Local 100 Teamsters Lead the Way on Second Contract

Teamsters Local 100 and the International Brotherhood of Teamsters have finalized a tentative, five-year agreement between Astar Air Cargo Inc. and Teamster aircraft dispatchers. The agreement includes improved successorship and merger language, as well as improved wages.

"The biggest issue we had was successorship and merger protection and we feel we succeeded on that front," said Ron Bowman, President of Local 100 based in Cincinnati, Ohio. "There is nothing that is certain about this industry but we feel our language offers these dispatchers a degree of job security they did not have previously. Astar has recently separated from DHL and the successorship language definitely became the biggest goal for our negotiations."

Highlights of the tentative agreement include:

• Greatly improved and targeted successorship and merger language;
• Significant wage increases over the life of the contract; and
• Enhancement of scheduling and overtime provisions.

The negotiations went faster than either side expected, with the tentative agreement finalized prior to the amendable date of the initial contract.

"Astar, the dispatch group and Local 100 were all highly motivated and it showed in the progress we made in such a short time," Bowman said. "I believe the initial contract dragged on for almost two years. It was nothing like that this time around." Local 100 expects a ratification vote by November 29, 2003 in an expedited vote on the agreement.

FMI: www.astaraircargo.com