Teamsters win vote to unionize Indiana TR concession 108 to 103

With 211 out of 244 toll collectors voting the result was a vote of 108 to 103 in favor of going union Friday on the Indiana Toll Road (ITR). The ITR is run by a Cintra/Macquarie concession under a 75 year concession with the state of Indiana. This means that four different Teamsters Locals along the route now have the right to represent the 244 toll collectors in collective bargaining with the company.

The company released a statement: "ITRCC (Indiana Toll Road Concession Company) respects the choice made by its employees in this secret ballot election. The company intends to honor it's obligations under the law to bargain with the union."

Unlike tollroads to the east (Ohio, Pennsylvania) and to the west (Illinois) Indiana Toll Road has not been union in the past. Wages and conditions have been pretty much market rates - $11 or $12/hour and limited benefits. This compares to an average of about $20 and a range of from $15 to $45/hr plus more extensive benefits among unionized toll collectors in OH, NY, NJ, MA, ME, NH, DE, MD, IL.

With privatization of the tollroad the workers seem to have got more pro-union than when the state was running the operation - though too much should not be read into a narrow one percent victory. In July an effort to unionize maintenance works failed gaining 42 in favor to 62 against.

The local press reported complaints from unnamed toll collectors about their pay and working conditions - about inadequate work breaks. But it is difficult to know how serious or widespread these complaints were.

Local reports also said that the workers were most concerned about job security.

Most of the toll collectors employed by the concession company worked previously for the state DOT when it ran the tollroad. Their conditions didn't change much.

The major change introduced by the concessionaire since they took over June 30 2006 was the introduction of electronic tolling - although it is a conservative first stage retrofit-in-existing-lanes, gates maintained system.

The concession company does not seem to have managed the union ballot very smoothly. Matt Pierce the spokesman took a feisty anti-unionization stance in comments to the local media.

Quotes from spokesman Pierce in November: "We really don’t see the need to inject a third party into those plans. We believe that unions thrive on discord...

"They have already been licked in one union election this past summer and they are coming back to try again...

"Our stand is pretty straightforward. We are working with our employees to build on our first year of operations and we don't see a need to inject a third party into that process."

Backdown

Nov 27 the company backed away from this feisty stance. Fernando Redondo the chief executive dissociated himself from Pierce with this statement:

"Last week some inappropriate comments made by an ITRCC spokesman were reported in a local press article in the context of an upcoming unionization vote of ITRCC toll collection staff.

"ITRCC encourages an active and open dialogue with its employees and will continue to provide the information needed for them to make an informed decision concerning the upcoming election.

"The decision for ITRCC employees to unionize or remain non-union has, and always will be, that of those eligible to vote.”

No word yet on whether the ITRCC's spokesman Pierce is joining the Teamsters to enhance his job security.

TOLLROADSnews 2007-12-15