Newly Organized USF Reddaway Workers Overwhelmingly Ratify Contract

Newly organized USF Reddaway [NASDAQ: YRCW] workers have overwhelmingly ratified a five-year contract that will significantly improve their wages, pensions, health care and other benefits, Teamsters General President Jim Hoffa announced today.

The drivers and dockworkers at the freight company voted 216-13 this past weekend to ratify the contract, which is retroactive to February 12, 2007.

“By ratifying this contract, the newly organized workers now have a more secure future,” Hoffa said. “We are now organizing more Reddaway workers who are seeking that same security.”

The agreement covers about 425 workers who recently chose to join the Teamsters through card-check at seven former USF Bestway terminals in California, Arizona and New Mexico. USF Reddaway has since merged with USF Bestway. About 2,000 other Reddaway workers are eligible to join the union.

The five-year agreement also improves the workers’ health and welfare benefits, eliminates a co-pay for health coverage, improves vacation time, provides a safety bonus incentive plan, and provides card-check recognition as spelled out in the union’s National Master Freight Agreement.

“This strong first contract includes strong card-check language and our organizing efforts at the nonunion terminals are in full swing,” said Tyson Johnson, Director of the Teamsters National Freight Division. “We will organize the remaining drivers and dockworkers at USF Reddaway and provide them with the same strong voice.”