As Yellow Corp. works on consolidating operations at regional carriers New Penn and Holland, the International Brotherhood of Teamsters is pushing back.
Yellow Corp. recently filed revised trade change notifications. The union says it does not approve the plan presented.
“Teamsters oppose any changes to operations written in vague language or drafted to erode contractual standards and practices. Yellow will not be allowed to disrupt and disrupt the lives of our members,” Teamsters director of national transportation John A. Murphy said in a union statement.
Among the proposed change of operations:
- Convert driving jobs to “duty positions”. Yellow lowered the number of utility locations from 998 in the original plan filed in October to 121.
- Drivers would be expected to handle work at different terminals and loading at the docks.
- It would add more shifts and require drivers to haul cargo to a terminal, work the dock there, and then return to the original terminal by the end of a shift.
- The designated terminal turns would affect up to a quarter of scheduled shipping operations at 36 facilities.
The Teamsters, however, are calling for established labor standards and contractual protections to be maintained, primary lanes preserved, and traditional classifications of street drivers and dock workers protected. The union says it wants details on how the proposed changes would affect specific locations, cargo flow, volume, postcode alignments and labor rules.
“The Teamsters have stopped making concessions and we will not be fooled,” Teamsters general president Sean M. O’Brien said in a union statement. “Our focus is solely on protecting our members. If Yellow’s management gets in the way, we will pursue this company with everything we have.”
The consolidation of operations is part of a network transformation announced in 2021 called One Yellow. The Overland Park, Kan.-based company is merging its three legacy subsidiaries into one super-regional carrier.
The goal is to combine terminals to eliminate redundancy and improve efficiency. The first phase in the Western US involved 89 Reddaway and YRC Freight terminals. The second phase involves New Penn, LTL carrier of Yellow Corp’s eastern region.
This phase of the negotiations takes place against a backdrop of lower cargo volume and a red bottom line for Yellow Corp.
During the fourth quarter, the carrier reported a 25% year-on-year tonnage decline.
Yellow also reported a net loss of $15.5 million in the fourth quarter despite an unexpected $28.2 million from a terminal sale. LL
