First Student School Bus Drivers Kick Off

Teamsters Local 509 Shop Stewards

UPS 25 Years of Safe Driving

Mark Owen and Rico Aiken

Business Agent Bill Patterson and Vice President Charley Brooks

ABF VISIT: The Local Union 509 President Brian Clardy and Trustee/Business Agent Jeff Cartee visit the 509 members at ABF Duncan, South Carolina. 

Longtime UPS Driver and Local 509 Shop Steward, Kevin Wofford retired February 28, 2024! Brother Wofford is a great friend and mentor to the younger drivers, and he will be missed in the Spartanburg North Center. Best wishes in your next chapter!!

Business Agent Bill Patterson, Retired Member Kevin Wofford, and Vice President Charley Brooks

Sec/Treas. Mike Powers and Business Agent Aaron Byrd discussing the tentative agreement reached with Owens Corning. Members voted "YES" to ratify the contract. Business Agent Arron worked hard to secure a fair contract for the Local 509 members at Owens Corning!

Congratulations to Brother Jerry Harrell on behalf of the Local 509! Jerry began his full-time career in 1992, which included 30 years of employment as a UPS Feeder Driver. Enjoy your next chapter, Brother Harrell!

CONTRACT NEGOTIATIONS: OWENS CORNING

LT to RT: Shop Stewards: Maurice Oliphant, Andy Fitzgerald, Carl Carver, Latonia Gordan, Business Agent: Aaron Byrd, Sec/Tres: Mike Powers, and President: Brian Clardy are currently in contract negotiations for our Local 509 Owens Cornings members. This 509 team has worked relentlessly over the past week to secure a fair contract that protects its members and rewards their hard work. 

CPR and First Aid Training

2023-2028 UPS NATIONAL MASTER AGREEMENT AVAILABLE ON UPS TEAMSTERS APP
Members are encouraged to view the full document and use it as a reference and resource to help enforce their rights and job protections. 

All Local 509 contracts, supplemental contracts, and PLAs are on the www.TeamstersLocal509.org site under "COMPANY CONTRACTS/PLAS"

For Immediate Release                                          

Aug. 7, 2023      

YELLOW FAILS WORKERS ONE MORE TIME

Teamsters, Workers’ Families Should Take Priority as Bankruptcy Begins

(WASHINGTON) – Despite extracting billions of dollars from workers and the government, Yellow Corp. abandoned its entire workforce one more time late Sunday as they embarrassingly filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. The Teamsters denounce any attempt by the company to evade its financial obligations through legal maneuvers. 

“Yellow may try to use the courts to eradicate its financial responsibilities, but they can’t escape the truth. Teamster families sacrificed billions of dollars in wages, benefits, and retirement security to rescue Yellow. The company blew through a $700 million government bailout. But Yellow’s dysfunctional, greedy C-suite failed to take responsibility for squandering all that cash. They still don’t,” said Teamsters General President Sean M. O’Brien. “They shamelessly pin their corporate incompetence on working people. This is what’s wrong with Big Business. This is a reminder of why workers’ ability to organize and collectively bargain is so crucial to protecting and creating good jobs in America.”  

Yellow has been plagued with financial trouble for nearly two decades as dedicated working families have given up substantial earnings and pension securities to salvage Yellow from its corporate struggles. In 2011, Teamsters agreed to a massive pay cut to keep YRC Freight in business. The concessions from workers continued in the years that followed. In 2020, the government gave the company a $700 million pandemic relief loan in exchange for a 30 percent stake. 

“When mismanaged companies like Yellow cry about needing more flexibility to modernize, they’re telling you they want to take advantage of workers. They want to pay workers less, kill their pensions, and stop paying their benefits. They want to force workers to perform labor they weren’t hired to do. All things Yellow is outright guilty of,” said Teamsters General Secretary-Treasurer Fred Zuckerman. “Yellow benefitted from historically low labor costs compared to other freight leaders, yet they still managed to drive the company into the ground. Workers do not own that death. Yellow management must.”   

The Teamsters proudly represent thousands in the freight industry and successfully and continuously negotiates strong contracts. More than 15,000 members overwhelmingly ratified powerful new agreements with Yellow’s two biggest competitors just this year.  

The Teamsters’ legal and economic teams are closely following Yellow’s moves throughout bankruptcy proceedings.  

“Our members’ loss of work at Yellow was no fault of their own. They should be the first in line for real relief as bankruptcy moves forward,” said John A. Murphy, Teamsters National Freight Director. “While Yellow’s closure represents one last shameful act by a greedy employer, the Teamsters will never desert our brothers and sisters. We will do everything we can to prioritize our members at Yellow and their families during this bankruptcy.” 

Founded in 1903, the Teamsters Union represents 1.2 million hardworking people in the U.S., Canada, and Puerto Rico. Visit Teamster.org to learn more and follow us on Twitter @Teamsters and on Facebook at Facebook.com/teamsters.