Historic 3-year Agreement will cover Teamsters from Local 38, 174, 231, 252, 313, and 589
On Sunday morning, Teamsters from six different Local Unions across Western Washington voted overwhelmingly to ratify a record-setting agreement. The 3-year offer covers nearly 500 construction Teamsters working under the Associated General Contractors (AGC) contract, and includes an industry-leading economic package with meaningful language improvements enhancing working conditions for the entire group. The agreement was ratified by a 90% margin via pooled voting at six simultaneous meetings held across the state, all tied together through the modern technology of Zoom.
The newly ratified Agreement includes full maintenance of benefits on healthcare, pension increases, improvements to healthcare for retirees, and strong wage increases. On the language side, it adds strong worker protections by prohibiting inward facing cameras, audio recorders or livestreaming in any vehicle, promotes the use of other surveillance technology to be used as coaching tools, and provides better language on driver and equipment safety. It also strengthens Date of Hire language surrounding dispatching, recognizes length of service to an Employer, and adds Martin Luther King Jr. Day as a holiday.
“The construction industry has been booming for a long time, and we are proud to deliver this strong contract to set construction Teamsters up for success for many years to come,” said Teamsters Joint Council 28 President and lead negotiator for the coalition of Local Unions, Rick Hicks. “This is a difficult industry to work in, but with the economic and language improvements in this historic contract, we expect construction to become more attractive as workers’ skill and dedication are rewarded. We believe we have made this an industry more members will desire to make a career.”
Founded in 1909, Teamsters Local 174 represents 8,600 working men and women in Seattle and the surrounding areas. “Like” us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/TeamstersLocal174.