Teamster members at Yellow Freight and Holland are preparing to strike as soon as July 24. The IBT issued the strike notice after Yellow Freight and Holland stiffed the Central States for $50 million in benefit payments that were owed on July 15.
If Yellow and Holland don’t make good on the benefit payments by July 23, then members in Central States will have their healthcare benefits and pension accruals suspended.
Article 8, Section 3 of the YRCW National Master Freight Agreement gives the union the right to strike if the employer is delinquent in its health & welfare or pension payments.
Yellow can avert a strike and maintain members’ healthcare and pensions by making its benefit payment by July 23.
For more than a decade Yellow has taken concessions from Teamster members to stay afloat.
The 20,000 Teamsters at Yellow and our new union leadership have made it clear that the concession stand is closed.
Teamster members will not finance Yellow’s payments to creditors by working without pension accrual and healthcare benefits.