New England UPS Freight drivers, dockworkers sign union cards

The Trucker News Services

1/17/2008

WASHINGTON, Jan. 16 — A majority of workers at seven UPS Freight terminals throughout New England have signed authorization cards to become Teamsters,Teamsters General President Jim Hoffa reported Wednesday.

The cards will now be sent to a neutral arbitrator, paving the way for the company to officially recognize the 315 workers, which is expected to occur within a week, according to the union statement. The workers belong to the following local unions: Local 25 in Boston; Local 170 in Worcester, Mass.; Local 251 in E. Providence, R.I.; Local 340 in S. Portland, Maine; Local 404 in Springfield, Mass.; Local 443 in New Haven, Conn.; and Local 633 in Manchester, N.H.

"Our New England local union leaders, led by Local 633 Secretary-Treasurer and Joint Council 10 Secretary-Treasurer Dave Laughton and Local 25 President Sean O'Brien, worked closely together to make this next phase of the UPS Freight campaign a success," said Ken Hall, Director of the Teamsters Package Division, who is overseeing the campaign. "These local unions followed the process we have established to make this campaign successful, and soon the New England employees will join their coworkers in Indianapolis in getting a contract that addresses their concerns about fair wages, improved health care and pensions."

This past October, workers at UPS Freight (formerly Overnite Transportation) in Indianapolis overwhelmingly ratified their first contract ever, an agreement that improved wages, benefits and working conditions and which served as a model to organize thousands of other UPS Freight employees nationwide, the union said.

Founded in 1903, the International Brotherhood of Teamsters represents 1.4-million men and women in the United States, Canada and Puerto Rico.