Jan. 31, 2017—Minnesota O'Reilly Auto Parts drivers voted to reject the company's contract offers on Monday, citing safety risks for drivers on the road and inefficiencies in the company's distribution system.
"With Amazon looking to take market share from auto parts retailers like O'Reilly, customer satisfaction is more important than ever," said Tom Erickson, president of Teamsters Local 120 which represents the drivers. "This is no time to create uncertainty by squeezing front line workers and forcing a strike."
O'Reilly Teamsters, represented by Teamsters Union, in Minnesota voted unanimously in December to strike if necessary. Their contract was set to expire December 9, 2016, but the union agreed to a three week extension to see if a fair settlement could be reached. The contract expired on January 27, 2017.
The Teamsters Union represents hundreds of O'Reilly employees in key markets across the U.S. including Atlanta and San Francisco. Contracts will expire in Atlanta and San Francisco in 2017.