MOKENA, IL | The Teamsters Local 710 Bargaining Committee for the UPS Contract met starting Tuesday, April 11 through that Friday to solidify proposals and meet with UPS to kick off negotiations for a new contract.

The 710 Committee spent most of the week in marathon sessions to go through more than 5,700 proposals submitted to the Local from the rank and file. They formalized those into 176 proposals (not including the more major monetary proposals that will be addressed at a later date) that were presented to UPS Friday morning.

“We have a very strong committee that is ready for the tough task that lies ahead,” said Chairman and 710 President Del Schaefer. “We know our membership will stand with our negotiating team to send a clear message to UPS that we are one team, one voice.”

Upon reading through the initial proposals from each party (which focused primarily on non-economic proposals), it became clear that both sides are looking for a contract that achieves goals on opposite ends of the spectrum: Local 710 wants its members to continue to improve and gain the respect and dignity they deserve in the workplace, while UPS wants to maintain the status quo through concessions.

“UPS made more than $100 billion during this contract, and it’s obvious that they still haven’t read it,” said Schaefer. “They came to us in 2018, crying wolf about the competition, and they did the same thing this time right out the gate. They talk about being ‘partners’ with the Teamsters yet refuse to recognize that our hardworking membership deserves more.”

Local 710 is scheduled to resume bargaining with UPS on May 2.

The Local 710 UPS agreement covers more than 7,000 members throughout Illinois, Indiana, and Iowa. It is separate from the national UPS agreement but expires at the same time, July 31, 2023. Stay tuned to Teamsters710.com or follow us on Facebook and Twitter for the latest bargaining updates.

Teamsters Local 710 UPS Contract Bargaining Committee

• Dave Bowman, Ft. Wayne Feeder Driver
• Travis Breeden, CACH Feeder Driver
• Donny Carpenter, Belleville Package Car Driver
• Brenda Davis, Davenport 25-11
• Jeff Dawson, Waterloo Feeder Driver
• Kye Dickerson, Rockford Feeder Driver
• Bob Downey, Centralia Feeder Driver
• Tom Doyle, Lafayette Package Car Driver
• Marjock Fenner, Alton Package Car Driver
• Ryan Fuller, Peoria Package Car Driver
• Tom Fullmer, Addison Feeder Driver
• Ricky Hawley, Springfield Package Car Driver
• Dan Jedlicka, Decatur Feeder Driver
• DJ Johnson, Galesburg Package Car Driver
• John Maubach, Bloomington Package Car Driver
• Felicia McCool, Springfield Part-time
• Rory Mulcahy, Kanakee Package Car Driver
• Rhonda Myers, Rockford 25-11
• Darrin Scroggin, Lafayette Mechanic
• Zach Spain, Rockford Part-time
• Jae Turner, Danville Package Car Driver
• Steve Utley, Marion Package Car Driver
• Alicia Welch, DeKalb 25-11