Teamster Union drivers Tuesday ended a 25-day strike against Chicago-based A.J. Canfield Co. by accepting concessions that union members say could sharply reduce their pay.
By a 26-25 vote, those drivers and helpers who had not already crossed picket lines accepted an offer from the soft drink company that they had twice before rejected. The 4-year pact contains what the company considers a binding no-strike clause.
The strikers` resolve appeared to have weakened when Canfield`s began hiring replacements, threatening striking drivers with the permanent loss of their jobs.
Canfield`s, whose workers walked out July 16, essentially employed the tactic used by Royal Crown Bottling Co. of Chicago during a 2-week strike against that firm that ended last Thursday.
All soft drink bottlers in the area, citing intense competition, have sought concessions from their drivers in recent years.
Roy Chamberlin, president of Teamster Local 744, representing Chicago area soft drink drivers, said that Royal Crown`s strike-ending offer imposed fewer concessions on drivers than those demanded by other firms. Union officials were not saying the same about Canfield`s offer.
The new contract at Canfield`s will impose a steep decline in commissions, which provide a major share of the wages paid to drivers and their helpers.
Some union members said the lower commissions plus changes in delivery routes permitted under the contract could cause some salaries to drop 40 to 50 percent.
Canfield`s drivers earn about $40,000 a year while their helpers average about $30,000, according to the company.
Under the old contract, drivers received a 30-cent commission for every case of 12-ounce or 16-ounce cans of soft drink delivered with the aid of a helper. The driver got the same commission for nonreturnable bottles.
Under the new pact, a driver aided by a helper will see the 30-cent commission drop to 25 cents, then 22 cents and, finally, to 20 cents. Helpers` commissions, already lower, also will be cut.
The contract includes a two-tier wage structure under which new drivers hired by the company will be paid 13 1/2 cents for each case they deliver.
The new contract eliminates the traditional fixed route system. Drivers contend that this could further cut their pay.
The contract also allows Canfield`s, beginning in May, 1990, to employ workers whose wages are based entirely on an hourly rate with no commissions to make deliveries to chain stores.
The new contract also eliminates quotas on the number of helpers who must be used with drivers. Union members said that the company could conceivably do away with the helper position during the contract.
”We`re delighted that the strike is over and our people are returning,” said Richard Marcus, a private attorney for the company. ”We are pleased that we have a contract which will let us compete effectively.”
Chamberlin could not be reached for comment.
