International Brotherhood of Teamsters

Teamsters General President Sean M. O’Brien, General Secretary-Treasurer Fred Zuckerman, and Construction Division Director Tom Gesualdi met with rank-and-file Teamsters from across the pipeline construction industry today during the 2025 National Pipeline Steward School and Construction Division Meeting in South Carolina. Pipeline Teamsters play critical roles in American infrastructure and supply chain operations. This week, members are tackling key challenges — strengthening safety standards, expanding job opportunities, and enforcing regulations to protect workers. “Our members put their lives on the line every single day in this industry. These are tough, skilled jobs that keep are nation running,” O’Brien said. “We must keep fighting for better safety, stronger contracts, and the respect these workers deserve.” In 2023, Teamsters ratified a national pipeline contract securing higher wages, better health care, and stronger workplace protections for 3,500 pipeliners nationwide.

We need a Secretary of Labor that’s pro-labor and will work hard on behalf of American workers. That’s why the Teamsters Union is supporting Lori Chavez-DeRemer to be confirmed as the next U.S. Labor Secretary. Listen to Teamsters General President?Sean M. O'Brien make the case why everyone should support the bipartisan, pro-worker movement to confirm Lori Chavez-Deremer as Labor Secretary.

O’Brien Delivers Keynote at National Labor & Management Conference Teamsters General President Sean M. O’Brien took the stage for a keynote discussion on Tuesday at the National Labor & Management Conference, tackling political opportunities for labor unions in 2025 and Teamsters priorities in national organizing and contract enforcement. The Teamsters have taken unprecedented steps to expand the democracy of our union and make sure our members are included in more direct and transparent ways like first-of-their-kind rank-and-file Presidential roundtables, conducting town halls at 300 local union affiliates, and a membership straw poll for the 2024 election, while also assembling rank-and-file negotiating committees for core contract campaigns like UPS, Costco and United Airlines. “We are working tirelessly to be inclusive of all of our members and making sure they are engaged and involved in any and all dealings that we have — whether it's political, at the negotiating table, or in organizing,” O'Brien said. “What's most important to us is that our members have a voice at the table, and that's what we are giving them. The Teamsters are setting the standard for bold, member-driven leadership in the labor movement.”

The Teamsters Union applauds The White House on tapping David Keeling to join the Department of Labor and lead the Occupational Safety and Health Administration. Keeling worked as a part-time package handler at United Parcel Service before spending nearly 20 years with UPS. OSHA and the DOL, under the leadership of soon-to-be Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer, will continue to benefit from leaders who started in the trades and understand the risks facing working Americans today and necessary reforms and opportunities to protect them. Read about what David Keeling learned from working at UPS here: https://lnkd.in/eYbt5egp

"The working-class electorate isn’t loyal to either party. Like the billionaires and their millionaire handmaidens that have tried to buy our nation, working-class people are loyal to their own interests. They want safe communities, good jobs, and futures for their children. "Stop looking for the perfect message about how to tell people what you’re going to do. Instead, do something and then tell them you did it. It’s not difficult." https://lnkd.in/ecUhvPM3

TEAMSTERS MEET NEW MEMBERS OF U.S. CONGRESS Newly sworn-in members of the 119th U.S. Congress traveled to Teamsters headquarters in Washington, DC, on Wednesday to meet with Teamsters General President Sean M. O’Brien and other leaders to hear directly about many of the union’s top priorities in the coming years, including organizing Amazon, overhauling bankruptcy reform, and making it easier for workers to unionize and secure first contracts. “Hopefully with your help, we can find enough common ground to do good work together to help working people across this country and effectuate real change for the labor movement,” O’Brien told the newest members of Congress. “As we say often, the Teamsters don’t care if you have a D, an R, or an I after your name. If you are willing and ready to work with us to help improve the lives of American families — on the job and at home — we are determined to work with you to repair our political process. We’ll get nothing done for American workers if we aren’t talking with one another and seeking real solutions, regardless of party.” Throughout the meeting, Teamsters were joined by 21 new members of the U.S. House and Senate, including 18 Democrats and three Republicans.

Throughout the month of February, the International Brotherhood of Teamsters honors and celebrates Black History Month and the invaluable contributions African Americans have made to the American labor movement, our history as a union, and our society as a whole. Ever since our founding, the Teamsters have fought against “color lines” within the labor movement and remain committed to expanding diversity within America’s workforce. Women and people of color have always been an integral part of the membership, even attending our union’s founding convention in 1903. Throughout the decades, the Teamsters have continued to support and uplift African Americans in the labor movement. In the 1960s, Teamsters marched alongside Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. as part of the struggle for racial equality and economic justice. In 2023, our union made Dr. King an Honorary Teamster in recognition of our shared values, his commitment to our cause, and the sacrifices he made for a more just society. The Teamsters are proud to recognize Black History Month and the countless African Americans who have helped progress our union and our country forward. As we continue the fight for equality and justice, The Teamsters are committed to listening, learning from, and sharing the legacies of African Americans who have shaped our union, the American labor movement, and our nation. Black History is American History, and the Teamsters are proud to honor those who sacrificed so much so that future generations can live in an equal, just, and moral society.

TEAMSTERS RAISE $3 MILLION FOR SCHOLARSHIPS, $500K FOR WILDFIRE RELIEF Teamsters local unions across the U.S., Canada, and Puerto Rico came together tonight in Los Angeles, raising more than $3 million for the Teamsters Scholarship Fund. Since launching in 2023, the fund has now surpassed $11 million, helping hundreds of Teamsters families afford higher education. “Because of your generosity, we’re already helping hundreds of students pay their way through school and reach their full potential. And we’re well on our way to helping thousands more,” Teamsters General President Sean M. O’Brien said. “This year, we’ve taken another huge step toward making the Teamsters Scholarship Fund bigger and better for decades to come.” O’Brien also announced that the General Executive Board has approved a $500,000 donation to the Joint Council 42 Wildfire Fund to support Teamsters impacted by the Southern California wildfires. Applications for the scholarship fund are still open for Teamsters children, grandchildren, and dependents — apply by May 1 at www.Teamster.org

Apply today for the 2025 Teamsters Scholarship Fund! High school seniors of the Class of 2025 who are the financial dependent of a Teamsters member in good standing are encouraged to apply for the scholarship by May 1, 2025. Scholarships will be available for use towards a four-year college or university and training or vocational programs that are related to work in a Teamsters-represented industry, class, or craft. Apply now: teamster.org/scholarships

Teamsters are calling on Gov. JB Pritzker to sign into law House Bill 2547, the Illinois Warehouse Worker Protection Act (WWPA). “There’s no reason that companies like Amazon should be able to endanger its workforce with grievous bodily harm through predatory and reckless behavior,” said Teamsters General President Sean M. O’Brien. “Gov. Pritzker can help fight back against the greed of Corporate America and side with Illinois’ working families by signing this critical legislation.” HB 2547, authored by Rep. Kevin John Olickal (D – Chicago), would require employers to provide a written description of productivity quotas to warehouse workers. It also requires that warehouse productivity quotas not be so high that they interfere with breaks for meals, rest, or the bathroom. Teamsters are advocating for laws that protect the rights of warehouse workers and address unrealistic quotas and hazardous safety conditions, both federally and at the state level. California, Minnesota, New York, Oregon, and Washington have passed similar legislation.