Local UPS Freight employees to join Teamsters

http://www.bizjournals.com/louisville/stories/2008/01/21/daily38.html

Friday, January 25, 2008 - 2:26 PM EST

A majority of UPS Freight's 110 employees in Louisville soon will join the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, according to a news release from the union.

United Parcel Service Inc. formed its freight division in 2005 when it purchased Overnite Corp. for $1.3 billion. The division was rebranded as UPS Freight the next year. It's local operations are based at 9828 Bluegrass Parkway in Jeffersontown.

The Louisville employees have signed authorization cards to become Teamsters, bringing the number of UPS Freight workers across the nation seeking union representation to more than 2,500. The union has said its goal is to organize a total of 12,600 workers.

The cards will be sent to a neutral arbitrator who officially will recognize the workers as Teamsters. When the process is complete, the workers will join Local 89 in Louisville.

"Once the workers are certified as Teamsters, I look forward to negotiating a strong contract that protects their interests," Fred Zuckerman, president of Local 89, said in the release.

A majority of the 190 UPS Freight workers in Lexington, Ky., also have opted to join the Teamsters. They will become part of Local 651.