UPS Freight employees to join Teamsters

[Omaha Steve]

http://www.bizjournals.com/memphis/stories/2008/01/14/daily29.html

Friday, January 18, 2008 - 2:41 PM CST

A majority of the 411 Memphis UPS Freight employees will soon be joining the Teamsters, according to the union's general president Jim Hoffa.

"UPS Freight workers' quest for a strong voice on the job continues to roll -- first it was New England, and now the Memphis workers have spoken," Hoffa said in a statement.

The Memphis employees have signed authorization cards to become Teamsters, bringing the number of workers seeking union representation to more than 700.

The cards will be sent to a neutral arbitrator, paving the way for the company to officially recognize the workers, a process that is expected to take place within a week.

When the process is complete, the workers will join Local 667 in Memphis.

"The UPS Freight workers in Memphis have been long-time supporters of the Teamsters, and everyone is very excited that this day has come," said Henry Perry, Teamsters Local 667 president and international trustee, in a statement. "We will provide these workers with the best representation so that they finally have a strong voice on the job."

UPS Freight was formerly Overnite Transportation.