June 23, 2013: Ken Hall is headed back to the bargaining table after the vote count, due to the unprecedented rejection of at least 15 supplements and riders.

The latest to go down are the Western Conference Supplement and massive Southwest Rider, which covers all of Southern California, Arizona, New Mexico, and Southern Nevada.

These were overwhelmingly rejected, including in locals headed by International officers Randy Cammack and Ron Herrera, and Chief Western Region negotiator Andy Marshall.

When Supplements and Riders are rejected, the national agreement cannot be signed, and is open for re-negotiation to correct the issues and re-vote the rejected supplements. Article XII, Section 2 of the IBT Constitution spells out the procedure.

The IBT needs to look at why members across the country have rejected 14 supplements and riders, some by overwhelming numbers; from Buffalo to Los Angeles, across New Jersey and Pennsylvania, and across the Midwest.  

One obvious issue is health care benefit cuts.

During contract negotiations, members rallied behind the International Union leadership to defend their health benefits. It’s time for the International Union to stand behind these members and fix the healthcare cuts for 140,000 Teamsters in the tentative agreement.

There are specific issues in some supplements, which need to be addressed also, but the rejection of supplements across the country is about more than supplemental issues. It speaks to the national contract.

One message to Hoffa and Hall is loud and clear – go back to the bargaining table and renegotiate our health benefits!

That message will only get louder when the votes are counted in Local 89 and the largest supplement of all – the Central Region – gets rejected.