Union Pacific and Norfolk Southern are trying to push through a merger that would harm workers, communities, and consumers. Act now! Fill out this form to tell the Surface Transportation Board to block the UP/NS merger: RailMergerComments.org

On September 11, 2001, hundreds of Teamsters in New York City answered our nation's call to service. Our members in the construction trades immediately got to work cleaning up Ground Zero — 24 hours a day, 7 days a week for 9 months. After the debris was cleared, Teamsters stayed onsite and went to work rebuilding the World Trade Center. Today we honor our Local 282 members who have suffered serious illness linked to their exposure at the site for their courage, patriotism, and lasting contribution they made to rebuild New York City after one of our nation’s darkest hours.

123 years ago today, workers from across the country united in Niagara Falls to build an everlasting organization greater than themselves: The Teamsters Union. The Teamsters are stronger today than we’ve been in decades.

O’BRIEN, ZUCKERMAN REELECTED TO SECOND FIVE-YEAR TERM LEADING TEAMSTERS The International Brotherhood of Teamsters announced today that Sean M. O’Brien and Fred Zuckerman have been reelected to another five-year term as General President and General Secretary-Treasurer, respectively, renewing a mandate for powerful, militant leadership on behalf of 1.3 million rank-and-file Teamsters across North America. The O’Brien-Zuckerman Teamsters United slate was elected by white ballot at the union’s 31st International Convention in Las Vegas following a secret ballot vote of 1,572 delegates. All voting delegates were democratically elected to the convention by rank-and-file members from more than 330 local unions across the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. No opposition candidates received enough votes to meet the Teamsters’ constitutionally required threshold to challenge the O’Brien-Zuckerman team. “This victory belongs to rank-and-file Teamsters. When we were sworn into office four years ago, our leadership team committed to building a bigger, faster, stronger union, and that’s exactly what we’ve done. We’ve organized more than 100,000 new members, won historic agreements including a record contract for 340,000 members at UPS, and put rank-and-file members back in the driver’s seat. The Teamsters is now the most aggressive, effective, and respected labor union on Earth,” O’Brien said. “Over the next five years, we have a lot of work ahead of us. The Teamsters face big fights at UPS and Amazon, and we are prepared to tackle those head on with the militancy and organization that has defined our administration. We will keep growing and never stop working for the members.” “The Teamsters are stronger, more secure, and more prepared to take on greedy employers than at any point in our 123-year history. We have more than $1 billion in total assets, and our Strike and Defense Fund stands at approximately $365 million, providing the ammunition to take on the boss and protect our members,” Zuckerman said. “The Teamsters have accomplished so much to expand our ranks, exert real political influence, and safeguard our members in an ever-evolving economy. But we’re just getting started. The future is bright and the state of the union is strong in the Teamsters.” O’Brien is a fourth-generation Teamster from Local 25 in Charlestown, Mass. Zuckerman joined the Teamsters more than four decades ago as a rank-and-file member in Houston and later went on to lead Local 89 in Louisville, Ky. Together, they bring an aggressive grassroots approach to taking on employers and prioritizing member involvement in the union. Over the next five years, O’Brien and Zuckerman have pledged to continue the fight at UPS and Amazon, strengthen Teamsters density in core industries, defend and improve contracts across every division of the union, and build even bigger bipartisan coalitions to pass the Faster Labor Contracts Act and other legislation to benefit working people. The O’Brien-Zuckerman Teamsters United slate will take the oath of office in March 2027. The 2027-2032 Teamsters General Executive Board includes: International Vice Presidents At-Large: Juan Campos, Secretary-Treasurer, Local 705, Chicago, Ill.; Lindsay Dougherty, Secretary-Treasurer, Local 399, Hollywood, Calif.; Tom Erickson, President, Local 120, Blaine, Minn.; Greg Floyd, President, Local 237, New York, N.Y.; Peter Finn, Secretary-Treasurer, Local 856, San Bruno, Calif.; Thomas Gesualdi, President, Local 282, New Hyde Park, N.Y.; and James Wright, President, Local 822, Norfolk, Va.; Western Region Vice Presidents: Mark Davison, President, Local 162, Portland, Ore.; Rick Hicks, Secretary-Treasurer, Local 174, Tukwila, Wash.; Victor Mineros, Secretary-Treasurer, Local 396, Covina, Calif.; and Karla Schumann, Secretary-Treasurer, Local 104, Phoenix, Ariz.; Central Region Vice Presidents: Danny Avelyn, Secretary-Treasurer, Local 554, Omaha, Neb.; Pat Darrow, Secretary-Treasurer, Local 348, Akron, Ohio; and Dustin Roach, President, Local 135, Indianapolis, Ind.; Eastern Region Vice Presidents: Rocco Calo, Secretary-Treasurer, Local 1150, Stratford, Conn.; William Hamilton, President, Local 107, Philadelphia, Pa.; and Matt Taibi, Secretary-Treasurer, Local 251, Providence, R.I.; Southern Region Vice Presidents: Thor Johnson, Vice President, Local 79, Tampa, Fla.; and Brent Taylor, Secretary-Treasurer, Local 745, Dallas, Texas; International Trustees: Sean Cedenio, Secretary-Treasurer, Local 570, Baltimore, Md.; Willie Ford, President, Local 71, Charlotte, N.C.; and Vinnie Perrone, President, Local 804, New York, N.Y.; Teamsters Canada International Vice Presidents: François Laporte, President, Teamsters Canada, Laval, Quebec; Stan Hennessy, President, Local 31, Delta, British Columbia; and Craig McInnes, President, Local 938, Mississauga, Ontario.

Rail Teamsters from the @BLET and their union coalition remain on strike at the MTA-owned Long Island Rail Road. After more than three years with no raises, LIRR’s union workers, including 500 Teamsters locomotive engineers, will not make any more sacrifices to cover for the MTA’s mismanagement. It's time to give our members the fair deal they deserve.

BLET Teamsters at Long Island Rail Road are bargaining for a contract as a coalition with 3,500 workers from five unions. 300,000 people rely on LIRR to get to and from New York City every day. If the MTA-owned LIRR fails to offer its union workers a fair contract, a work stoppage could start as soon as this Saturday, May 16!

“To me, Mother’s Day is more than celebration. It is about honoring women like my mom who keep this country moving while raising families at the same time. Women who balance exhausting workdays with motherhood, sacrifice with strength, and responsibility with resilience. I will always be proud to be the son of a Teamster mom.” Read more here: justcauseteamsters.substack.…

The Teamsters proudly represent over half of Union Pacific’s and Norfolk Southern’s union workers. Our union will do whatever it takes to protect and promote their interests in any agreement that moves forward. Read more: justcauseteamsters.substack.…

We’ve seen what happens with megamergers like the $85 billion one Union Pacific and Norfolk Southern are pushing. Positions don’t get filled, facilities get sold off, and work gets consolidated. The Teamsters will oppose this merger with everything we’ve got until the railroads make serious commitments to the workers who power their profits.

Union Pacific and Norfolk Southern are proposing a merger that would give them control over nearly half the freight rail market. The Teamsters represent tens of thousands of workers at the two railroads — and we will not let our members be left behind: justcauseteamsters.substack.…

The Teamsters Rail Conference thanks Sens. Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) and Josh Hawley (R-MO) and Rep. Dina Titus (D-NV, 1st District) for introducing the Secure Tracks Act. Railroads have been trying to replace the work of Teamsters track inspectors with “automated track inspection,” which is nothing more than a modestly improved version of an existing tool used by inspectors. The Secure Tracks Act would prevent carriers from endangering communities and killing jobs by requiring them to continue conducting safe numbers of visual track inspections. “If railroads implement their dangerous ATI agenda, it won’t just be our members who pay the price. It will be everyday Americans in whichever community bears the brunt of the next catastrophe,” said Tony Cardwell, President of the BMWED of the Teamsters Rail Conference. “With the Secure Tracks Act, we will ensure carriers are required to maintain the visual inspections that keep our communities safe. We thank Sens. Baldwin and Hawley and Rep. Titus for their commitment to union railroaders, and we look forward to working together to get this bill passed.”

Teamsters General President Sean M. O’Brien, General Secretary-Treasurer Fred Zuckerman, and the Teamsters Human Rights and Diversity Commission held a ceremony today to unveil a new bust of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. at Teamsters Headquarters in Washington, DC. The bust now on display honors the special relationship shared between Dr. King and the Teamsters Union during his lifetime and beyond. Dr. King was a supporter of many Teamsters causes, which the union recognized by naming him an honorary Teamster in 2023. With this new installation, Dr. King’s legacy with the Teamsters Union will forever be part of our story. “Dr. King didn’t just fight for civil rights. He was one of the most important labor leaders in our country’s history, and we are honored to help preserve his legacy,” O'Brien said. “I hope this permanent installation reminds rank-and-file Teamsters of the sacrifices made by generations before — and serves as inspiration to future generations to forever carry the torch of making Dr. King’s dream of equality a reality for all workers in America.”

Today, @USDOT took decisive action to restrict cross-border railroad operations from Mexico. The Teamsters and the @BLET applaud the Administration and @SecDuffy for standing with us to protect union railroad jobs in border communities and across the nation, and to prioritize rail safety for trains entering the United States.

The following is a statement from Teamsters General President Sean M. O’Brien; Mark Wallace, President of the Teamsters Rail Conference and the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen (BLET); and Tony Cardwell, President of the Brotherhood of Maintenance of Way Employes Division (BMWED) on the potential merger between Union Pacific and Norfolk Southern: “The Teamsters Union strongly opposes the proposed merger between Union Pacific and Norfolk Southern as currently written. “Between the BLET and the BMWED, the Teamsters Rail Conference represents nearly 20,000 Union Pacific and Norfolk Southern workers — over half of their unionized employees. These hardworking men and women make these railroads run. We cannot and will not support any agreement or merger that fails to safeguard their lives and livelihoods. “The Teamsters investigated the terms of the acquisition for five months, held meetings with members nationwide, and directly negotiated with Union Pacific’s and Norfolk Southern’s leadership. Executives from both carriers — particularly Union Pacific — refused to make real commitments to protect the jobs and address the concerns of our members. “Union Pacific and Norfolk Southern have worrying histories when it comes to protecting workers and communities. This includes causing a shocking number of accidents on the tracks, like the catastrophe in East Palestine, as well as trying to give away American jobs to Mexican rail crews. They have given us every reason to believe these problems would only grow worse if the merger is approved under its proposed terms. “It’s time for Union Pacific and Norfolk Southern to get serious and do right by our members. Until they do, the Teamsters will do everything in our power to block this harmful merger.”

Happy Father's Day to all the amazing Teamster dads everywhere!