Labor hails DC City Council move to protect federal workers
Jan. 23, 2019 | Some good news to share with family and friends affected by the government shutdown and are residents of DC: The DC City Council yesterday unanimously approved the “Federal Worker Housing Relief Emergency Act of 2019” to protect unpaid federal government workers and contractors from foreclosure, eviction, and late fees during a federal government shutdown. The bill, which takes effect immediately following the Mayor’s signature, would benefit as many as 80,000 federal workers and contractors living in DC. ...Metro Washington Council AFL-CIO

Applications are being accepted for the James R. Hoffa Memorial Scholarship
 The application process for the James R. Hoffa Memorial Scholarship for the 2019 year is now open. Scholarships ranging from $1,000 to $10,000 are awarded annually to eligible outstanding high school seniors. Applicants must be the son, daughter or grandchild of an active, retired, disabled, deceased or laid-off Teamster member who has or had at least twelve months of consecutive membership in good standing in the Teamsters Union. The submission deadline is March 31, 2019. Applications are available in English or Spanish, and are available online or at the Local office. For more information, click here.

Older news items can be viewed at 888 News.

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

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

	In Case You Missed It   • Senate bill introduced to protect older workers   • More wins for minimum wage hike   • WV teachers strike kills anti-union bill   • Conn. beer distributor locks out Teamster drivers   • Sixth state (Illinois) passes $15 minimum wage   • Mega shippers can’t wait for automation to take your job   • Nationals pitcher standing up for New Era workers   • NLRB empowers companies to treat more workers as independent contractors   • Teachers strikes: Unions focus on social justice, not just salaries

	Teamsters Stand With Immigrants Because Immigrant Rights are Worker Rights! Feb. 22, 2019 | WORKERS’ RIGHTS | [Last] week, immigrant workers from multiple Unions from across the U.S. traveled to our Nation’s Capital in Washington D.C. to participate in a Day of Action organized by Working Families United. Among the participants was our Local 396 Brother Jorge Mancia who traveled from Westminster California to Washington D.C. to fight for the rights of his fellow sanitation workers, many of whom are immigrants from across Central America, particularly, El Salvador and Guatemala. Working Families United is a coalition of Labor Unions, including the Teamsters, which was organized to advocate for the rights of immigrant workers who are a vital part of the American Labor Movement and contribute greatly to the growth of our Nation’s economy… Medium

	New York Labor Didn’t Shrink from Confronting Amazon Feb. 18, 2019 | U.S. LABOR UNIONS | […] The AFL-CIO, the Teamsters and the Retail, Wholesale, and Department Store Union (RWDSU) were intent on using Amazon’s New York ambitions as a way to get a union inside Amazon. For too long, union leaders argued, major corporations like Amazon have allowed a little unionization on their fringes—for instance, among janitors and construction workers—but not in their core operations.  As one union strategist put it, “The labor movement had to decide: Are we happy to be a movement on the margins, or do we want to fight for the real pie? … Do we stay in the box or do we fight for the real economic core of the labor market?” The AFL-CIO, Teamsters and RWDSU concluded that with Amazon growing so large and so central to the nation’s economy, it was time to confront the giant… The American Prospect

	In Case You Missed It   • Education unions oppose calls to arm teachers   • UPS Air Cargo Teamsters ratify new contract   • Teamsters remember James R. (Jimmy) Hoffa   • Corporate arbitration tactic backfires as claims flood in   • Amazon dips into contract drivers’ tips to cover their pay   • Amazon signals it may be open to a PLA in Arlington, Va.   • California, Teamsters sue FMCSA over truckers’ unpaid rest breaks   • Unions fight back against Koch, allies since Supreme Court disaster   • Millions of Americans could be stunned as their tax refunds shrink   • The 8 most common tax return questions, answered by experts   • A Presidents Day quiz on U.S. presidents

	A Record Number of US Workers Went on Strike in 2018 Feb. 14, 2019 | WORKERS' RIGHTS | Last year’s labor unrest started with strike in West Virginia and ended with Marriott workers picketing across four states. A record number of US workers went on strike or stopped working in 2018 because of labor disputes with employers, according to new data released Tuesday by the US Bureau of Labor Statistics. A total of 485,000 employees were involved in major work stoppages last year — the highest number since 1986, when flight attendants, garbage collectors, and steelworkers walked off the job. The increasing number of workers involved in labor strikes suggests that average Americans are not experiencing the “economic miracle” that President Donald Trump has described... Vox