Teamsters Set To Meet With YRC Over Terminal Closures

Representatives of the Teamsters Union are set to meet on April 19with officials from YRC Freig

ht to discuss changes to the less-than-truckload carrier’s terminal network.

YRC is looking to reduce the number of its terminals from nearly 300 to just over 265 along with closing three distribution centers in Cincinnati, St. Louis, and Memphis. It’s estimated some 1,200 union workers could be affected along with around 230 jobs being eliminated. YRC has reportedly been hoping to make the changes in May.

According to the dissident group Teamsters for a Democratic Union, many terminals will lose a small number of road drivers while management's proposal calls for a loss of 760 dock, cartage, shop, and office jobs, and a loss of 452 road jobs at the closing terminals. The gains would be 639 in cartage and 343 for road, for a net loss of 230 jobs.

So called end-of-line terminals slated for closures are: Youngstown, Ohio; Mansfield, Ohio; Wausau Wisc.; Coldwater, Mich.; Libertyville, Ill.; St. Cloud, Minn.; Crystal Lake, Ill.; Great Bend, Kan.; Lafayette, Ind.; Salem, Ill.; Bridgeport, Neb.; Grand Forks, N.D.; Carlstadt, N.J.; Elizabeth, N.J.; Wytheville, Va.; Springfield, Ma.; Littleton, N.H.; Lawrenceville, Ga., Daytona Beach, Fla.; Hattiesburg, Miss., Pensacola, Fla.; Victoria, Tex.; Fort Smith; Ark.; Greenville, Miss.; Bozeman, Mont.; Kalispell, Mont.; Benicia, Calif.; San Jose, Calif. and Bell., Calif.

The move comes as parent company YRC Worldwide has spent several years drowning in red ink, though it’s most recent numbers have showed smaller losses while YRC Freight last year reported its first operating profit if four years during 2012.

A meeting between the company and the union is required as part of the labor contract between the two sides, including to get feedback from the Teamsters. However, the union doesn’t have much control, because the company's contract allows YRC to make changes in operations without a vote by union members.