5 percent wage cut.

January 19, 2010: A proposal in Congress would allow the creation of a commission that could sidestep the legislative process and make cuts to Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, and other programs.

January 29, 2010: Some rail officials are trying to take away the Right to Vote for BLET officers before members ever get a chance to use it.

February 1, 2010: The Hoffa administration has revoked the charters of Chicago Locals 714 and 726, and created a new Local 700 for Chicagoland public sector Teamsters.

January 18, 2010: This month our nation and Teamster members remember and celebrate the work of Dr. Martin Luther King and countless other civil rights activists.

January 15, 2010: Teamsters at UPS Freight say subcontracting is rampant while members are laid off.

Learn strategies for enforcing your rights on the job.

Meet other Teamsters who are rebuilding union power.

January 4, 2009: YRC Worldwide Inc. and its employees finally have reason to cheer this New Year's holiday, although the trucking giant still faces challenges.

December 31, 2009: U.S.

December 29, 2009: The Teamsters Union is calling on the small number of bondholders that are standing in the way of YRC Worldwide Inc.'s financial restructuring to take part in debt-to-equity exch

December 29, 2009: Troubled U.S.

December 22, 2009: U.S.

December 21, 2009: Trucking giant YRC has closed its Chicago Ridge terminal and sold the property, according to the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, which is locked in a dispute with the com

December 18, 2009: YRC Worldwide Inc.

December 17, 2009: International Brotherhood of Teamsters President James Hoffa said Goldman Sachs Group Inc.

YRC Worldwide Inc. (YRCW) proposed revising the terms of its debt-for-equity and extended it again as it struggles to ward off bankruptcy.

December 16, 2009: U.S.

December 16, 2009: Less-than-truckload transportation services provider YRC Worldwide (YRCW) said today it has extended its debt-for-equity exchange offer from December 15 to December 17.

December 11, 2009: UPS management is cranking down the thermostat, taking a page from one of the worst bosses ever: Ebenezer Scrooge.

December 9, 2009. Chicago freight Teamster have once again rejected YRCW management’s second round of concessions. In voting held yesterday at four Chicago area YRC and Holland terminals, the 1,500 Teamsters (Local 705 city drivers and Local 710 dockworkers) rejected the proposal.

For over three decades, hundreds of thousands of Teamsters have turned to Convoy Dispatch as the most reliable source of news about what’s really happening in our union.

December 3, 2009: UPS Teamsters in New York have elected a reform team to lead Local 804—one of the most powerful Teamster locals in the country. In record turnout, the 804 Members United Slate swept their local union election with 68 percent of the vote.

December 3, 2009: LANSING, Mich.—General Motors Co. and Chrysler Group LLC are cutting costs by using cheap, nonunion trucking companies to haul vehicles from factories to dealer lots, putting people out of work and endangering consumers and motorists in the process, according to a report issued Dec. 2 by the International Brotherhood of Teamsters and consumer groups.

December 3, 2009: About 1,700 locomotive engineers ended their strike against the Canadian National Railway on Wednesday after reaching a settlement.

December 2, 2009: Reddaway Teamsters in Washington and Oregon have narrowly rejected a proposed contract which the IBT and YRC agreed to.

Novemeber 30, 2009: Canada’s labor minister plans to offer legislation to force an end to the two-day-old strike against Canadian National Railway by locomotive engineers.

November 25, 2009: In an unprecedented power grab, the Hoffa administration has abolished all the Chicago-area freight contracts and imposed concessions on some 1500 YRCW Teamsters who have decisively rejected them.

November 24, 2009: YRC has sold a specialized unit within YRC Logistics to Greatwide Logistics Services for $34 million, in a move to raise cash and downsize YRC's footprint.

November 23, 2009: To hear less-than-truckload carrier ABF Freight System tell it, the carrier and the Teamsters union are discussing a proposal aimed at wringing wage concessions and pension payment deferrals out of ABF's unionized employees.

November 20, 2009: Some 700 Teamsters employed at Allied in Ontario and Quebec voted today to leave our union and join the Canadian Auto Workers (CAW). The unfortunate choice came after Canadian carhaulers became alienated from the Teamster officialdom.

November 20, 2009: Ed Rodzwicz, the President of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen of the IBT, stepped down today after he was arrested last month for taking a $20,000 bribe.

November 17, 2009: Less-than-truckload carrier ABF Freight System is deep in talks with the Teamsters union to win concessions similar to those the union gave financially troubled competitor YRC Worldwide, including an overhaul of the company’s pension system, the carrier said.

November 17, 2009: Helen Green, the president of Las Vegas Teamster Local 995, has filed suit in federal court, charging that the Local 995 secretary-treasurer demanded that she continue a sexual relationship with him to keep her job as a business agent.

November 16, 2009: The president of a local Teamsters union filed a federal lawsuit Friday that claims her supervisor used his position to coerce her into a sexual relationship with him.

November 16, 2009: YRC will consolidate road and breakbulk operations in the Cleveland-Akron area. The company wants to close the Richfield Ohio breakbulk and move road and dock operations to the former Roadway terminal in Copley, Ohio.

November 13, 2009: Membership outrage over proposed mid-contract concessions at DHL led to it being shelved by the national meeting of local officials.

November 12, 2009: Anticipating a visit by CEO Scott Davis, Local 177 booked a plane to circle UPS’s Edison hub with a banner: “UPS Stop Mistreating Your Employees.”

November 5, 2009: A top West Coast Teamsters official who headed a chapter representing almost 130,000 members has resigned his post amid allegations that he sexually harassed a former union secret

November 3. 2009: Berkshire Hathaway Inc., controlled by billionaire Warren Buffett, said Tuesday it will buy freight railroad Burlington Northern Santa Fe Corp. for $100 a share, in a transaction worth about $44 billion.

November 3, 2009: YRC Worldwide Inc. shocked its shareholders Monday by asking them to surrender 95 percent ownership of the embattled trucking company to its lenders as the “final step” in a recovery plan.

November 2, 2009: YRC Worldwide Inc.’s bondholders are on track to own 95 percent of the company, which could mean the resignation of seven of YRC’s nine directors, if a debt-exchange offer pla

The chairwoman of the National Mediation Board has sharply criticized the federal agency's proposal to change a decades-old election rule that would make it easier for airline and railway employees to unionize, exposing a sharp rift at the agency's three-person board.

October 30, 2009: After years of sell-out contracts and benefit cuts, members of New York Local 814 voted by 73% to elect Jason Ide and the New Directions Slate.

October 30, 2009: Just days after hundreds of Local 848 members came to the union hall to call for Jim Santangelo to resign, he was driven out of office.

October 22, 2009: The states of New York, New Jersey and Montana intend to sue FedEx Ground Package System Inc. (FedEx) over its policy of classifying drivers as independent contractors rather than employees, the attorneys general of the three states said Oct. 20.

October 21, 2009: Nobody wants to admit it, but the next casualty of the Wall Street meltdown will probably be your golden years.

October 16, 2009: The president of a national locomotive engineers union based in Cleveland has been placed on leave after being arrested on federal charges that he accepted $20,000 in bribes from

October 16, 2009: Tens of thousands of Puerto Rican public workers protesting layoffs shut down the center of the capital San Juan on Thursday in a one-day strike that closed many government offices, businesses and schools.

October 16, 2009: On October 15 the International Union announced its new campaign to save Teamster carhaul jobs, with initial plans to handbill at Chrysler and GM dealers each weekend.

UPDATE October 16, 2009: Ed Rodzwicz has taken a leave of absence from his union post after being arrested for accepting a $20,000 bribe.

October 9, 2009: Months after the government bailed out General Motors and Chrysler, some lawmakers are questioning tough contract demands by the two auto companies that union officials argue could lead to the replacement of hundreds of union carhaulers with nonunion drivers.

October 8, 2009: A U.S.-based shipping company is shutting down its operations in Edmonton Oct. 31 after its unionized employees refused to take cuts in their wages and benefits, says the company's Canadian president.

October 1, 2009: The Obama administration will ban texting by truck drivers and restrict the use of other in-cab technologies as part of its effort to eliminate distracted driving, Transportation S

September 29, 2009: YRC Worldwide Inc. is continuing to make moves to combat a weak economy, including reducing its nonunion work force and amending a credit agreement.

September 25, 2009: President Obama made a peculiar choice in June when he nominated Anne Ferro, a major trucking industry lobbyist in Maryland, to lead the agency that oversees truck safety.

September 18, 2009: There’s been a little shake-up at Teamster headquarters. Whether it will mean anything positive for members remains to be seen.

September 18, 2009. The Central Pennsylvania Teamster Health and Welfare Fund just announced benefit cuts that apply to YRC, Holland and New Penn Teamsters, due to the lower employer payments in the YRCW concession agreement.

September 17, 2009: YRCW VP Jack Peak has openly threatened to move work out of terminals where Teamsters under white paper agreements voted to reject concessions.

September 17, 2009: A sexual harassment scandal involving an International Vice President has cost our union a half million dollars.

September 16, 2009: Teamsters Canada, an affiliate of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, has launched a full-scale campaign to organize Federal Express Canada Ltd.

September 16, 2009: The 1,400 U.S. mechanics who maintain United Parcel Service Inc's (UPS.N) worldwide fleet of 263 aircraft have authorized a strike, union officials said on Tuesday, but contract talks will continue later this month.

September 15, 2009: The trustees of the New York State Teamsters Conference Pension and Retirement Fund filed a lawsuit Sept. 10 against Ivy Asset Management Corp.

September 1, 2009: The Hoffa administration has taken control of bargaining the Northwest Reddaway trucking contract from the local unions in Washington and Oregon, in a move to help YRC impose concessions.

September 1, 2009: ANAHEIM They routinely sort through trash bags of rotting food, used syringes and even road kill to find what can be recycled.

August 28, 2009: Three former officials of one of the largest Teamsters locals in the country were sentenced to prison Thursday for rigging union elections in Chicago in 2004.

August 27, 2009: Arkansas Best Corp.'s ABF Freight System is negotiating with the Teamsters union to obtain cost cuts as a competitive response to a new round of wage and pension expense reductions at less-than-truckload carrier YRC Worldwide.

August 27, 2009: YRC Worldwide Inc. has named a turnaround consultant to guide the trucking company’s bid to survive the recession.

August 26, 2009: Chicago Teamsters are walking the picket line at SK Hand Tools to win back their health coverage.

August 24, 2009: "We're prepared to be here all night if we have to."

August 24, 2009: A review of the second quarter Financial and Analytical Report of the Central States Pension Fund shows that its assets are up, but that the Fund has lost 105,000 participants since Hoffa took office.

August 21, 2009: The cancer of give-backs of wages and benefits is spreading in the freight industry. YRCW and the Hoffa administration are now using “salami tactics”: one slice of Teamsters at a time.

August 20, 2009: Teamsters Local 714 -- long the domain of the powerful Hogan family, and a repeated target of anti-corruption investigators -- soon will cease to exist in its current form.

August 19, 2009: A letter from Tyson Johnson, co-chairman of the Teamsters National Freight Industry Negotiating Subcommittee (TNFINC) to Teamsters members of New Penn, a regional LTL subsidiary of YRC Worldwide (YRCW), suggested that YRCW plans to merge New Penn into YRCW.

August 18, 2009: With an open threat to close New Penn—YRCW’s most successful unit—Teamsters will be re-voting on the concessions package that they rejected two weeks ago by a vote of 726-463.

August 14, 2009: Union members who work for New Penn Motor Express rejected a modified labor agreement with YRC Worldwide Inc., New Penn's parent company, and will be asked to reconsider, according to multiple sources.

August 10, 2009: Take a peek inside the investigative reports on Teamsters Local 726 leaders -- who were stripped of their posts recently amid allegations of financial mismanagement -- and there's pretty stunning material.

August 7, 2009: The members have spoken. In the large voting unit, YRC and Holland Teamsters approved the concessions with a 58% yes vote: 12,923 Yes, 9,153 No.

August 3, 2009: The reins of Teamsters Local 726 -- which represents numerous blue-collar workers with Chicago city government -- were seized Monday by the group's parent union, which stripped leaders of their posts amid allegations of financial mismanagement.

July 29, 2009: The proposed temporary withdrawal by YRC from all Teamster pension funds could have a serious impact on some Teamsters in the West.

July 28, 2009: An International Brotherhood of Teamsters local violated federal labor law when a union steward told a United Parcel Service Inc. employee in the presence of other employees that the union dropped his grievances because he had run against an incumbent in a union election and because the company did not like him, the National Labor Relations Board held July 24 (Teamsters Local 886 (United Parcel Serv. Inc.)

July 24, 2009: ANAHEIM, Calif.—Most employers' defined benefit pension plans are in trouble and need government help, C. Thomas Keegel, general secretary-treasurer of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters said July 22.

July 22, 2009: Yellow Roadway CEO Bill Zollars put his foot so far down his throat that he gagged on his shoe, and had to apologize for a press release bragging that he would subcontract out more Teamster work.

July 22, 2009: Less-than-truckload carrier ABF Freight System lost $15.4 million in the second quarter, the company said July 21, on steep declines in volume and pricing in the trucking business.

July 22, 2009: WASHINGTON — The American Conservative Union, which bills itself as the nation’s oldest conservative grass-roots lobbying organization, has found itself fending off charges that

July 21, 2009: YRC Worldwide Inc.’s nonunion employees probably won’t take further cuts if International Brotherhood of Teamsters workers approve another round of concessions, company Chairman and CEO Bill Zollars said.

July 21, 2009: On May 14, Wal-Mart released its first-quarter financials for 2009 and announced that despite the recession -- or, perhaps, because of it -- business was booming.

July 21, 2009: Every day it’s front page news. Another company closes, big unions take concessions, municipal workers go on furlough.

July 21, 2009: Thousands of Teamsters are laid off or working less than full time. Now some 50,000 working and laid-off Teamsters at YRC are voting on an economic relief deal that would take them out of the Teamster pension plans for the next 18 months.

July 21, 2009: What does Tyson Johnson, the International Union freight director, based out of Dallas, have to say about concessions he just bargained for YRC Teamsters?

If this deal passes, what does it mean for the pension? Will Central States make changes to our benefits going forward? What does it mean for recent retirees or those who will go during the 18 months? What does it mean if YRC never makes another contribution? It’s these questions that need answers if we’re going to know the real deal on our vote.

A half-dozen senators friendly to labor have decided to drop a central provision of a bill that would have made it easier to organize workers.

July 16, 2009: The International Brotherhood of Teamsters will begin mailing ballots July 17 to some 40,000 of its members employed by YRC Worldwide Inc.

July 14, 2009: The tentative deal with YRC contains an additional 5% wage cut, a reduction in H&W contributions, and an 18-month pension contribution termination period, as well as union proposals.

July 10, 2009: The International Brotherhood of Teamsters has reached a tentative agreement with YRC Worldwide Inc.

July 8, 2009: Struggling No. 1 U.S. trucking company YRC Worldwide Inc has asked investment bank Rothschild to evaluate potential bond exchanges as part of its restructuring plans, according to a source familiar with the matter.

July 7, 2009: A Bronx, N.Y., bakery whose 134 employees went on strike in August 2008 must reinstate them under the terms of their expired contract and pay them wages dating back to May 6, 2009

July 6, 2009: YRC Worldwide Inc. is set to resume face-to-face negotiations with its union on Wednesday as the two seek a way to help YRC maintain sufficient cash to continue operating.

July 6, 2009: When he served as president of Teamsters Local 282, based in Lake Success and representing private construction workers, Gary LaBarberawon praise for transforming the organization from a mob enterprise into "a model of union democracy," in the words of his lawyer, Bruce Maffeo.

July 6, 2009: More than two-thirds (68 percent) of calendar year multiemployer plans with funding problems severe enough to warrant their being in critical status—

July 6, 2009: The IBT and YRC will continue talks on Wednesday, July 8, when they consider a proposal to temporarily terminate YRC participation in Teamster pension plans for about 14 months.

July 2, 2009: Do you think Hoffa will be working on Friday, July 3? Too many Teamsters will—and without premium pay.

June 29, 2009: If you read the San Francisco Chronicle, you might be interested to know that by the end of this month 200 union workers will be out of a job.

June 26, 2009: The days are over of just paying our dues and not showing up at union meetings and just letting our leaders take care of our business.

June 25, 2009: It's been superseded by events, but since the settling of the drivers' contract dispute was the probable trigger for last night's announcement of the Strib's reorganization plan, here are a few details you didn't read in the daily:

June 25, 2009: While YRC Teamsters are discussing how to protect the company and Teamster jobs, some management people are showing a lack of concern for Teamster employees on layoff.

June 25, 2009: On Tuesday, workers and community supporters rallied in front of Wells Fargo banks in 20 cities across the country to stop the closing of Quad Cities Die-Casting in Moline, Ill.

June 25, 2009: YRC Worldwide Inc., again seeking cost cuts, will start talks Monday to modify the labor agreement with its biggest union.

June 24, 2009: Hundreds of freight Teamsters have contacted Teamsters for a Democratic Union to share their concerns and ideas about the proposed concessions with YRC.

June 22, 2009: YRC Worldwide Inc. may get more leeway from its major union, which would provide more operating cash.

June 19, 2009: Hundreds of freight Teamsters have contacted TDU during the YRC concession crisis.

June 18, 2009: The assault on Local 82 members and their seniority rights continues.

June 18, 2009: CEO Zollars said of the U.S. economy that "it looks like things have stabilized," but added that a return to growth was not likely this year.

June 12, 2009: The first-quarter 2009 Financial and Analytical Report on the Central States Pension Fund is finally out; it details the fund’s problems due to the stock market collapse.

June 10, 2009: The word bailout has gone from descriptive to derogatory. In a multimillion-dollar marketing campaign introduced Tuesday, FedEx objected to legislation that would make it easier to unionize the company by accusing its rival, United Parcel Service, of taking a government bailout.

June 09, 2009: NEW YORK -- FedEx Corp. is set to launch a multimillion dollar marketing campaign on Tuesday against chief rival UPS Inc., arguing the world's largest shipping carrier is the driving force behind a bill that would make it easier for FedEx workers to unionize.

June 08, 2009: WASHINGTON — Trucking interests Friday took traditional partisan stances over the nomination of Anne S. Ferro to be the next administrator of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration.

June 05, 2009: Star Tribune management and strike-ready drivers continue to square off, both at the negotiating table and in bankruptcy court. Barring a agreement, a Strib brief defending its request to abrogate the drivers' contract is due Friday, with a court hearing next Tuesday.

June 4, 2009: Allied Canada is pushing for concessions from Teamsters.

June 04, 2009: FedEx will take some $1.2 billion in charges against its fiscal fourth quarter earnings, including charges against its purchased Kinko’s and Watkins Motor Lines businesses, the company announced Wednesday.

May 29, 2009: Jack Cooper Teamsters got a new boss in May, when Active Acquisitions bought a majority stake in Jack Cooper Transport.

June 3, 2009: New leadership is getting the rank-and-file involved to win a strong contract. Members are making their voices heard.

May 19, 2009: Since its Jan. 15 bankruptcy filing, the Star Tribune has forced five unions to fork over $9 million in annual concessions, plus pension freezes, with nary a labor stoppage.

May 19, 2009: The trucking industry will have to see a significant freight volume increase before beleaguered carriers return to profitability, a leading trucking executive says.

May 19, 2009: The top executive of troubled trucking giant YRC Worldwide challenged investment analysts and predicted his company would be profitable again by the end of third quarter.

May 15, 2009: YRC announced they will apply for federal bailout money, possibly as soon as today, citing their pension costs as a factor.

May 14, 2009: YRC has proposed a new Change of Operations to be heard by the union committee the week of June 1.

May 13, 2009: New Jersey Teamsters officer Fred Potter has been named director of the union's port division, which has been attempting to organize harbor truck drivers at U.S. seaports.

May 6, 2009: It’s been 15 months since the National Master Freight Agreement was ratified. But the International Union still has failed to produce copies of the contract for members.

May 5, 2009: A federal jury May 1 in Chicago handed down guilty verdicts against the former president of International Brotherhood of Teamsters Local 743 and two former officers charged with labor fraud and theft in connection with a union election rigging scheme (United States v. Lopez, N.D. Ill., No. 07-580, jury verdict 5/1/09).

May 1, 2009: A Chicago jury has found former Local 743 President Richard Lopez and two other ex-officials guilty of a scheme to steal Local 743 elections.

May 1, 2009: ABF Freight System is planning to close Teamsters' road board operations in six locales. It says it is doing this because of declining freight volumes and to consolidate operations.

April 30, 2009: The Central States Pension Fund has convened a “Pension Fund Review Committee” to analyze information and to advise funds regarding YRC’s proposal to put up real estate as collateral while deferring payment of pension moneys to the funds until 2010.

April 28, 2009: ABF is planning to close road boards in Erie, Pa, Cape Girardeau, Mo, Springfield, Ill, Jackson, Tenn, Pecos, Texas and Fletcher, NC, and open two new ones in Knoxville and Nashville Tennessee, in a change of operations designed to consolidate operations due to reduced freight volume.

April 27, 2009: The President has announced his intention to nominate two Members of the National Labor Relations Board.

April 27, 2009: Attorney Paul Taylor of the Truckers’ Justice Center says that it is time to replace the appointees to the Administrative Review Board (ARB), and that Labor Secretary Hilda Solís should act quickly. You can help make it happen.

April 24, 2009: A part of the federal stimulus package that pays 65% of a laid-off worker’s health coverage cost can benefit thousands of laid-off Teamsters.

April 24, 2009: Colorado Local 17 officers and business agents have all agreed to take a 10% pay cut.

April 24, 2009: Few trucking companies have the financial artillery to seek and acquire rivals as demand falls and capacity-rich customers drive down rates, but Arkansas Best is one of them.

April 22, 2009: YRC’s plan to defer making contractually-required payments on behalf of their employees to Teamster pension funds is moving forward.

April 21, 2009: The battle to save union contracts and conditions continues at the Minneapolis Star Tribune where the employer, which has filed for bankruptcy, is attempting to force union-busting