Striking teamsters defend their picket line from anti-union police on the streets of Minneapolis, June 1934— From the Minneapolis Historical Society (Public Domain). “There was a war in Minneapolis:a conflict of poverty against wealth,of labor against capital.” -Farrell Dobbs, Teamster Rebellion (1972) by Jacob BilskyWestern MA On May 16th, 1934, Teamster Local 574 struck toContinue reading “Teamster Rebellion: Revive the Spirit of 1934 to Win in 2023!”
Category Archives: Labor Struggles & Solidarity
Solidarity with House Staff Unionizing: Interview with a Mass. General Brigham Hospital Worker
by Peggy Wang (APA, MTA/NEA – personal capacity) Below is an interview with a healthcare provider and labor activist at Mass General Hospital in Boston, Massachusetts. A union drive organizing the “House Staff”, Residents (doctors in training) and Fellows (medical specialists in training), is taking place across the Mass General Brigham (MGB) health corporation. TheContinue reading “Solidarity with House Staff Unionizing: Interview with a Mass. General Brigham Hospital Worker”
Lessons from the 1997 UPS Teamster Strike
by Ryan VuzProvidence, RI The International Brotherhood of Teamsters (Teamsters, or IBT) is preparing for the possibility of the largest strike in U.S. history against a single private company, the United Parcel Service (UPS). It’s crucial to look back at the lessons from the last UPS strike in 1997 when over 185,000 Teamsters came togetherContinue reading “Lessons from the 1997 UPS Teamster Strike”
Supreme Court Tries To Shut Down The Workers Movement: Teamsters Punished for Strike Action
by Ronan Foley (Teamsters Local 170) & Nick Wurst (SMART-TD Local 1473) In August 2017, the International Brotherhood of Teamsters (Local 174) was negotiating a new contract with concrete company Glacier Northwest. Concrete truck drivers reported to work, turned on their trucks, left the full containers of wet concrete in the parking lot, and walkedContinue reading “Supreme Court Tries To Shut Down The Workers Movement: Teamsters Punished for Strike Action”
Labor and Community Support for UPS Teamsters – Build Solidarity Committees!
By Evren Pallares O’ LaoghaireTeamsters Local 170, UPS Package Handler (personal capacity) On June 16th, the International Brotherhood of Teamsters announced that 97% of UPS Teamsters voted to authorize a strike if we can’t reach a strong tentative agreement by August 1st. If UPS workers strike this summer, it would be the largest strike inContinue reading “Labor and Community Support for UPS Teamsters – Build Solidarity Committees!”
Launch Meetings: Build Solidarity Committees to Support UPS Workers!
A STRONG CONTRACT BY AUGUST 1ST OR UPS TEAMSTERS STRIKE! Workers, union activists, and community members are invited to join us to launch solidarity committees which can help organize active support for UPS workers in their fight for a strong contract! Meetings are being organized in Portland, Boston, Worcester, and Providence: 350,000 UPS workers areContinue reading “Launch Meetings: Build Solidarity Committees to Support UPS Workers!”
Railroad Workers United Calls For Solidarity Action with UPS Teamsters
A resolution put forward by an ISG member in RWU As the contract fight between 350,000 Teamsters union members and the UPS corporation heats up, unions, left groups, and other organizations are asking how they can help UPS workers win. All working people should see the UPS workers’ struggle as their own. Real, effective solidarityContinue reading “Railroad Workers United Calls For Solidarity Action with UPS Teamsters”
Why We Need Public Ownership of the Railroads
by Nicholas Wurst & Claire BaylerWorcester, MASMART-TD Local 1473 (personal capacity) & Railroad Workers United (personal capacity) In October of 2022, amid the highly contentious battle over the Class 1 freight railroad workers’ contract, Railroad Workers United (RWU) adopted a resolution calling for public ownership of the railroads. RWU is an activist organization of rank-and-fileContinue reading “Why We Need Public Ownership of the Railroads”
International Workers Day 2023: Bring Back the Power Of The Strike
Union organizing elections increased by 50% last year, and unions won 72% of them. These included high-profile organizing victories at Amazon, Starbucks, Trader Joe’s, MIT, Boston University, and many other workplaces. Public support for unions polled around 70%, the highest level of support since 1965. Despite the victories and increased support for unions, only oneContinue reading “International Workers Day 2023: Bring Back the Power Of The Strike”
Interview with a Teamster: Union Busting & Corporate Maneuvers at UPS
by Nicholas Marcotte Ronan Foley has worked as a part-time package handler at the UPS hub in Shrewsbury, MA for over a year and is a member of Teamsters Local 170 and the Independent Socialist Group. UPS is not only one of the largest logistics companies in the world, but also is one of theContinue reading “Interview with a Teamster: Union Busting & Corporate Maneuvers at UPS”
Independent Socialist Group 