Teamsters Gain New Members at Challenger Motor Freight

A group of 15 or so workers at the Challenger Motor Freight Terminal in Dorval is now represented by the Teamsters….

LAVAL, QC, Nov. 8 /CNW Telbec/ - The Teamsters union has filed an application for union certification on behalf of the 15 or so workers at the Dorval terminal of the Challenger Motor Freight company. The application was submitted to the Canada Industrial Relations Board (CIRB) this past Friday, November 5, and represents the union's first affiliation with this company's workers.

"The Challenger workers have demonstrated outstanding courage," explains Robert Bouvier, President of Teamsters Canada. "They serve as a model of perseverance for all those who still remain hesitant to join a union."

There is currently a campaign to organize Challenger's workers across the country. Those at the company's facility in Dorval indicated that the Teamsters union was in the best position to improve their working conditions and to oppose what they said to be their employer's arbitrary decisions.

"With the rise of a highly aggressive right-wing economic extreme, the question now is to decide what kind of society we want to live in," adds Mr. Bouvier. "Do we want a society that promotes the enrichment of a minority of corporate managers, or one that treats workers fairly?"

In that regard, Nobel Prize winner in Economics, Paul Krugman, has pointed out that in order to have a middle class, there is a definite need for strong unions that counterbalance the economic extreme right. "Unions help boost the salaries of their members, which are generally situated around the middle of the revenue scale," he underlines. "They also have a tendency to equalize salaries among their members. More importantly, perhaps, unions constitute a force that counterweighs corporate directions, and they foster respect of social norms that impose limits on extremely high or extremely low salaries of people who are not unionized. ln addition, unions mobilize their members to vote in a progressive fashion."

Challenger Modernizes Its Fleet

Last spring, Challenger Motor Freight announced the acquisition of 600 LCV-type trailers and close to 500 tractors over the coming months.

"The increase in productivity thanks to this new fleet will most certainly serve to generate greater profits," emphasizes the President of the Teamsters. "But salaries and working conditions must also be improved. While a nationwide organizing campaign of this scale takes time, we will be patient and available to answer any questions workers may have. However, they need to keep in mind that the law prohibits their employer from interfering. It is up to the workers to decide on unionization."

In the Montreal region, Challenger handles product delivery for such companies as Molson.

The Teamsters Union represents 125,000 members in Canada in all trades. The International Brotherhood of Teamsters, with which Teamsters Canada is affiliated, has 1.4 million members in North America.

For further information:

Stéphane Lacroix, Director of Communications, Teamsters Canada
Mobile: [phone]
Office: 450-682-5521, ext. 236
Email: [email protected]