Sixty Teamsters Local 710 semi drivers at J.A. Frate secured higher wages and improved health benefits with the ratification of a new five-year agreement.

Teamsters will receive hourly wage increases of $1.70 over the length of the contract. Insurance costs will not increase for the first two years, and the employer will establish new health reimbursement accounts of $1,500 per year for each member.

“The drivers at J.A. Frate are incredibly hardworking, and they’ve earned a strong Teamster contract that matches their work ethic,” said Gary Abraham, Local 710 Business Agent. “The health reimbursement account is something new the Teamsters developed to really help over members with medical costs throughout any given year.”

The new contract also includes 24 additional weeks for vacation that members can choose from, allowing more drivers the improved availability of vacation time choices.

Members ratified the agreement by a 3-to-1 margin on May 31. It will remain in effect through May 2020. The semi drivers work out of the Crystal Lake, Ill. facility delivering shipments across a 150-mile radius.

Teamsters Local 710 is an affiliate of Teamsters Joint Council 25, America’s premier labor union for Chicago, Illinois and northwest Indiana.

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