Teamsters General President Jim Hoffa announced today that the union has won a card-check agreement at UPS Freight, providing a major boost to the Teamsters' organizing efforts at the former Overnite Transportation. Union leaders have been pursuing with UPS the negotiation of an organizing agreement since UPS bought Overnite last year.
"We have been working hard on winning UPS Freight workers a strong voice on the job," Hoffa announced at the Teamsters 27th International Convention in Las Vegas. "Our ongoing member mobilization and education drive at UPS Freight helped accelerate this historic victory. UPS Freight workers all over the country are telling UPS and freight members that they want to be Teamsters. Our members in the Parcel and Small Package Division and the Freight Division deserve much of the credit."
"UPS knew that the entire leadership of the union was meeting this week in Las Vegas," said Ken Hall, Director of the Teamsters Parcel and Small Package Division. "They knew that we would either ramp up our campaign or they could come up with an agreement such as this that the union has been seeking."
"For more than a half century workers at Overnite have been trying to form a union," said Teamsters Freight Division Director Tyson Johnson. "We have the upper hand now."
The Teamsters intend to organize one group, negotiate a strong contract and then build on such a victory to organize other terminals.
Meanwhile, UPS has agreed to the Teamsters' demand to early negotiations for the 2008 National Master United Parcel Service Agreement. UPS Teamsters sought early negotiations to ensure protection of their retirement and health care benefits.
