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Shipping News Teamsters End Three-Year Strike Against Overnite Transportation
October 29, 2002
The Teamsters have been attempting to organize the workers at Overnite Transportation for the past three years, but have recently told Overnite that they have concluded the nationwide strike. Overnite President Leo Suggs said in a statement that taking care of employees "has allowed Overnite to thrive even as the Teamsters have tried to hurt this company and its people." Overnite just released their third-quarter numbers and reported revenue was up 7 percent over the same period a year ago. The strike was not very good for either party. The environment surrounding the strike was turned into a documentary that was broadcast on HBO a few months ago. The documentary depicted the union in a very negative light in its efforts to start and maintain a strike at Overnite. Few customers were affected by the strike against Overnite, and where service may have been disrupted, Overnite dedicated resources to make sure customers' shipments arrived on time. Although the strike had caused some customers to find alternative shipping carriers, many customers were unaware that there was even a strike in place. Overnite only has a few number of service centers in their system in which workers are represented by the Teamsters. Overnite spokesman Ira Rosenfeld said the National Labor Relations Board told the company this week that three of the 26 locations where the Teamsters represent workers have voted out the union. The Teamsters began efforts to unionize the company, city by city, eight years ago. Workers in 26 of Overnite's 170 terminals voted to be represented by the Teamsters, but a contract was never reached with the company and the union called a strike on Oct. 24, 1999. The 13,000-employee Overnite is a subsidiary of Union Pacific Corp. and one of the largest companies without a union contract. You can get more information about Overnite at their website, www.overnite.com. More information about the International Brotherhood of Teamsters (IBT) can be found at their website: www.teamsters.org. |
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