Workers at ITS ConGlobal, an intermodal rail transportation company in Harvey, Ill., voted overwhelmingly this week to join Teamsters Local 710.
There are 133 crane operators, yard jockeys and grounds workers in the bargaining unit. The vote was 100 to 23. The facility is served by the Canadian National Railway. The workers voted the past two days.
The victory is the third for workers at intermodal rail facilities during the past year. In November 2016, 777 workers at Parsec, Inc. in Commerce, Calif. voted to join Teamsters Local 986. This past July, 507 workers at Parsec in Elwood, Ill. voted to join Teamsters Local 179.
“The ITS ConGlobal workers had been nonunion and they wanted a strong voice on the job as Teamsters,” said Tom Conelias, Trustee of Local 710 in Mokena. “As Teamsters, they will finally get treated fairly and with the respect they deserve. We will help workers negotiate a contract that addresses improved wages, benefits and working conditions.”
“We need and deserve a safe workplace. With our union, we will finally have a voice on the job to address safety and our other issues.” -Rafael Mariani, ITS ConGlobal operator
“Safety is a huge concern for workers,” said Rafael Mariani, an operator at ITS ConGlobal and 19-year employee. “We need and deserve a safe workplace. With our union, we will finally have a voice on the job to address safety and our other issues.”
Founded in 1903, the International Brotherhood of Teamsters represents 1.4 million hardworking men and women throughout the United States, Canada and Puerto Rico. Visit www.teamster.org for more information. Follow us on Twitter @Teamsters and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/teamsters.