Teamsters Local 200 Business Representative Tom Benvenuto joined the America’s Work Force Union Podcast to discuss the advantages truck drivers have in the current employment market, and how they can use this leverage to increase their pay.
The Local 200 jurisdiction includes the following areas in Wisconsin: Milwaukee, Fond du Lac, Racine and Kenosha.
Three years ago, trucking employees would have been elated with a 3 percent wage increase, but due to the pressures of the pandemic and the current trucker shortage, employers are regularly offering 5.5 percent to 6.5 percent wage increases — and some are saying it is still not enough, Benvenuto said. In today’s job market, having a commercial drivers license is a golden ticket and the Teamsters are able to leverage increasingly higher wages for members, he added.
Benvenuto also talked about the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act and what it will mean for jobs in Wisconsin and the importance of supporting pro-union candidates to protect labor rights in the state.
Listen to the entire episode to learn more about these topics: