Seventy members of Teamsters Local 710 ratified a new contract with Golden State Foods on Oct. 8, ensuring wage increases for the next five years.

The Teamster members, who deliver goods exclusively to Chicago-area McDonald’s restaurants, will receive a $1 raise in the first year of the contract and $0.75 raises each of the next four years.

“We’re proud to present a strong contract to our union members working at Golden State, and we’re happy to see them ratify it,” said John T. Coli, President of Teamsters Joint Council 25 and Trustee of Local 710. “We wanted to bring our members not just raises but better benefits in their pensions and insurance.”

The contract caps the co-pay that union members are required to pay on health insurance for the next five years. Golden State will also increase its contributions to the Local 710 Pension Fund by $20 per week.

Weekend days off will now be guaranteed for some drivers. As determined by seniority, the new contract gives 50 percent of Local 710 members at Golden State two weekend days off each month. The new agreement also strengthened workers’ compensation and health and welfare protections.

“We know it’s very important for our workers to get days off on weekends,” Coli said. “We wanted to make that available and guaranteed for as many drivers as we could.”

The Teamster delivery drivers service about 150 McDonald’s locations in the Chicagoland area. Golden State provides McDonald’s with a range of products, from fresh and frozen food to paper goods and dry goods.

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