Overnite, Teamsters to Resume Talks

Contract talks between Overnite Transportation and the Teamsters union will resume on July 21 in Chicago, where three days of negotiations are scheduled, according to the union.

"Talks will resume on July 21, 22 and 23 in Chicago," said David O. Cameron, a Teamsters spokesman.

Attempts to reach Overnite officials Wednesday afternoon were unsuccessful.

The talks are aimed at reaching the first national contract between the trucking company, based Richmond, Va., and the Teamsters, which represent drivers and dockworkers at some of the carrier’s 166 terminals. According to the company, workers at 21 terminals are represented by the union, which claims the number to be 38.

Union members at 11 Overnite terminals walked off the job earlier this month to protest what they said were unfair labor practices. The company said the strike had little impact on its operations, but the union said the walkout had seriously disrupted Overnite’s business.

Teamsters President James P. Hoffa called off the strike on July 9 and asked for talks over the union’s claims. However, Overnite Chairman Leo H. Suggs declined to meet, citing ongoing cases before the National Labor Relations Board.

In September 1994, the Teamsters began to organize Overnite, the nation’s largest non-union carrier in the less-than-truckload sector. The first contract talks between the two sides were held in September 1995.

Overnite is a subsidiary of Union Pacific Corp., which also operates the largest railroad in North America.

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