TEAMSTERS LOCAL 700 STATEMENT ON ILLINOIS TOLLWAY MANAGEMENT CANCELING BARGAINING SESSIONS

PARK RIDGE, ILL. – Late last week, management at the Illinois Tollway cancelled a negotiating session scheduled for today with Teamsters Local 700, which represents more than 400 bargaining unit members at the agency. Negotiations between the agency and the union for a new collective bargaining agreement have been ongoing for nearly nine months. With the next negotiation session not scheduled until July 14, more than a month will have passed between sessions.

“Local 700 members at the Illinois Tollway keep our roads safe and our economy moving, and they deserve respect from management,” said Teamsters Local 700 President Ramon Williams. “Last minute cancellations and delayed bargaining sessions put our negotiations at risk, which puts our Tollway at risk. I urge management to come back to the bargaining table immediately.”

Management’s decision to cancel comes as the union is waiting on a response to economic proposals designed to fight the exodus of Tollway employees to comparable agencies. Illinois Tollway employees are paid less, staff more shifts, and take longer to reach top scale than virtually all of these competing employers. Chief among the union’s concerns is that the high turnover is leading to staffing problems, which could result in a less safe Tollway for both employees and the commuting public.

“We began bargaining in October of 2022, and it took several months to get this employer to the table on a regular basis,” said Geoff Daniels, Teamsters Local 700 Business Agent assigned to members at the Illinois Tollway. “We felt through the late spring and early summer that we were finally moving in the right direction, with no cancellations and weekly meetings for nearly two months. Now management is cancelling meetings and trying to space out time spent at the table, which is a massive step backwards that shows a complete disregard for the interests of the award-winning essential workers who keep our Tollway moving.”

Local 700 represents more than 400 employees at the Illinois Tollway including auto mechanics, electricians, sign maker/hangers, carpenters, and material distribution drivers. Local 700 members also include equipment operator/laborers who respond to accidents, maintain the roadway, and handle a variety of emergencies including snow and ice control. Local 700’s contract with the Illinois Tollway expired on February 28, 2023.
 

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