Monumental Victory for the Printing Packaging & Production Workers Union
of North America!

Printing Packaging & Production Workers Union of North America > News > Monumental Victory for the Printing Packaging & Production Workers Union
of North America!
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Dear Brothers and Sisters:

On August 15, 2024, Judge Timothy J. Kelly of the United States District Court for the District of Columbia ruled in favor of the PPPWU in its legal fight against the IBT and granted the PPPWU’s request for declaratory and injunctive relief against the IBT in its entirety ruling:

  • The Merger Agreement between the Graphic Communications Conference of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters (“GCC”) and the International Brotherhood of Teamsters (“IBT”) is terminated;
  • The Printing Packaging & Production Workers Union of North America (“PPPWU”)-the successor to the GCC-is a distinct, standalone international union having no affiliation with the IBT;
  • The IBT Constitution, bylaws, and any other order or decree issued by the IBT General President, General Secretary-Treasurer, Executive Board, or any other officer or body of the IBT have no application to the PPPWU, its Local Unions, its District Councils, or any PPPWU member; and
  • The IBT, its officers, agents, servants, employees, and attorneys, and all other persons who are or may become in active concert or participation with any of the foregoing named individuals and entities are hereby PERMANENTLY RESTRAINED AND ENJOINED from asserting and exercising authority or jurisdiction over the PPPWU, its District Councils, or its Local Unions.

A copy of the Court’s decision and order are attached.

In the decision, the Judge ruled, “The Court finds that .. . the IBT repudiated the Merger Agreement by unilaterally terminating it; and that once the preliminary injunction maintaining the status quo was lifted on May 19, 2023, the Merger Agreement ceased to exist. Thus, the PPPWU and the IBT are now separate entities, and the Court will award the declaratory and injunctive relief requested by the PPPWU.”
Despite IBT efforts to spin it, the Court conclusively determined, “[t]he IBT repudiated the Merger Agreement,” “the IBT lacked the authority to unilaterally terminate the Merger Agreement,” and “[the IBT’s] decision to terminate … constituted a repudiation … and hence a material breach [of the Merger Agreement].”

The Court went on to rule that “when the [Merger Agreement] was terminated, … the entire relationship between the parties under the contract ended.” The Court found, “The IBT’s position that some provisions [of the Merger Agreement] remain effective, while others do not, is simply untenable.”

The Court left no uncertainty in concluding, “As a result of the Merger Agreement’s termination, the PPPWU and the IBT are distinct, standalone unions.” In granting relief requested by the PPPWU, the Court held, “And a permanent injunction is warranted because the harm to the PPPWU caused by the IBT’s continued assertion of authority and jurisdiction over it would be irreparable if not enjoined.”

This is a monumental victory for our future. This decision confirms what we have been saying all along and allows us to chart our own path into the future as our own International Union.

I want to thank each and every one of you for standing by and supporting us in our battle. Without you, this would not have been possible. You and your members are our Union, and all of you together make the PPPWU stronger. We know that wherever the fight takes us, with employers or otherwise, we will have each other’s backs. That is the true hallmark of unionism and solidarity.

Please let me know if you have any questions about the decision or our future as the Printing Packaging & Production Workers Union of North America.

In Solidarity,

Steven Nobles, PPPWU President & Clark Ritchey, PPPWU Secretary-Treasurer

 

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