By Freedom Road Socialist Organization Labor Commission
We want to give our support and solidarity to the International Brotherhood of Teamsters in their victory in the contract battle with UPS. Militants in the Teamsters have demanded an uncompromising approach to contract negotiations. Since August of last year, the new leadership of the Teamsters listened to the members and launched a massive contract campaign, a breath of fresh air in the labor movement. As a result, they have achieved huge gains at UPS, reversing decades of Hoffa concessions. Members are looking over the tentative agreement now in preparation of voting it up or down.
Freedom Road Socialist Organization is proud to say that many of our members throughout the country are rank-and-file Teamsters. We have helped to build this contract fight in centers, hubs, and on the road. We are proud of the level of militancy and organization that the rank and file contributed to allow IBT leadership to be bold at the table and provide the first credible strike threat in decades. The Teamsters threatened to essentially shut down the U.S. economy, and the capitalist class bowed down.
The wins in this agreement are just a steppingstone to what a militant labor movement can accomplish. We believe that the trade unions must implement this militant approach and have a fully engaged and organized rank and file. The way we win all that can be won for the working class is through organization. Although the tentative agreement is not perfect, taken as a whole it represents a huge step forward for workers at UPS.
We believe the strategy for revolution in this country is building a united front against imperialism to overthrow the capitalist class who have caused nothing but heartache and harm to the multi-national working class. We are proud of our deep roots in the trade union movement that will play an important role in this united front. We run deep in the Teamsters, as well as other unions throughout the country where our members are leading shop floor struggles and bringing militancy to the forefront of the trade union movement.
Nothing was ever won by simply compromising with corporations and the billionaires who run this country, who have hoarded vast amounts of wealth and left working people fighting for scraps. UPS is no exception, having made record profits since the COVID-19 pandemic began because they shortchanged their workers through two-tier driver classifications and poverty level wages for part-time employees. It was only through a fighting rank-and-file union movement that the Teamsters were able to win this tentative agreement.
Now is the time to join labor organizations and Freedom Road Socialist Organization so we can build fights in our workplaces and create a political party led by working people, for working people. The Democrats and the Republicans have left us behind while bending over backwards to appease business owners and millionaires. We believe the future is bright and the conditions are ripe to win all that can be won.
