MELROSE PARK, IL | The Teamsters Local 710 members who work in the Transportation division of the Jewel Food Stores Distribution Center in Melrose Park, Ill. ratified a new five-year agreement last night with over 72% voting to accept the new tentative agreement.

The Transportation members voted to reject the original tentative agreement on March 22, and the Union and the company resumed negotiations to continue bargaining on April 1.

“We made it clear to the employer at the bargaining table that the original tentative agreement had some problematic areas, and the members enforced that when they strongly rejected it,” said Secretary-Treasurer Mike Cales. “There were only a handful of issues to still address, and they were near and dear to the members. We had some productive dialogue with Jewel, and the Union was successful in securing additional protections for the rank and file.”

Improvements to the latest agreement centered around the employer’s use of onboard cameras. The new language limits the use of audio recordings, reduces discipline arising from the cameras, and driving behaviors with regard to the cameras will be a topic of discussion with the joint Safety Committee so the Union can stay on top of those issues.

“Our Jewel brothers on the committee did an outstanding job throughout these very difficult negotiations,” said Cales. “This was no easy task, and while you’ll never get everything you want at the bargaining table, we were still able to win strong improvements across the board for our Transportation members. Now the real work begins. This Local is committed to continue to hold Jewel’s feet to the fire as we enforce this new agreement and ensure our members are treated with dignity and respect in the workplace.”

Both the new Jewel Transportation and Warehouse agreements are now in full effect, and additional details on both will be shared soon.