July 8, 2020 – Today an overwhelming majority of drivers at Vistar Kentucky voted to join Teamsters Local 89, marking the second straight victory for Local 89’s Organizing Department.

The Vistar Campaign began in early April after Local 89 UPS Ground Business Agent James DeWeese forwarded a lead to the Organizing Department. After first contact meetings, it became quickly apparent this was a shop ready to organize and do it quickly. Within two weeks, 94% of drivers had signed cards calling for a union election.

The organizing process was slowed by the outbreak of COVID-19, which caused delays in having NLRB hearings, and ultimately resulted in a full mail-in ballot election. Although the mail-in election was a lengthy and complicated process, the vote count was finally conducted today, and the results were a runaway win for the workers at Vistar Kentucky.

“We are proud to welcome the drivers at Vistar Kentucky as the newest members of our great Local Union,” said Fred Zuckerman, President of Teamsters Local 89. “Despite an anti-union campaign and a complicated election process, they stood together and won the right to be Teamsters.”

President Zuckerman and the Officers of Teamsters Local 89 would like to thank Organizers Bryan Trafford and David Thornsberry for their tireless work on this campaign, Business Agent James DeWeese for the initial lead and all other staff and member activists who joined the fight!

And from everyone at Teamsters Local 89, congratulations to the drivers at Vistar Kentucky for organizing a union to better their lives, and welcome to the 15,000-member strong Local 89 family!