Union, Pepsi Working to Merge Contracts Into Unified Agreement
Members of the Teamsters Local 727 Pepsi Bargaining Committee
Pepsi management returned to the bargaining table on April 12 prepared to merge all four contracts into one agreement.
“This is a huge step in the direction we want to head,” said John T. Coli, Secretary-Treasurer of Teamsters Local 727. “One contract unifies us. It makes us a single, strong group where we truly are all in it together.”
During the last negotiation meeting on March 24, the company all but refused to merge nearly identical language into one understandable contract. Then, the Teamsters Local 727 Bargaining Committee proposed that a subcommittee of union and employer committee members spend the rest of the day going through the union’s merged contract proposal to provide Pepsi with the clarity it was seeking.
As a result, Pepsi management opened the April 12 meeting by presenting the Local 727 Bargaining Committee with the company’s proposed version of a merged contract.
DOWNLOAD THE COMPANY’S APRIL 12, 2016 PROPOSALS: PART 1 PART 2 PART 3 PART 4 PART 5
“We appreciate the work that went into this, and now we must go through and make sure their proposal is a faithful representation,” Coli said. “The amount of time it will take the union’s attorneys to dig through every line, every word, every sentence to make sure the company did not leave out anything — whether intentionally or unintentionally — is substantial.”
The company also began responding to the union’s proposals, which were presented on the first day of negotiations March 22.
The following tentative agreements were reached:
- Just cause for voluntary severances.
- Expanded bereavement leave to include grandparents, brothers-in-law, sisters-in-law and legal guardians.
- Establishment of an Employee Relations Committee — composed of stewards, the union business agent and employer representatives — to meet quarterly to discuss issues of concern.
“We feel that there was little movement by the company. We’re just getting the basic things out of the way, but we still haven’t gotten to the meaty issues,” said Justin Pasarella, 35th Street MEM steward and Local 727 Bargaining Committee member. “We expected to hear more from the company on the major issues. We still have a long way to go, and the clock is ticking.”
Contract negotiations are scheduled to resume April 18, with additional meetings set for April 20, April 22 and April 28.
The current four-year contracts expire at 11:59 p.m. on April 28.
Local 727 will continue to update members throughout contract negotiations. If you have questions, contact your Local 727 business representative:
• Vincent Blanco (35th, 51st, Elk Grove Village): (847) 696-7500 or [email protected]
• Mike DeGard (Kankakee): (847) 696-7500 or [email protected]
Have You Signed Up for Email Updates?
Throughout negotiations, the union will continue to provide bargaining updates. To receive updates directly in your email inbox, contact Teamsters Local 727 Communications Director Maggie Jenkins at [email protected].
Find all the latest Pepsi bargaining updates and news at TeamstersLocal727.org. BOOKMARK THIS LINK! http://tiny.cc/PepsiTeamsters
