Revere Electric Drivers Overwhelmingly Ratify First Teamster Contract
Local 710 Successfully Secures Workplace Protections, Improved Health and Welfare
MOKENA, IL | Delivery drivers at Revere Electric overwhelmingly ratified their first Union contract with the support of Teamsters Local 710.
Secretary-Treasurer and Principal Officer Mike Cales is proud to welcome the Local’s newest members, who unanimously voted to join the union and worked diligently to negotiate the contract from the ground up. When bargaining seemed to be coming to a conclusion, the company announced that they would be getting out of the trucking business.
Local 710 immediately made it clear that it would not back down from securing these drivers a Union contract. Without skipping a beat, negotiations for the Revere Electric drivers continued with L&D Driver Services, a Union trucking service that already has several contracts with the Local.
Negotiating a first contract can be challenging, but our team was up to the task, even when the company thought they could throw us a curve ball. Our committee did an excellent job of staying on task in these negotiations, and we are proud that these members were successful in securing the workplace protections they deserve.
Mike Cales
Local 710 Principal Officer
The drivers, who previously didn’t know from one year to the next if and when they would receive a raise, will now earn annual, guaranteed wage increases. They will also benefit from a health and welfare plan that decreases costs to the members while increasing benefits. Plus, becoming a Union shop also gives them a voice in the workplace, seniority rights, and a grievance procedure.
Committee member and newly appointed Steward Cornelius McDade was happy to reach the end of negotiations and move forward as a Union member. “It was a long road, but we stuck together and came out with a strong contract in the end, so it was all worth it,” said McDade. “We’re proud to become members of Local 710.”
Teamsters Local 710 represents more than 13,000 members across the Midwest and is an affiliate of Teamsters Joint Council 25, America’s premier labor union for Chicago, Illinois and northwest Indiana.