The Teamsters Union has filed an unfair labor practice charge against Overnite Transportation with the National Labor Relations Board, alleging unlawful surface and bad faith bargaining.

The union says that over the past six years, the union and Overnite have participated in about 200 bargaining sessions. During that whole time, the Teamsters say, Overnite's attitude has consistently been that it is futile for the union to seek to negotiate a contract with the less-than-truckload carrier. The company has not agreed to any major condition that was not already part of its existing policies, according to the union.
"Overnite's final offer-impasse proposals indicates that the company is insisting on both a broad management rights clause and a broad no-strike clause, while, at the same time, refusing to agree to an effective grievance and arbitration procedure," say the Teamsters. "The number of bargaining sessions is immaterial, if the sessions are part of the plan and the message to demonstrate the futility of selecting union representation."
Overnite says there is no merit to the union's charge. "Overnite has made a fair and reasonable offer that the union just doesn't like," says Overnite spokesman Ira Rosenfeld. "Rather than continuing to bargain at the negotiating table, they have taken their position to the National Labor Relations Board." Overnite is considering filing a counter bad faith bargaining charge with the NLRB.