Local 727 Secures Tentative Agreement with Largest Wage Raise in a Decade for Vitalant Workers

The Teamsters Local 727 bargaining committee has successfully secured a tentative agreement on a new three-year Vitalant collective bargaining agreement covering distribution drivers and Mobile Unit Assistants.  In addition to containing significant annual hourly wage raises—the largest wage increases for Vitalant workers in a decade—the tentatively agreed CBA also achieves the bargaining unit’s top goal of incorporating the terms of employee benefits into the contract.

Local 727’s tentative agreement outlines several employee benefits that had previously been tied solely to corporate policies, including wage differentials, leaves of absence, and paid time off.  By detailing the terms of these benefits in the new agreement, Local 727 will now be able to enforce the terms through the grievance and arbitration process.

“Incorporating the specific terms of these benefits into our CBA is a huge victory and a major step forward,” said Nick Micaletti, Local 727 Business Representative for Vitalant workers.  “Our members will now have clear-cut benefits that they can count on.”

In addition to specifying the terms of existing benefits, the Local 727 bargaining committee was also able to secure a new tuition assistance benefit for members.  Vitalant members will now be able to participate in the Company’s Education Assistance Program, which provides tuition reimbursement to employees that meet the eligibility requirement.

The tentative agreement secured by the Union also takes additional steps to protect members by introducing new contract language that (1) lowers the hours-worked threshold of full-time employees to thirty-six hours or more each week; (2) requires MUAs called into work outside of their scheduled hours receive a guaranteed minimum of three hours of pay, regardless of the hours they actually worked; and (3) requires Vitalant to notify and meet to discuss the use of new GPS, vehicle monitoring, dashboard camera, or other such technologies with the Union prior to its installation, and, if the parties are unable to reach an agreement over the implementation of the technology, then the dispute will go to arbitration before the technology is activated.

Local 727 is currently working to finalize a draft of the full tentative agreement which will be distributed to members for review prior to voting.  A ratification vote is tentatively scheduled for Wednesday, September 11 from 2 P.M. to 7 P.M. in the Local 727 Conference Room at 1300 W. Higgins Rd., Park Ridge, IL 60068.

Members with questions should contact Local 727 Business Representative Nick Micaletti 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: Vitalant