Latest news with #Teamsters
Fox News
16 hours ago
- Business
- Fox News
Teamsters' boss O'Brien lauds Trump tariffs, says attention should be on ‘massive' CEO compensation
It's "no secret" where the International Brotherhood of Teamsters' leadership stands on tariff implementation, union boss Sean O'Brien testified before Congress. On Tuesday, Sen. Bernie Moreno, R-Ohio, told O'Brien he believes he is sincere when he speaks about public policy that grows a "thriving middle class in this country." "That's not an act," Moreno suggested, to which O'Brien confirmed. "I think someone referred to me as a self-promoting union boss in one of their articles, but I'm not a self-promoting union boss. I'm a truck driver from a middle-class family that appreciates and embraces the preservation of the middle class," O'Brien said before the Senate Commerce Subcommittee on Surface Transportation. "There's no secret what our position is as a union on tariffs." O'Brien took heat from the left for agreeing to speak at the 2024 Republican National Convention, and has been more open than some union bosses to engage with the Trump administration. In the hearing, he acknowledged public concern over the timing and specifics regarding the implementation of Trump's tariff regime and its effect on the U.S. consumer. However, he lambasted the 1993 NAFTA agreement forged under the Clinton administration, blaming the now-former framework for shipping jobs overseas. "Remember when we had plenty of industry in this country where we were producing goods and services. We were manufacturing steel. We were doing a lot of this work. And then these bad trade deals happened…" O'Brien added that while there is concern over job loss as well, there are other cost factors at play with the new tariff regime. He said corporate America should shoulder some of any negative fallout from the tariffs. "Take a little less in your own pocket, stop giving more to Wall Street, and just reward your workers and don't pass this cost on the consumers," he said. "We've got to take a look at excessive compensation with a lot of these CEOs and these corporations and their willingness to reward Wall Street instead of the people that work in these jobs." The Teamsters, which represent UPS workers as one of their largest workforces, also have been concerned over foreign nationals, who may not know English or U.S. traffic laws, being allowed to swoop in and take commercial driver's license (CDL) jobs, O'Brien said. Trump in April formally decreed strict English proficiency standards for CDL drivers, which Moreno also asked the union boss about. Moreno noted that as an immigrant himself – from Colombia – his parents required him to learn English, and asked O'Brien his thoughts on the flood of English-illiterate drivers on the same roads his members carry parcels every day. "I think it's extremely frightening, to be honest with you. You had a lot of trucking companies that were actively recruiting in foreign countries to bring people over here on those work visas… and train them and put them on the roads – where they're not from this country, they don't know this language," he said. "So our members are very passionate. By the way, our membership of 1.3 million is well representative from first-generation immigrants who came over here the right way, who learned the language, learned the laws, obtain this CDLs properly. And went to work and everything else." He suggested another solution being that Mexican truck drivers could drop their trailers at the U.S. border, to be picked up by American drivers who finish the trip.
CBS News
16 hours ago
- Climate
- CBS News
Minneapolis' Aquatennial Torchlight Parade canceled due to severe weather
Officials have canceled Minneapolis' Aquatennial Torchlight Parade Wednesday due to the severe weather forecast. The parade, which makes its way down Nicollet Mall, was slated to start at 7:30 p.m. The Twin Cities area is expected to see a mix of dangerous weather conditions Wednesday; a heat advisory is in effect until 8 p.m., and there is a slight risk for severe weather with threats of straight line winds and flooding. "The safety and well-being of our participants, spectators, volunteers, and staff remain our highest priority," the Minneapolis Downtown Council said in a statement. "We are deeply grateful for the time, effort, and enthusiasm of all those involved in bringing this beloved tradition to life, and we share the disappointment of this outcome." The Aquatennial is a civic celebration of the City of Minneapolis. The origins of the event can be traced back to the 1930s, when the city saw a Teamsters truckers strike and anti-union violence that injured 67 people and killed two others. Businessmen believed that a celebratory spectacle would improve and promote the city's reputation, and launched the event which became known as "The 10 Best Days of Summer." The Aquatennial culminates in a fireworks show Saturday evening.
Fox News
18 hours ago
- Business
- Fox News
Top union boss lauds Trump tariff efforts
Teamsters president Sean O'Brien praises effects of tariffs on working-class, during a Senate Commerce Subcommittee on Surface Transportation hearing.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Ruan Transport laying off 144 workers in Arizona after losing contract
Ruan Transport Corp. is laying off 144 workers in Tolleson, Arizona, including 130 truck drivers, along with mechanics and administrative staff. The layoffs will be finalized by the end of August. Des Moines, Iowa-based Ruan Transport has 2,980 trucks and 3,612 drivers, according to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. The company provides dedicated fleet management, logistics management and warehousing solutions for customers across the country. Ruan Transport had a contract with Kroger to provide transportation services from the Tolleson distribution center, which is located in the Phoenix area. However, Kroger cancelled that contract, according to the Teamsters union. The Teamsters represents Ruan Transport workers at the Tolleson distribution center. 'For over 26 years, Teamsters Local 104 members at Ruan have safely and reliably delivered products for Kroger. Now, the company is attempting to replace them with Swift, a move that threatens the hard-won standards Teamsters have built over decades,' Lena Melentijevic, a spokeswoman for the Teamsters, told FreightWaves in an email. Officials for The Kroger Co. and Knight-Swift Transportation Holdings Inc. did not return requests for comment. Sean M. O'Brien, general president of the Teamsters, and Fred E. Zuckerman, the union's general-secretary treasurer, sent a letter to Kroger leadership on June 6 seeking clarification on Ruan's dismissal. 'Our impression is that Kroger intends to replace Ruan with a 3PL that does not provide reasonable equal wages and conditions of employment similar to those provided for in the Teamsters Local Union 104 collective bargaining agreement currently in effect with Ruan,' O'Brien and Zuckerman wrote in a letter to Kroger shared on Facebook. 'If this unfortunate development should occur, Kroger should expect community standards picketing to occur which truthfully advises the public that Ruan's successor does not conform to the area standards established by Teamsters Local Union 104.' Related: Mass layoffs continue across freight-related companies in the U.S. The post Ruan Transport laying off 144 workers in Arizona after losing contract appeared first on FreightWaves. Solve the daily Crossword
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
UPS driver buyout offers: Carrier eyes Aug. 31 start to separations
This story was originally published on Supply Chain Dive. To receive daily news and insights, subscribe to our free daily Supply Chain Dive newsletter. Dive Brief: UPS is offering voluntary buyouts to its full-time U.S. drivers amounting to $1,800 per year of service, with a minimum payout of $10,000, according to an announcement from the carrier Friday. Interested drivers must apply for the program between July 18 and July 31, according to a UPS employee communication viewed by Supply Chain Dive. Applicants will be considered for separation dates between Aug. 31 and Oct. 31 "based on the local needs of the business." "If the maximum number of applications is exceeded, approvals will be granted in seniority order," the communication said. "Additional applications may be considered for separation dates between Feb. 1, 2026, and March 31, 2026." Dive Insight: The undertaking, called the Driver Voluntary Separation Program, is the first in UPS' history for delivery drivers. The financial incentive available through the program is in addition to earned retirement benefits like pension and healthcare, per UPS. Word of the program spread on July 3, when the International Brotherhood of Teamsters union said UPS' buyout plan was in motion. The Teamsters represent more than 300,000 UPS employees under a five-year contract reached in 2023. 'Our members cannot be bought off and we will not allow them to be sold out," Teamsters General President Sean O'Brien said in the union's announcement. "The Teamsters are prepared to fight UPS on every front with every available resource to shut down this illegal buyout program." The union urged members to reject the buyout offers in a LinkedIn post on Friday. UPS did not specify what would happen if a lower-than-expected number of drivers applied for the program. UPS is enacting the buyout program in the midst of a major network overhaul to boost profitability, which will feature several facility closures and an over 50% volume reduction from Amazon, its top customer. The initiative also comes after the carrier revealed plans in April to cut roughly 20,000 U.S. positions this year. "As we work through our network reconfiguration, we remain steadfast in our commitment to providing our customers with the reliable, industry-leading service they expect from UPS," the company said in Friday's announcement. Recommended Reading UPS plans 20K job cuts this year as Amazon pullback advances
