Big ready-mix companies dropping Teamsters

Grace Leong

Thursday, June 1, 2000 | 11:05 a.m.

Teamsters Union cement truck drivers were locked out of their jobs today at two big Las Vegas ready-mix companies after the union and companies failed to agree on a new contract.

Replacement drivers recruited and trained by the companies in recent weeks -- and a few defecting union members -- tried to deliver cement to construction sites, but the Teamsters worked to disrupt their trips.

CSR and Nevada Ready Mix wanted to cut wages by $2 an hour for existing drivers and make other modifications, but the Teamsters repeatedly rejected the company proposals.

So the companies locked out about 400 Teamster truck drivers at all six of their cement yards early today.

At issue is an existing compensation and benefits package under the current contract that CSR and Nevada Ready Mix say is uncompetitive and has eroded their combined market share to about 40 percent from 70 percent six years ago. The companies said they are losing business to non-union competitors.

"The teamsters are completely and totally out of line," said Ray Brown, a spokesman for CSR and Nevada Ready Mix. "The picketers are causing significant public safety issues by laying down in front of the trucks as these are trying to exit and pulling the release lever on the back of the trucks and discharging concrete into the streets. Some of them are pulling their cars in front of and behind the trucks as they leave the yard and going very slow to try to inhibit the trucks from doing their job."

Jim Wilkerson, the Teamsters' spokesman, said: "Everyone has been given a schedule to walk until we get something we can have the membership ratify. We are holding ambulatory pickets, and making it as tough as possible for them to operate within legal bounds of law."

But Brown disagreed.

"Ambulatory striking ... preventing trucks from moving at the speed limit, is against the law. We fully respect the unions' right to a peaceful picket, but we also expect them to respect our rights to conduct a business. Metro said the picketers will go to jail if they continue to do this."

Wilkerson said: "It is unfortunate the membership is held accountable for the lack of responsibility of the previous administration of the union. If the previous administration had done their job and gone out to organize the non-union companies, the strike would never have happened."

The cement truck drivers are represented by Teamsters Local 631, which the national Teamsters union took control of this year because of alleged wrongdoing by local leaders.