Teamsters and Overnite Transportation representatives last week walked away from their first bargaining sessions in almost five months with no agreements, but both sides said they would meet again on March 7.
The meeting in Chicago Feb. 9 and 10 started a day after AFL-CIO President John J. Sweeney pledged $500,000 to assist the Teamsters in the battle to negotiate a contract with Overnite, the nation’s largest nonunion motor carrier in the less-than-truckload sector.
Ira Rosenfeld, Overnite’s director of corporate communications, expressed optimism that a settlement of the strike would occur. “I believe that reasonable men can come to a reasonable conclusion,” he said. “The Teamsters know what we need as a company to remain competitive. If they are as interested in Overnite employees as we are, we will have an agreement.”
Last week’s discussions were limited to the benefits package that Overnite employees now get at non-striking terminals, which was implemented Jan. 1 by the Richmond, Va.-based company, Rosenfeld said. The Teamsters earlier declined the company’s offer to extend the new benefits to terminals where the union represents workers.
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