What happened to “putting the movement back in the labor movement”?

On Friday, April 24th, 2026 Teamsters Mobilize Steering Committee member Colleen Donovan received an email from Labor Notes stating:

“Dear Colleen, We will not be able to accommodate you at the 2026 Labor Notes Conference in Chicago. We have refunded your ticket in full. You should receive your refund within a few business days. Best, Labor Notes Registration Team”

Colleen registered for Labor Notes on February 24th, and Labor Notes sent an email that they had closed registration on February 26th. So why did Labor Notes refund Colleen’s ticket for the Labor Notes 2026 conference with zero explanation?

Colleen Donovan is a 4-year UPS part-time warehouse worker in New York City, Teamsters Local 804. She was formerly a shop steward when she worked at the Oakland airport UPS hub in California. For years, she’s fought for her fellow union members and workers against the boss and union leaders who sell out their members.

Colleen is a Steering Committee member of Teamsters Mobilize, “a grassroots organization of Teamsters activists organizing to build up real worker power in our union against our employers and their cronies, to expose corrupt Teamsters leadership, and to build brick-by-brick a genuine fighting labor movement.”

In theory, isn’t Colleen the type of person who Labor Notes would welcome at their conference? Labor Notes says they have been “the voice of union activists who want to put the movement back in the labor movement since 1979” and that they “encourage connections between workers in different unions, worker centers, communities, industries, and countries to strengthen the movement—from the bottom up.”

Does this not apply to Teamsters Mobilize members?

While Labor Notes provided no explanation in their email to Colleen, it is obvious that they banned her because of her role in Teamsters Mobilize. Teamsters Mobilize has been vocally critical of the Teamsters union leadership under President Sean O’Brien, and of the leadership of Teamsters for a Democratic Union (TDU). Since TDU supported O’Brien’s run for office in 2021, its leadership has continued to back O’Brien despite his blatant betrayal of Teamsters members and support for ruling class attacks on workers like ICE’s murder of Renee Good.

How did TDU respond to this criticism? In summer 2024, TDU rescinded the membership of another TM Steering Committee member, Jess Lister, who previously ran for the TDU Steering Committee. They never responded to TM’s petition. Then, TDU summarily banned all Teamsters Mobilize members from the 2025 TDU Convention.

Labor Notes shares an office with TDU, and both Labor Notes and TDU receive funding from the Social Justice & Solidarity Fund, which TDU Co-Founder Ken Paff sits on the board of. Up until now TM members have not faced any repression from Labor Notes, and many of TM’s members attended Labor Notes 2024. However, now the Labor Notes leadership is cracking down on militants in the labor movement at a time when the US working class is facing ever greater attacks from the ruling class. Their actions clearly demonstrate which side they are taking in that struggle. We expect that Labor Notes plans to ban even more TM members from attending the 2026 Conference.

Join us in refusing to accept this attack on Teamsters Mobilize and worker militancy! Sign this statement to demand that Labor Notes reverse their decision.

Opposing class-collaboration in our unions is not a crime!

Reverse the ban on Colleen Donovan!

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