Teamsters will revote on concessions at YRCW unit

Teamsters will revote on concessions at YRCW unit    Teamster members at a YRCWorldwide subsidiary New Penn Freight will vote again on concessions designed to save jobs.
   The revote comes after the regional carrier said it might merge New Penn into a sister company, resulting in the elimination of hundreds of jobs for teamsters.
   The Teamsters said new ballots would be mailed out “on or about” Wednesday. The new ballots are to be counted on Sept. 9.
   According to a letter from Tyson Johnson, co-chairman of the Teamsters National Freight Industry Negotiating Committee, employees of the firm’s main trucking unit YRC — which was built out of the merger of Yellow and Roadway — as well as another regional carrier, Holland, ratified the plan earlier this month.
   YRC Worldwide has said it would realize immediate cost savings from the agreement of $45 million monthly, increasing to $50 million monthly in 2010 and said it was a “major step forward in the company’s comprehensive plan.” The agreement includes a 5 percent incremental wage reduction for Teamster members and an 18-month cessation of union pension fund contributions, which will not require repayment.
   “While a majority of workers at YRC and Holland ratified this agreement, New Penn workers rejected' the memorandum of understanding, Johnson said in a letter to fellow Teamsters. He said at an emergency meeting with Teamster leaders on Aug. 11: “The company indicated that it plans to call for a change of operations in the near future to merge New Penn into YRCW. Because the merger could cost hundreds of Teamster jobs, the majority of New Penn local unions have also requested a revote by New Penn members.”