Swift Action By 727 Results in Substantial Make-Whole Remedy For Keurig Dr Pepper Commission Drivers Effected by Black Lives Matter Protests
After the murder of George Floyd, cities across the United States took to the streets to protest systemic racism and to demand that politicians, institutions, and the country as a whole recognize “Black Lives Matter.” Because of the civil unrest, many businesses across the Chicagoland area closed for days and dozens of Keurig Dr Pepper DSR (Delivery Service Route) drivers lost up to hundreds of dollars in commission.
When the civil unrest began, Teamsters Local 727 reached out to KDP immediately to demand that the Company make the safety of employees a priority. Many Teamsters member were concerned for their physical safety and ability to get in and out of stores as many streets were closed. In fact, Mayor Lori Lightfoot closed almost every street to the downtown area—making it impossible for drivers to get to stores or for stores to accept deliveries.
As the protests continued, some drivers made as little as one stop in a day. The Union reached out to management to ensure that commission drivers would be made whole—as they had shown up prepared and ready to work their full schedule. Unfortunately, Keurig Dr Pepper said that the members would get their weekly guarantee and nothing more. Teamsters Local 727 immediately filed a grievance contesting this action by KDP. After weeks of back and forth, Keurig Dr Pepper agreed to make any driver who reported to work as scheduled and lost commissions on cases because of the civil unrest, whole. This make whole resulted in over 7,000 cases worth of commission being paid out to drivers. Some drivers make whole amounted to hundreds of dollars.
“Every single day our Teamsters Local 727 frontline, essential workers have shown up to work during a global pandemic. They have put their health, and the health of their loved ones, at risk. When the protests happened in the city, our drivers still showed up to work. As we face more and more obstacles in 2020, our members keep showing up to work in solidarity with their Union brothers and sisters,” said John Coli, Jr, Secretary-Treasurer of Teamsters Local 727. “I’m glad that Keurig Dr Pepper decided to do the just and fair thing by paying our commission drivers money that was lost through no fault of their own, and I’m proud of our Union Brothers and Sisters who keep standing up for what’s right and demanding respect.”
Members with questions should reach out to Business Agent 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 grievance(s), or as a waiver of any rights, arguments, or defenses under any contract, collective bargaining agreement, or applicable law. The union does not forfeit its right to make any and all supplemental arguments.
Category: BEVERAGE
