Local 727 and CDT Dive into Negotiations for Successor CBA

| November 4, 2019

The Teamsters Local 727 Bargaining Committee kicked-off negotiations with Cook DuPage Transportation, Inc., a subsidiary of National Express, earlier this month for a new collective bargaining agreement covering drivers, porters, dispatchers, vehicle service attendants, recon, and customer service representatives.

The Union opened negotiations by presenting the Company with a comprehensive contract proposal based upon the contract demands collected from hundreds of CDT members.

Some of the Union’s top proposals include:

Wages

  • Significant annual wage raises for all CDT members.
  • New hourly premiums for hours worked on weekends, hours worked after 2 p.m., employees employed in recon, and bilingual employees that are expected to speak Spanish while performing their job duties.

Job Protections

  • An improved, stronger, more efficient grievance and arbitration process.
  • Improved two-track attendance point system that tracks points for tardiness and points for absences separately, and which also resets on the date of the contract’s ratification.

Paid Time Off

  • Addition of President’s Day and Veteran’s Day as paid holidays.
  • Increase in pay for employees required to work on a holiday to time and a half.
  • Two additional paid sick or personal days for all employees.
  • Two additional days for bereavement leave for employees that must travel more than two hundred miles to attend the funeral of an immediate family member.
  • An additional week of vacation for employees with ten or more years of service.

Scheduling & Overtime

  • Prohibiting CDT from requiring a driver to work over his or her daily guarantee.
  • Overtime pay for employees who work over eight/ten hours in a single day, according to the employee’s regular schedule.
  • Additional paid breaks for all employees.

Benefits

  • Teamsters Local 727 health care, pension, and legal and educational assistance for all CDT members.

Over the course of negotiations, CDT management has also had the opportunity to present the Local 727 bargaining committee with a number of contract proposals.  Among the proposals presented by the Company was an outrageous proposal to lower the number of attendance points an employee can accrue before he or she is disciplined or terminated.  The Union immediately rejected CDT’s proposal.

“The transportation industry is currently facing a massive driver shortage.  CDT should be focusing its attention on supporting its hardworking employees, not attempting to eliminate employees’ hard-earned job protections,” said John Coli, Jr., Secretary-Treasurer of Local 727.  “Local 727 will not quietly stand by while CDT attempts to expand its ability to discipline employees.  We will stand together and fight to protect our Brothers and Sisters.”

Despite CDT’s offensive proposal, the Local 727 bargaining committee has been successful in securing several non-economic wins.  The Union will continue to fight for a fair attendance policy, a strong and streamlined grievance process, and contract language that guarantees members get home on time when the parties next meet.

“The Local 727 bargaining committee is fully committed to working during negotiations to address each of the issues brought forward by CDT members.  We look forward to continuing bargaining and to obtaining the best possible contract for our Brothers and Sisters,” said Secretary-Treasurer Coli.

Local 727 was recently informed by CDT that the Company’s PACE bid, which was expected to occur last week, has been postponed to mid-November.  As a result of this delay, the parties will first work to reach agreements on non-economic matters and broach negotiations over economic issues after the bid is made in November.  Additionally, while the current CDT contract was set to expire on October 31, in light of the PACE bid delay the parties have agreed to extend the contract through December 6.  This extension will give the Union bargaining committee sufficient time and bargaining power to secure a strong agreement for CDT members.  Under the signed extension agreement, any contract ratified by December 6 will have full retroactivity.

The Union and CDT will continue to negotiate over all outstanding proposals when bargaining resumes on Tuesday, November 5.

Members with questions should contact Local 727 Business Representative Donnie Von Moore at (773) 403-1032 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: PARATRANSIT

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