In honor of May Day, Teamster ally gives away labor music
May 1, 2014  | In celebration of May Day, activist and musician Tom Morello is offering his "Union Town" EP for free download today only. "…this record is dedicated to working people of every nationality, age, color, and religion who have the courage to stand up for justice and dignity in the workplace, and beyond. Enjoy the tunes and fight the power!" said Morello. Morello has worked with Teamsters in the past. More at teamster.org.

Gov. Corbett finally pulls the plug on voter ID law in Pennsylvania
May 12, 2014  | Pennsylvania Governor Tom Corbett (R) will not appeal the Commonwealth Court's recent decision to strike down the so-called voter ID law…The law passed in March 2012 mirrored other "voter ID" bills introduced instate legislatures nationwide, all of them based on ALEC middle legislation. Prominent ALEC State Rep. Daryl Metcalfe (R-Butler) was one of the laws main boosters in Harrisburg. More at workingamerica..org.

Super-sized, Global Fast Food Worker Strike Tomorrow
May 14, 2014  | Fast food workers will strike in 150 cities and 30 cities overseas, escalating the movement for fair wages and the right to organize that now encompasses port truck drivers, warehouse workers, processing workers, Walmart associates and government contractors…Decades of union-busting in this country lowered wages to the point where half the workers in America earn wages at or near the poverty level. Now tens of thousands of workers at a time are taking to the street to demand a fair day's wage for a day's work. Full story at teamsternation.com.

UPS will add thousands of new union package jobs
May 15, 2014  | General Secretary-Treasurer Ken JHall announced today that UPS will add thousands of new package jobs across the country this year in the face of strong Teamster enforcement of the new National Master UPS Agreement… Hiring has already started, and the news jobs will be in addition to the regular filling of jobs through attrition….The contract also tackles excessive overtime by making it easier for workers to get on the "9.5 list" limiting hours, providing access to penalty pay in the first week of a violation, prohibiting the company from piling on work at the end of a week and allowing the union to address inadequate staffing. Read the full announcement at teamster.org.

Driver's physical must now be performed by Certified Medical Examiner*
May 15, 2014  | The Federal Motor Carrier and Safety Administration is reminding the trucking industry [May 21] marks the start of new regulations requiring all U.S. DOT physicals must be performed by a qualified health professional listed on the National Registry of Certified Medical Examiners…Current medical certificates held by commercial driver's license holders will continue to be valid until the expiration date that is shown on the card. Only then will the driver need to seek a certified medical examiner to perform their new examination. Full story here. * Updated: Important Teamsters information here. Questions? Contact your business agent.

Teamsters: Time to start the war for workers at the ballot box
May 26, 2014  | A new election season is quickly approaching and the Teamsters, like Americans as a whole, have much to ponder. While there has been some economic improvement since 2012, workers trying to cover their families' day-to-day expenses are still facing an uphill climb…It's OK to be angry at Washington. A sizable contingent of anti-worker lawmakers has done much to deserve our ire. But what working people can't afford is to make bad choices at the ballot box. Americans can't just throw up their hands and give up. Corporate America isn't, and they will continue to donate mountains of money to lawmakers and candidates alike trying to influence them. Read more at teamster.org.

Fact Check: Medicare under observation
May 30, 2014  | Attention Local 992 retirees: Factcheck.org sets the record straight on allegations in a letter from an alleged Medicare beneficiary that has gone viral. The question: Is it true that, under the Affordable Care Act, "Medicare will not pay anything" for patients receiving only "observation" care in hospitals? The answer with full explanation at here.