Driving - Teamsters Local 25

The Teamsters began contractnegotiations at UPS CartageServices, Inc. (CSI) in January2007, and workers will benefit throughthe consolidation of contracts.As part of an agreement reachedwith UPS in 2005, 19 separate agreementsexisting prior to UPS’ 2004acquisition of Menlo WorldwideForwarding will be jointly negotiatedas a supplement to the UPS NationalMaster Agreement (NMA).The 2005 agreement also containeda card-check neutrality agreementthat provided workers at CSI’s nonunionsites a fair opportunity tobecome part of the Teamsters Union.To date, 18 local unions have organized22 new sites and more than 240 newTeamster members. These locationswill also enjoy the benefit of theincreased bargaining strength securedby the creation of the CartageSupplement.In preparation for these negotiations,all local unions party to thesupplemental agreement were askedto meet in Louisville, Kentucky inNovember to work out the detailsof consolidating 19 agreements intoa single agreement.The union has formed the UPSCartage Negotiating Committee, comprisedof representatives from all partsof the country. The committee willissue regular updates to the membershipas these negotiations proceed.Local 25 Business Agent JohnMurphy, a member of the NegotiatingCommittee, attended the meeting inLouisville.CSI worker/steward Walter Griffin stands by his truck.“We will create common groundand solidarity out of very diversecontract language,” Murphy said.International Union RepresentativeKeith Biddle will be chairing the negotiationsfor the union.“The starting point is the NationalMaster Agreement, which containsequal or superior language on manysubjects covered in the white papers,”Biddle said. “In addition, the NMAcontains the general wage increasesand pension and, health and welfareincreases. We will also find thevery best language from the variouscontracts on subjects commonlycontained in the supplements,such as seniority, holidays, vacationand sick leave. Finally, the locals havethe ability to negotiate over issuesthat are local in nature, or to protectconditions that may be superior tothe final supplemental package.”Contract TalksBegin at UPS CSIwww.teamsterslocal25.com | WINTER 2007 | The SPOKESMAN | 23