February 13, 2008

(Chicago, IL) – An overwhelming majority of about 800 workers at the UPS Freight (formerly Overnite Transportation) terminals in South Holland, Bedford Park, Palatine and Oswego, all in the Chicago area, have signed authorization cards to become Teamsters, bringing the total number of drivers and dockworkers seeking to join the union to more than 5,120 since January 16, Teamsters General President Jim Hoffa announced.

The workers are seeking to join Locals 710, 705 and 179.

“We owe a big thanks to our freight and UPS members who volunteered on this campaign,” said Pat Flynn, Secretary-Treasurer of Local 710 in Chicago, who is also an International Union Vice President. “Our members reached out to the UPS Freight workers to get the job done.”

“Our volunteer organizers did a phenomenal job talking about the benefits of being Teamsters,” said Steve Pocztowski, Secretary-Treasurer of Local 705. “All our members were very dedicated in getting the word out, and I want to also thank our organizer San Juanita Gonzalez and the leadership of General President Jim Hoffa and Package Division Director Ken Hall.”

“Our organizing committee kept the UPS Freight workers up-to-date about developments every step of the way,” said Tom Flynn, a Business Agent/Organizer with Local 179 in Joliet, Illinois. “The three local unions also worked together as a team to make the campaign successful.”

 “We have now topped 5,000 workers, and the success in Chicago is a great example of member-to-member organizing,” said Ken Hall, Director of the Teamsters Package Division.

In addition to the Chicago area workers, a majority of UPS Freight workers in West Virginia, Pennsylvania, Maryland, New Jersey, Indiana, California, Florida, Arizona, New York, Kentucky and New England, including the large cities of Atlanta, Orlando, Charlotte, Milwaukee, Minneapolis, Oakland, Seattle, Memphis and Detroit, have submitted cards to become Teamsters.

Founded in 1903, the International Brotherhood of Teamsters represents 1.4 million hardworking men and women in the United States, Canada and Puerto Rico.