ILLINOIS (August 5, 2010)—U.S. Foodservice and Teamsters Local 722 are in ongoing negotiations for a contract agreement, but both sides have agreed to limit media contact.
The next scheduled sessions are Monday, Aug. 16, and Tuesday, Aug. 17. Steve Mongan, president of Teamsters 722, said he is meeting Saturday, Aug. 14, with the bargaining unit "to get a feel for the direction they want for us to proceed."
Two of the main issues workers are bargaining for are wages and insurance. The company had been seeking to change the wage structure for employees based on wages for similar jobs in the surrounding area. The union was disputing that plan based on the fact some employees, as part of their job, travel around the Midwest, where wage structures vary.
"The mood has changed and we are talking more than we were, I believe," Mongan said. "Hopefully we can get something done at the next bargaining session."
"We're continuing to move forward with negotiations," Christina Koliopoulos, director of corporate communications for U.S. Foodservice said. "We're hopeful that these sessions will be productive."
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