Management for Railway Industrial Services continued to disrespect its own workforce by offering Teamsters Local 710 members an insulting proposal after 37 days on the strike line.

The Local 710 Bargaining Committee returned to the bargaining table Wednesday with optimism but left with extreme disappointment after RIS made only minor changes to the company’s previous offer. The Teamsters received a letter from RIS last week that withdrew management’s last, best and final offer, a seemingly positive move the company had refused to make during the first month of the ongoing labor action.

After both parties agreed to resume negotiations, the company’s incredibly inadequate movement forced the union to leave the table this week without a recommendation from the Bargaining Committee.

After all this time, we were expecting more movement. RIS knows how hard these guys work and the harsh conditions they face on the job. So management’s offer is frustrating. We’re not backing down until we get a respectable offer, and the entire Local 710 family supports our members 100 percent. Mike Ramirez

Local 710 Business Agent

Members are continuing to hold the picket line and will vote on the latest offer soon. Despite Teamsters at RIS having been out of work and without health insurance for weeks, an outpouring of support from other members and local unions across the country has strengthening their spirits.

Teamsters Local 705 generously donated $10,000 to the affected Local 710 members. Others have established a public GoFundMe page that has raised more than $5,000 to-date and continues to trend on social media. Local 710 UPS member John Seidel organized an ongoing food drive at his Peoria facility as well and plans to deliver what’s collected every Saturday so long as RIS management forces the strike to continue.

The support Local 710 has received is keeping the members’ fires going. We can’t thank everyone enough for the thoughts and prayers, and for everything that has been donated to help out. It’s meant the world to these workers who’ve been taken advantage of by their employer. Mike Cales

Local 710 Business Agent

Teamsters Local 710 is an affiliate of Teamsters Joint Council 25, America’s premier labor union for Chicago, Illinois and northwest Indiana.

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