Teamsters Local 710 representatives met today with Southern Wine and Spirits representatives for over three hours to begin discussions on many areas of great importance to the members. The bargaining committee of eight rank-and-file members along with Local 710 representatives stated what the membership as a whole thinks and feels every day on the job. They focused on the communication of morale, trust, and respect issues. The committee relayed to management that moral is extremely low and the employees do not trust management.

Negotiations began by focusing on issues relating to keys to success and respect, route planning and bidding and the use of temps and subcontractors. Each member of the committee gave a presentation.

“These are hardworking, dedicated members, and they deserve to be treated as such,” said John T. Coli, Trustee of Local 710. “Each and every member of our bargaining committee did a great job standing up for our members at Southern Wine to engage in serious issues, and this was a great start to negotiations.”

Southern Wine seemed receptive to the issues presented by the committee. Both parties openly agreed to follow up on certain points with data to support final decisions. Specifically, the Company will provide the following information:

• Data on roster attrition with the reason for separation
• Horizontal versus vertical loading
• System processes if arrive and park are hit at the same time
• The number of depot runs for the previous year
• The usage numbers of temporary employees
• Requirements for truck weight on the daily manifest

The Local 710 Bargaining Committee consists of the following members. Feel free to contact any committee member or Business Agent Bernie Sherlock with questions.

• David Baker, Rockford
• Guillermo Garrido, Bolingbrook
• Dan Dougherty, Bolingbrook
• Kenny VanDorn, Mid-State
• Kevin Smyth, Bolingbrook
• Jeff Mellon, Bolingbrook
• Juan Rios, Bolingbrook
• Gabe Stephan, Bolingbrook
• Daniel Castillo

Negotiations will continue tomorrow and Wednesday at Southern Wine and Spirits. Members will be updated as negotiations progress.