Teamster leaders gather for Unity Conference
May 3, 2019  |  With major challenges facing workers and the 2020 elections looming, the importance of mobilizing members is more critical than ever, Teamster leaders heard at the annual Unity Conference taking place in Las Vegas, Nev. Leaders have been attending important divisional meetings, where they are hearing about the latest issues facing workers and the union, and strategies for winning. The meetings continue today and Thursday … Read more at teamster.org.

Teamsters back effort to revamp federal labor law to benefit workers
May 3, 2019  | “The Protecting the Right to Organize (PRO) Act will restore fairness to the economy at a time when income inequality has stifled the ability of far too many hardworking Americans to earn a decent wage that allows them to support their families,” General President Jim Hoffa said in a statement issued yesterday. The legislation that would comprehensively update the National Labor Relations Act was introduced yesterday in the U.S. House of Representatives by Rep. Bobby Scott (D-Va.) and Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.). Read more at teamsters.org And from Intelligencer: [The PRO Act] would ban employers from forcing hires to sign away their right to pursue collective or class-action litigation and from permanently replacing workers who go on strike. It would also require employers to begin bargaining a contract no later than ten days after a union has been certified...

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Tronc to ditch ridiculed name June 29, 2018 | After one of the most lampooned rebrandings of the digital era, Tronc is going to return to the name Tribune Publishing. An insider said that the name change for the parent company of the Chicago Tribune and the New York Daily News was awaiting the completion of Tronc’s spinoff of the Los Angeles Times, San Diego Union-Tribune and several other papers in its California Media Group to health tech billionaire Patrick Soon-Shiong… MarketWatch It looks like Tronc is about to be chopped up, sold for parts Sept. 17, 2018 | While it still requires some deal jiu-jitsu, Tronc looks to be on the brink of being broken up. Will Wyatt’s new Donerail Group, several confidential sources tell me, has now gotten the financing in place to do a deal to buy Tronc. Donerail would purchase Tronc’s 10 daily newspaper properties, take the company private, and then most likely sell the papers off to individual buyers — some of whom it already has lined up… Neiman Lab And this: Tronc in talks to sell to McClatchy? Sept. 17, 2018 | A second firm is in talks to potentially acquire Chicago-based newspaper chain Tronc. California-based newspaper chain McClatchy is in “early stage” discussions to buy Tronc, owner of the Chicago Tribune and other major newspapers, a source familiar with the negotiations said Friday. McClatchy, a publicly traded company, generated about $904 million in revenue last year, according to filings with the SEC… Chicago Tribune

Tronc to ditch ridiculed name June 29, 2018 | After one of the most lampooned rebrandings of the digital era, Tronc is going to return to the name Tribune Publishing. An insider said that the name change for the parent company of the Chicago Tribune and the New York Daily News was awaiting the completion of Tronc’s spinoff of the Los Angeles Times, San Diego Union-Tribune and several other papers in its California Media Group to health tech billionaire Patrick Soon-Shiong… MarketWatch

It looks like Tronc is about to be chopped up, sold for parts Sept. 17, 2018 | While it still requires some deal jiu-jitsu, Tronc looks to be on the brink of being broken up. Will Wyatt’s new Donerail Group, several confidential sources tell me, has now gotten the financing in place to do a deal to buy Tronc. Donerail would purchase Tronc’s 10 daily newspaper properties, take the company private, and then most likely sell the papers off to individual buyers — some of whom it already has lined up… Neiman Lab

And this: Tronc in talks to sell to McClatchy? Sept. 17, 2018 | A second firm is in talks to potentially acquire Chicago-based newspaper chain Tronc. California-based newspaper chain McClatchy is in “early stage” discussions to buy Tronc, owner of the Chicago Tribune and other major newspapers, a source familiar with the negotiations said Friday. McClatchy, a publicly traded company, generated about $904 million in revenue last year, according to filings with the SEC… Chicago Tribune

	In Case You Missed It   • American workers are not happy   • Teamsters stand with law enforcement officers   • Video game workers see power in a union   • Flight attendant union leader, Sara Nelson’s art of war   • Labor Board: Uber drivers are contractors, not employees   • Democrats have ambitious plan to save U.S. labor unions   • Trump labor board gave huge gift to Uber amid its stock struggles   • Public service Teamsters plan strategy to build member power   • This FB page shares pix of dogs UPS workers meet every day

	Hoffa: 2020 Democrats Are Vying For Union Support, and That’s A Welcome Shift May 14, 2019 | OPINION | As the 2020 primary season heats up, presidential candidates in the massive Democratic field — from Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren to Amy Klobuchar and Joe Biden — are vying for critical support from labor unions. Don't dismiss this as typical election posturing. Those of us who have watched the labor movement’s ebbs and flows over the past few decades know things have changed. Democrats' actual support for labor unions has fluctuated wildly in recent decades. The failure to focus on economic insecurity and the industrial heartland in 2016 allowed anti-union Republicans to make gains among union voters… USA Today

	Human Error? Stop Blaming Workers for Their Own Deaths May 13, 2019 | OPINION | The blame game for the April 27 fatal collapse of a construction crane in Seattle’s South Lake Union neighborhood began almost before the dust had settled at the accident site. Within hours, experts were already calling out human error as a likely culprit in the tragedy, which killed two ironworkers disassembling the crane and two people in cars on the street below. …blaming the workers for their own deaths — are common following workplace accidents. They also grossly oversimplify the complex causes of on-the-job injuries and fatalities and the factors that contribute to them, most of which are beyond the control of any worker. Individuals clearly bear some responsibility for workplace safety. But we know that the risk of injury or death on the job is largely determined by other factors, such as the availability of high-quality workplace training, workplace culture and other factors that are largely determined by the employer and organizational context of the work… Seattle Times

	In Case You Missed It   • Teamsters stand in solidarity with Uber, Lyft drivers   • Sanders campaign ratifies union contract with workers   • The rise of workers who self automate their jobs   • The 10 most unionized U.S. cities   • Trump’s trade war: Where America’s workers are hit hardest   • Where GM layoffs stand after stunning blow to workers   • Union accuses VA secretary of trying to strip workers’ rights in new proposal

	Uber, Lyft Driver Strike Latest Move to Organize Gig Workers May 10, 2019 | ORGANIZING | A strike by Uber and Lyft drivers in cities across the United States this week caused barely a ripple to passengers looking to catch a ride, highlighting the challenges in launching a labor movement from scratch in an industry that is by nature decentralized. Activists and others involved in the labor movement are still declaring it a success. It grabbed headlines, trended on Twitter and won the support of several Democrats running for president. The action was also closely watched by labor organizers, who are brainstorming about ways to build worker power in the 21st-century economy… Star Tribune