PARK RIDGE, Ill., Jan. 14, 2018 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Teamsters Local 700 members who are employed with the City of Chicago have voted to ratify a new five-year contract that will now go before City Council for final approval. Once the contract is approved by the city, it will become retroactive beginning July 1, 2017.

Nearly 1,000 members came out to cast their vote on the tentative agreement on Sunday, Jan. 14, at the Teamsters Local 705 Auditorium. Teamsters Local 700 represents more than 2,000 union members that work in the city as motor truck drivers, booters and garage attendants. The road to a new contract began well over a year ago when Local 700 began soliciting contract proposals from the entire city membership. After more than six months of meeting at the bargaining table with the city, the parties were able to reach a tentative agreement last weekend. Upon reaching a tentative agreement, a strike authorization vote was averted.

"I would like to congratulate the City of Chicago members on ratifying their contract," said Teamsters Local 700 President Becky Strzechowski. "This was a very long process and I want to thank the members for your dedication to your City as your great work helped us make a strong case at the bargaining table. Our stewards also played an integral role in keeping the membership informed and they gave up a lot of personal time to come to the union hall to receive updates. I would also like to thank our chief negotiators Stuart Davidson and Jon Magna for all of their hard work in leading our bargaining committee. Our committee put in countless hours, late nights and an incredible amount of research into representing your best interests and achieving a fair agreement on behalf of the thousands of Teamsters Local 700 members and their families who are entitled to the best contract possible."

Some of the provisions in the new contract include:

• Turning more than 500 pool drivers into full-time career service drivers;
• Drivers who worked three months in 2012/2013 will receive up to a $2,000 payment within 75 days, pursuant to a long disputed grievance settlement;
• Hourly wage increases each year for all members, and higher starting wage increases for garage attendants and booters;
• Time-and-a-half pay for 6^th day service and double-time pay for 7^th day service;
• Increased training and safety equipment for all members;
• Restricted subcontracting; and
• Paid parental leave for both parents.

Complete contract books will be made available to all members once the city has approved it.

Teamsters Local 700 represents more than 10,000 public sector workers across Illinois.

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SOURCE Teamsters Local 700