After three intense weeks, braving subzero temperatures, snowstorms, and the biting cold of the picket lines, I am happy to announce we have secured a tentative agreement that acknowledges our valor, our strength, and our unity.
Thanks to your bravery and unwavering solidarity, we have achieved significant wage increases, enhanced health benefits, improved pension contributions, and critical safety measures—all without any concessions. In addition, US Foods has retracted its proposal to weaken the standard for terminating our drivers for accidents.
This triumph sends a strong message to large corporations: profits should not be made at the expense of the hardworking people who are the backbone of their success. We went on strike in the bone chilling cold, showcasing our determination not just to demand, but to rightfully claim our share of the profits we have tirelessly worked for. Standing in unity, our action exemplifies the true essence of union power, union strength, union determination and most importantly union solidarity. It highlights what it means to be a part of Teamsters Local 705.
Today US Foods has recognized our contribution and has agreed to give us our fair share of the profits. Now we can proudly return to our families and share the story of our triumph, a testament to the Teamster difference.
I extend my deepest gratitude to Tom Erickson, Central Region Vice President and Director of the Warehouse Division, General President O’Brien, General Secretary-Treasurer Zuckerman, and our Teamster brothers and sisters nationwide. Your support was instrumental in this achievement. Together we have demonstrated the formidable force of unionism and the power of rank-and-file leadership.
Our victory was hard fought, but it resulted in a clear demonstration of what can be achieved when brothers and sisters unite for a common cause. We have again shown the world that we are champions of fair labor and the embodiment of unionism at its best. We have shown the world what it means to be a Teamster.