YRC Teamsters: Read it Before You Vote [1]
December 6, 2013: The “two-person” meeting of local officers in Dallas and by conference call has approved conducting a membership vote on the proposed YRC five-year contract extension.
Here is what the proposal includes:
- $750 bonuses instead of wage hikes in 2014 and 2015, then 40c per year (34c after 15% reduction).
- a pay freeze for all office and non-CDL dock workers, and a lower top wage of $16 for future non-CDL dock hires.
- up to 6% purchased transportation (subcontracting) of road work, with a red-circle protection of all road drivers currently working, similar to what ABF now has.
- vacation pay capped at 40 hours or 1/58 annual earnings, and three-week annual vacation delayed until 11 years seniority.
- interlining of city traffic in certain low-density areas.
- attendance policy with a progressive discipline chart as an addendum to the contract.
- H&W coverage protected, with a five-month delay in the 2014 H&W payment increases.
- profit-sharing if YRC Freight achieves 97% operating ratio, or if the combined regional carriers achieve 95%.
- and equality of sacrifice with all management and salaried staff.
The proposal to be voted has changed since the initial presentation to the IBT on November 20. It no longer has any change in overtime after eight hours, or any requirement to work all week to get H&W fully paid.
The ballots are coming quick. They will be mailed out on or about December 10 and will be counted on or about January 8. The meeting voted overwhelming to send out the proposal, although no recommendation on it was made.
You should read the full proposed contract extension [2] and the IBT’s four-page summary of the proposal [3] and discuss it with your Teamster co-workers.
The proposal requires a majority vote of those who return a ballot to pass. There will be independent rank and file observers at the vote count.
At the meeting of officers, YRC management personnel stressed the timing of ratification is crucial, because by February 1 they need to have their debt restructured. They stated that if the proposal is not approved, they may be out of business by February 1.
Presentations were by John Moses (IBT advisor) and Mitch Lilly (YRC VP of Operations and Labor) and Jamie Pierson (YRC CFO).
Neither of the two IBT-appointed members of the YRC board were in attendance.