Teamsters Local 251

Over 6400 members in RI and southern MA, fighting for dignity, respect and a better way of life for working families.

[Rhode Island Senate @RISenate]

The Senate today approved legislation sponsored by Majority Leader Frank A. Ciccone III that requires employers to provide each employee of a warehouse distribution center with written descriptions of quotas and responsibilities.

Learn more: https://t.co/sQzdmgCJhR

[Teamsters @Teamsters]

This Memorial Day, the Teamsters Union honors the memory of all who gave the ultimate sacrifice to protect the freedom we enjoy each and every day.

[Teamsters @Teamsters]

🚨 BREAKING NEWS 🚨

The U.S. House will be advancing the Faster Labor Contracts Act for a vote!

The FLCA now has 218 Congressmembers ready to make faster first union contracts a reality for millions of workers.

[Teamsters @Teamsters]

For the first time in recent history, we have labor reform legislation — the Faster Labor Contracts Act — that is both bipartisan and bicameral.

When passed, the FLCA will require employers to start bargaining with newly organized workers within 10 days of voting to form their union.

Let’s make it happen!

[Teamsters Local 251 @IBT251]

Thank you @Rep_Magaziner & @RepGabeAmo!

[Teamsters @Teamsters]

TEAMSTERS CELEBRATE BIPARTISAN PUSH TO ADVANCE FASTER LABOR CONTRACTS ACT

Today, the U.S. House of Representatives reached the 218 signatures needed on a discharge petition to advance the Faster Labor Contracts Act. The petition, filed by Representative Donald Norcross (D-NJ, 1st District), will force a vote on the bill in the coming weeks.

“Securing the support needed to move the Faster Labor Contracts Act forward is a significant milestone for millions of Teamsters and workers across this country,” said Teamsters General President Sean M. O’Brien. “This is one of the most consequential labor bills to come before Congress in generations. It has the potential to hold Corporate America accountable for endlessly dragging out negotiations and denying workers the first union contracts they deserve. The Teamsters Union thanks every Democrat and Republican who signed the discharge petition and made the choice to stand with workers.”

The Teamsters applaud House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY, 8th District), Rep. Donald Norcross, Rep. Bobby Scott (D-VA, 3rd District), and House Democrats for supporting the Teamsters and working people across America.

The Teamsters commend Republican Representatives Mike Lawler (R-NY, 17th District), Nick LaLota (R-NY, 1st District), Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA, 1st District), Don Bacon (R-NE, 2nd District), Max Miller (R-OH, 7th District), Riley Moore (R-WV, 2nd District), and Rob Bresnahan (R-PA, 8th District), who stood up for working people and helped force action on this critical bill.

The Faster Labor Contracts Act would amend the National Labor Relations Act to require employers to bargain with newly organized workers within 10 days of voting to form their union. The Senate version of the bill, introduced last year by Senator Josh Hawley (R-MO) and Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ), continues to gain bipartisan and bicameral support.

[Teamsters @Teamsters]

TEAMSTERS CELEBRATE BIPARTISAN PUSH TO ADVANCE FASTER LABOR CONTRACTS ACT

Today, the U.S. House of Representatives reached the 218 signatures needed on a discharge petition to advance the Faster Labor Contracts Act. The petition, filed by Representative Donald Norcross (D-NJ, 1st District), will force a vote on the bill in the coming weeks.

“Securing the support needed to move the Faster Labor Contracts Act forward is a significant milestone for millions of Teamsters and workers across this country,” said Teamsters General President Sean M. O’Brien. “This is one of the most consequential labor bills to come before Congress in generations. It has the potential to hold Corporate America accountable for endlessly dragging out negotiations and denying workers the first union contracts they deserve. The Teamsters Union thanks every Democrat and Republican who signed the discharge petition and made the choice to stand with workers.”

The Teamsters applaud House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY, 8th District), Rep. Donald Norcross, Rep. Bobby Scott (D-VA, 3rd District), and House Democrats for supporting the Teamsters and working people across America.

The Teamsters commend Republican Representatives Mike Lawler (R-NY, 17th District), Nick LaLota (R-NY, 1st District), Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA, 1st District), Don Bacon (R-NE, 2nd District), Max Miller (R-OH, 7th District), Riley Moore (R-WV, 2nd District), and Rob Bresnahan (R-PA, 8th District), who stood up for working people and helped force action on this critical bill.

The Faster Labor Contracts Act would amend the National Labor Relations Act to require employers to bargain with newly organized workers within 10 days of voting to form their union. The Senate version of the bill, introduced last year by Senator Josh Hawley (R-MO) and Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ), continues to gain bipartisan and bicameral support.

[Teamsters @Teamsters]

FIRST STUDENT TEAMSTERS RATIFY NATIONAL MASTER AGREEMENT

Teamsters at First Student have ratified a five-year contract, securing stronger protections, improved benefits, and safer working conditions impacting over 22,000 school bus workers across the country. The agreement was secured following a credible strike threat across 96 locals that would have impacted school bus routes nationwide.

“First Student Teamsters refused to settle for the status quo and fought for an agreement that delivers real improvements,” said Teamsters General President Sean M. O’Brien. “Our members were ready to act and hold this company accountable if they failed to deliver the deal workers more than deserved. This contract strengthens job protections, improves retirement security, and will continue to raise the bar for school bus workers everywhere.”

The new agreement includes improvements such as increased access to health care benefits, new minimum standards for retirement contributions that will provide pension contributions for the first time to more than 10,000 workers, and expanded leave protections. It also creates a standalone article governing video and audio technology on buses, including protections against misuse of data and requirements for future national negotiations over changes to camera systems.

The First Student National Master Agreement impacts over 17,000 Teamsters and 5,000 additional school bus workers nationwide. As First Student Teamsters practice picketed at bus yards across the country, the Teamsters First Student National Negotiating Committee reached a tentative agreement just hours before the contract expired on March 31.

[Teamsters @Teamsters]

🚨3,500 WORKERS WALK OUT AS BLET TEAMSTERS, UNION COALITION LAUNCH LIRR STRIKE🚨

Teamsters with the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen (@BLET) at the Long Island Rail Road have launched a strike alongside their bargaining coalition of 3,500 workers from five unions.

The LIRR is the busiest commuter railroad in America, with 300,000 daily passengers. This is the first strike at the carrier in 32 years.

The Teamsters represent over 500 locomotive engineers at the railroad. They have gone three years without raises throughout the process of bargaining a new contract.

Teamsters locomotive engineers will stay on strike until they get the fair contract they deserve.

[Teamsters @Teamsters]

Happy Mother’s Day to all the amazing Teamsters moms everywhere!

[Teamsters @Teamsters]

“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: https://t.co/YurdwsUAea

[Teamsters Local 251 @IBT251]

@JohnSwinson131 In New England, & 251 specifically, DHL members are in the pension.

[Teamsters @Teamsters]

DHL Teamsters have voted by a 92 percent margin to ratify a new four-year collective bargaining agreement. The new contract was secured following a credible strike threat that would have involved thousands of DHL Teamsters across 26 locals around the country.

The four-year Teamsters agreement includes a 20 percent wage increase, higher health and welfare contributions, and critical job protections. It establishes robust safeguards against AI-driven routing systems that undermine seniority and explicitly prohibits the use of autonomous vehicles that threaten Teamsters jobs.

The DHL Teamsters National Master Agreement protects thousands of workers nationwide and was set to expire on March 31. With a looming strike threat, the Teamsters national negotiating committee reached a tentative agreement less than 24 hours before the contract was set to expire.

“DHL Teamsters were prepared to take action and hold management accountable if they failed to deliver,” said Teamsters General President Sean M. O’Brien. “Our members were ready to shut this company down if it failed to live up to its obligations, and management knew it. That leverage delivered serious wage increases, locked in strong job protections, and made it clear that Teamsters will not allow technology to undermine our rights or livelihoods.”

[Teamsters @Teamsters]

More than 210,000 public sector workers across North America are Teamsters.

In 48 states and territories, it's Teamsters who make everyday life better. In cities and counties, at public schools and universities, in law enforcement, in the firehouse, and in emergency services, Teamsters perform just about every job you can think of.

The Teamsters Union is proud to recognize and represent North America’s essential workers during Public Services Recognition Week.

[Teamsters @Teamsters]

On average, American workers wait 458 days fighting for their first contract after voting to form a union. Workers shouldn’t have to wait 458 days for something they’ve already won. The Faster Labor Contracts Act (FLCA) is a simple idea: when workers vote to improve their workplace, they shouldn’t have to wait years for contract negotiations to actually begin or for an agreement to take shape.

Read more about the urgent need to pass the Faster Labor Contracts Act, a bipartisan, bicameral proposal to guarantee workers a faster first union contract: https://t.co/N4J2dLnNHp

[Teamsters Local 251 @IBT251]

251!
@SEIU1199_NE
@WeAreUNAP
#HealthcareWorkersUnionYes

[Teamsters @Teamsters]

More than 2,500 members of Teamsters Local 251 at Rhode Island Hospital have voted to ratify a three-year agreement that protects their Teamsters health care and includes higher wages and stronger seniority protections. The bargaining unit consists of clinical support, non-clinical, and skilled maintenance staff in nearly every department.

“My co-workers and I can confidently say this agreement provides both material and language improvements that will have a lasting impact on our livelihoods,” said Kelly Smith, a 33-year Rhode Island Hospital Teamster and steward. “Teamsters set the standard in the health care industry, and we are proud to be a part of it.”

[Teamsters @Teamsters]

The Jeff Bezos-owned Washington Post attacked the growing bipartisan movement for labor law reform, then refused to publish a response from the Teamsters that used words like "Amazon" and "Bezos."

The Post built its reputation on the idea that journalism should hold power accountable. That principle shouldn’t change when the power in question belongs to a corporation with the same owner as the paper.

[Teamsters @Teamsters]

On average today, it takes 458 days to secure a first union contract. This is a problem that we can solve right now.

The Faster Labor Contracts Act establishes a reliable first contract bargaining timeframe. Teamsters and workers across the country are done waiting for corporate-backed politicians to hold Big Business accountable.

Tell your member of Congress to “sign the discharge petition” and bring the Faster Labor Contracts Act to a vote: https://t.co/Vyx2dPTwc6

[Labor Notes @labornotes]

Over the last decade Rhode Island has been a hotbed of progressive, pro-worker legislation. But it wasn’t always this way. It took years of proactive organizing by the labor movement on legislative and electoral campaigns.
https://t.co/vljFkMse6Y

[Teamsters @Teamsters]

Today, Teamsters General President Sean M. O’Brien and rank-and-file Teamsters from Amazon and Corewell Health East joined lawmakers urging U.S. House members to sign onto a discharge petition for the Faster Labor Contracts Act. The petition, which was filed by Rep. Donald Norcross (D-NJ,1st District), would force a floor vote on the bill.

“In America today, workers are forced to wait 458 days on average before obtaining a first union contract. This is unfair, it’s un-American, and it must be fixed,” O’Brien said. “This bill needs to move, and it needs to move fast, because working people in this country have been waiting long enough.”

The legislation would require employers to meet workers at the bargaining table within 10 days of successfully voting to join a union. The Senate version of the bill was introduced earlier this year by Senators Josh Hawley (R-MO) and Cory Booker (D-NJ) and has continued to gain bicameral support.

“When we won our election to become Teamsters in November 2024, we were eager to get to the table, but it wasn’t until June 2025 that we started bargaining for our first union contract. And today, we are still fighting for our first contract nearly a year since we started negotiations,” said Rachel Szadyr, a cardiac ICU nurse at Corewell Health East. “When working people vote to organize, they deserve a contract in a timely manner. And if their employers hold things up, they should be held accountable. The case for the Faster Labor Contracts Act could not be any clearer.”

Under the leadership of the O’Brien-Zuckerman administration, the Teamsters Union has organized more than 90,000 workers nationwide in just four years, including 10,000 nurses at Corewell Health East in Michigan and nearly 10,000 Amazon workers. Amazon Teamsters alone have been waiting more than four years for the e-commerce giant to enter contract negotiations.

“Amazon, the worst employer in America, refuses to recognize our union even though multiple judges have consistently demanded that it do so,” said Novelette Russell, an Amazon Teamster from JFK8 in Staten Island. “The Faster Labor Contracts Act will empower us to address the poverty wages, sky-high injury rates, and other inhumane conditions that Amazon perpetuates by imposing real consequences on employers that think they are above the law.”

Tell your member of Congress to “sign the discharge petition” and bring the Faster Labor Contracts Act up for a vote: https://t.co/Vyx2dPU41E

[Teamsters @Teamsters]

This afternoon, Teamsters General President Sean M. O'Brien administered the oath of office to the recently elected executive board of Amazon Labor Union-International Brotherhood of Teamsters (ALU-IBT) Local 1 at Teamsters headquarters in Washington, DC.

Four years ago, the Amazon Labor Union was formed at the JFK8 facility on Staten Island representing over 5,000 workers. In August 2024, the union took the historic step of affiliating with the Teamsters, creating ALU-IBT Local 1 to better organize and represent Amazon workers in New York City. Since then, Amazon Teamsters have led the charge at the city, state, and national levels for respect and dignity at the e-commerce giant. Earlier this month, the National Labor Relations Board issued a historic bargaining order demanding that Amazon negotiate a union contract with the Teamsters.

ALU-IBT Local 1 representatives include President Connor Spence, Vice President Arlene Kingston, Secretary-Treasurer Kathleen Cole, Recording Secretary Sultana Hossain, and Trustee Novelette Russell.