Forty-four Teamsters Local 710 road and delivery drivers at Martin-Brower in Fridley, Minn., overwhelmingly ratified a new five-year contract last week.

Discussions at the bargaining table were swift and amenable for the betterment of the membership. Negotiations began at 2 p.m. Monday afternoon, and a tentative agreement was reached at 1 a.m. Tuesday. The contract was voted later that morning and ratified by a 3-to-1 margin.

Wages for the drivers will increase a total of 14.4 percent incrementally over the five-year period, starting at 2.7 percent increases for the first two years of the contract. Teamsters will receive a 3 percent increase for each of the final three years.

New hires will be part of a two-year progression to reach the top pay scale — a substantial improvement over the previous five-year progression. The new contract also includes the introduction of penalty pay, wherein drivers who are scheduled to work two days in advance but have their shifts cancelled on short notice will receive a $50 standby bonus.

“Local 710 and our drivers at Martin-Brower worked diligently to negotiate this new Teamster contract, especially on the subject of wages,” said John T. Coli, Trustee of Local 710. “This contract is the strongest yet of the last three agreements with the employer and will really benefit the Local 710 membership there.”

Drivers also obtained an increased annual allowance for boots and better fuel pay for shorter travel time as compared to the previous agreement. The Teamsters at Martin-Brower’s Fridley facility deliver goods exclusively to McDonald’s locations across the Upper Midwest. They have been members of Local 710 since the late 1970s.

Teamsters Local 710 is an affiliate of Teamsters Joint Council 25.

Download PDF