Union Continues to Push Proposals, GLCCD Delay Tactics Continue
The Teamsters Local 727 bargaining committee and representatives from Great Lakes Coca-Cola Distribution, Inc., a subsidiary of Reyes Holdings, reconvened negotiations yesterday for new collective bargaining agreements covering Inside and Outside workers, as well as employees covered by the Coca-Cola Refreshments contract.
Local 727 previously presented the Company with a comprehensive contract proposal, which included a single contract for all bargaining unit members, inclusion of GLCCD employees in the Teamsters Local 727 Health and Welfare Fund, fair scheduling procedures, and the elimination of the mix mode distribution system.
During yesterday’s bargaining session, the parties discussed shift times, current scheduling issues, and mechanic testing at length. As they did during the last bargaining session, GLCCD management delayed the progress of negotiations by asking repetitive questions but ultimately rejecting the vast majority of the Union’s proposals. Despite the Company’s delays, the Local 727 bargaining committee was able to make progress on overtime scheduling for production workers.
“This Union will not be deterred by GLCCD’s delay tactics,” said John Coli, Jr., Secretary-Treasurer of Local 727. “The Company is wasting valuable time. If an agreement isn’t reached by the current contracts’ expiration date, it will be on GLCCD for failing to respect this process.”
When the parties last met on Monday, March 4th, GLCCD declined the Union’s proposal to establish a financial guarantee for drivers whose routes or stops are changed through no fault of the driver by claiming routes remain unchanged “95%” of the time. Local 727 requested that GLCCD provide the Union with documentation to support this claim. Yesterday, GLCCD produced that “proof”—a listing of the route stops assigned and serviced from January 28th through March 1st. This meager list in no way justified the Company’s claims and provided Local 727 no way to verify the truthfulness of the Company’s statement. Instead, the lack of documentation has led the Union to believe that GLCCD’s statements were misleading, at best, and cannot be trusted.
“GLCCD’s inability to produce evidence to justify rejection of our proposal seems to imply management is fabricating ‘facts’ to suit its own agenda. This is completely unacceptable and in bad faith,” added Coli. “Our members deserve honesty and transparency in the workplace and at the bargaining table.”
Yesterday, GLCCD agreed to honor the original contract language which states that the 40-hour guarantee applies to Transport drivers. Local 727 was proposing no changes to this contract language as the Union had previously filed and won a grievance that affirmed this interpretation of the contract.
The Union bargaining committee and GLCCD will meet again this Thursday, March 14th to continue negotiations.
Members with questions should contact Local 727 Business Representative Caleen Carter-Patton at (847) 696-7500 or [email protected].
Nothing in this article should be read as the union’s waiver of any legal argument, position or additional grievance. The union does not forfeit its right to make any and all supplemental arguments.
