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Local and National Union News
Local 355 annual 2026 scholarships awarded
May 6, 2026 | For 60 consecutive years, Local 355 has proudly invested in the future of its members’ families through its annual scholarship program. This year, the union awarded a total of $8,000 in scholarships to two outstanding high-school seniors selected during a drawing held at the May 3, 2026, membership meeting at the
Baltimore office. Each recipient will receive a $4,000 scholarship, distributed at the rate of $1,000 per academic year. One of this year’s scholarship recipients is Kobe Faley, son of Local 355 member Lauren Faley. Kobe will graduate from Perryville High School in Perryville, Maryland, on May 30, 2026. Lauren works at the UPS Air Ramp at BWI Airport. Also receiving a scholarship is Lacey Dukes, daughter of Brian Dukes, a UPS package driver in Easton, Maryland. Lacey will graduate from North Dorchester High School on May 27, 2026. Local 355 congratulates Kobe and Lacey on their achievements and wishes them continued success as they begin the next chapter of their educational journeys.
DHL Teamsters ratify new collective bargaining agreement
May 5, 2026 | DHL Teamsters have voted by a 92 percent margin to ratify a new four-year contract. The new agreement was secured following a credible strike threat that would have involved thousands of DHL Teamsters across 26 locals nationwide. The new four-year contract includes a 20 percent wage increase, higher health and welfare contributions, and critical job protections. It also establishes robust safeguards against AI-driven routing systems that undermine seniority and explicitly prohibits the use of autonomous vehicles that threaten Teamsters jobs. Learn moreOlder posts can be found at 355 News
Elsewhere in the News
US Workers Overwhelmingly Support Union-Backed Policies on AI
May 10, 2026 | TECHNOLOGY | US workers overwhelmingly support pro-worker policies on artificial intelligence (AI) and view labor unions as the most reliable protectors of workers from the effects of AI, according to a new poll released by the AFL-CIO, the largest federation of labor unions in the US. More than nine out of 10 workers surveyed expressed support for policies on artificial intelligence that labor unions may fight for, including 95% supporting a requirement that a human be the final decision maker on any issues affecting individual workers and their employment. Some 92% also support advanced guardrails against harmful uses of AI in workplaces and require transparency and accountability when employers use AI. The Guardian
Unions or Abundance? That’s a False Choice.
May 11, 2026 | ECONOMY | … [The Roosevelt Institute] report pushes back on some of the criticisms of unions from the abundance movement, mainly that they slow down and raise the costs of building, especially when it comes to housing. The authors point out that construction costs in the U.S. are higher than in countries with higher union density, and have gone up in states that don’t have a strong union presence, indicating that other forces are at play. They also argue that unions are unusually democratic—their electoral and governance structures are actually required by law—and so they aren’t subject to some of the criticisms abundance proponents lob at other “interest groups,” which is that they don’t truly represent the ideals and desires of the people they say they represent. The New Republic
Week Ending 05/10/2026
• Honoring Teamster moms
• Pepsi-Cola workers in Georgia join Teamsters
• Workers over billionaires
• FEMA is offering jobs back to those who were let go in January
• NFL, referees agree on 7-year contract, avoiding potential strike
• Dali owners fight negligence, liability claims in Key Bridge accident
Breakthru Beverage Workers in St. Louis Launch ULP Strike
May 9, 2026 | UNFAIR LABOR PRACTICES | More than 100 drivers and warehouse workers have walked off the job and launched an unfair labor practice (ULP) strike at Breakthru Beverage in St. Louis. The members of Teamster Locals 600 and 688 are demanding that the company come to the table to negotiate a fair contract without illegal regressive proposals and surface bargaining. “This company has been dragging their feet and refusing to put a fair agreement on the table,” said Jeff Padellaro, Director of the Teamsters Brewery, Bakery, and Soft Drink Conference. “Our members don’t want to strike, but Breakthru has given them no choice. Teamsters nationwide are on alert and ready to support their brothers and sisters in St. Louis and Cicero.” Teamsters
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