Robert Joyner retired from Red Lion Boro (York County, PA) on June 1st after spending 36 years serving the people of Red Lion Boro. During his tenure, Robert was a long-term Union Steward, first with the former Local 430 and then with Local 776. During his time on the job, Robert handled every task given to him: garbage and recycling collection, sign installation, removal, and maintenance, mowing the grass, and snow removal, among others.

Presently, Robert's wife, Charlene, is still working, which affords him time to devote to his hobbies, mainly biking, both on a pedal bicycle and on a motorcycle. With the nice weather, Robert enjoys getting out on the open road on his motorcycle, and when it's time for some exercise, he'll get on the pedal bike!

Looking back on his time as a Teamster, Robert commented: "There are many challenges at work, you've got to take the good with the bad, there is a lot of stress on the workers. But no matter what, the Teamsters were there for us." When I retired, I told everyone, "Don't let the Union go; stay united, stay strong!"

From everyone at Local 776, congratulations on your retirement, Robert. May you enjoy retirement for as many years as it took you to earn it!

Local 776 BA Patrick Hollingshead offers congratulations and a retirement watch to  Robert.

O'Brien, Zuckerman Reelected to Second Five-Year Term Leading Teamsters

The International Brotherhood of Teamsters announced today (June 16, 2026) 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 31^st 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.

Additionally, our own Bill Hamilton, President of Philadelphia Local 107, President of both Joint Council 53 and the Pennsylvania Conference of Teamsters, was elected to another term as Eastern Region Vice-President.

Commented Local 776 President Spencer Dearth: "Congratulations to Sean, Fred, Bill, and the rest of their team on a strong victory. This vote reflects the solidarity and unity that exists within the Teamsters. Local 776 will continue the progress we've made as we move into your next term in office."

Local 776 President Spencer Dearth (L) and Local 776 Secretary-Treasurer Mark Cicak (R) congratulate Sean on his convincing re-election victory. 

UPS met its obligation to retrofit 2,000 parcel delivery vans with air conditioning in the hottest parts of the country by June 1 and recently started a pilot program for piping cooled air into the rear cargo area behind the bulkhead door, where drivers can be exposed to sweltering conditions, Teamsters union General President Sean O’Brien said on Saturday, June 13.

Progress on heat safety was made possible by the vigilant enforcement of the 2023 national contract with UPS, which has also resulted in workers winning many other grievance filings, O’Brien told rank-and-file members in a video message posted on social media. One of the hard-fought additions in the contract is the requirement for a first-ever standing arbitrator who can quickly rule on worker grievances, such as back pay.

The Teamsters' chief said the arbitrator has been critical to faster resolution of union grievances and hundreds of millions of dollars in awards to workers.

In October, UPS agreed to modify 5,000 delivery vehicles in hot zones with air conditioning systems after the Teamsters publicly called out the company for dragging its feet on commitments to purchase or retrofit 28,000 sprinter vans and package cars with in-cab air conditioning by the summer of 2027 to protect drivers from excessive heat.

The first 2,000 retrofitted vehicles were delivered, as required, by June 1, O’Brien said. The rollout of the remaining 3,000 vehicles is supposed to be finished by June 1, 2027.

The October agreement also requires the freight transportation company to upgrade 100 package cars with air conditioning vented into the cargo compartment. Teamsters officials are currently evaluating the effectiveness of ventilating cargo compartments with retrofitted air ducts. 

“Air circulation in the back is key because without air circulation back here, it’s a sauna. We’re pretty damn excited about it. I’ve been around this company for damn near 40 years. I never thought I would see the day that we had air conditioning in the vehicle,” said Karla Schumann, the Teamsters western region vice president and an officer in Local 104 in Arizona, while standing in a test vehicle. 

O’Brien told members that “UPS is being held accountable to make sure they deliver on every single heat protection that we won at the table,” including installation of heat shields between the cab and exhaust vents.

And Teamsters members need to continue enforcing the contract to the letter in all areas, O’Brien argued, because UPS will look for every opportunity to violate the terms and save money.

“UPS is still just another giant corporation. At the end of the day, Carol Tomé and UPS executives care more about their stock price than they care about you,” the Teamsters chief said.

“Keep filing grievances. Talk to your stewards. Meet with your business agent. Do not let 9-to-5 violations or paycheck errors fly under the radar. Do your part to hold UPS accountable and continue to enforce our strong contract,” O’Brien urged.

FORE!!!

It's almost summertime; that old ballpark man is back in gear, the Local 776 family picnic was held last weekend, and things are heating up. They plan to get a lot hotter on August 2. Yep, it's that time of year again: the Local 776 Golf Tournament will tee off on Sunday, August 2. There will be plenty of competition as some of Local 776's best players tee it up for bragging rights. Think you've got what it takes to go a round of golf with these guys? If so, get your foursome together, dust off your putter, and clean the mud from your spikes! Come on out for a day of friendly competition, but don't delay; the foursomes fill in quickly.

See below for all the details on what will be another great Local 776 event!

Many of you know retired Secretary-Treasurer Ron Hicks. Ron was a "driving" force behind the golf tournament for over twenty years. He was busy from before sunrise until the last golf cart was put away, making sure the tournament ran smoothly. What you might not know about Ron is that he is an avid golfer. He has been chasing that little white ball for more years than he'll admit! Since he retired, he's been working on his game, cutting a stroke here and there. Rumor has it that Ron will play in the tournament this year! He's got a foursome together and plans on playing to win!