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[Co Conspiritor]

(WASHINGTON) – In two separate elections, 126 freight drivers at 10 Roads Express in Newark, N.J., and Commerce City, Colo., have voted to join the Teamsters Union.

The workers seek higher wages, better benefits, and improved working conditions. The group of 81 drivers in Commerce City will join Teamsters Local 17 in Denver, and the 45-worker bargaining unit in Newark will join Teamsters Local 641 in Union, N.J.

“This is a win for all the people who have lost pay because of wage theft. Every worker deserves to be represented and have a voice in the workplace. I’m glad we now have a union that will fight to get us paid for all our hours spent on the job, which has been a major problem,” said Ed Javorsky, a 10 Roads Express driver who has worked in the freight industry for 38 years.

Javorsky said he and his fellow drivers in Commerce City are looking forward to securing a strong Teamsters contract that puts an end to the rampant wage theft as well as subcontracting and favoritism.

“I am relieved to finally be a Teamster. We no longer have to fight the battle for better conditions on our own. The union has our back, and we are already winning the respect we deserve,” said Milan Pavlovic, a 12-year driver who helped lead the organizing effort at 10 Roads Express in Newark.

The wins in Colorado and New Jersey are part of a national organizing effort by the Teamsters at 10 Roads Express. In the past two years, more than 300 workers at the company have voted to join the union, including recent victories in Council Bluffs, Iowa, Omaha, Neb., and Edgerton and Colby, Kan.

“All across the country, drivers at 10 Roads are taking control of their future by becoming Teamsters. They know that the only way to stand up to the bosses is with a resonant union voice,” said John A. Murphy, Teamsters National Freight Director. “A Teamsters contract is crucial to addressing issues in the workplace, especially in freight. We look forward to more 10 Roads workers following suit to grow union density in the industry and make this company a better place to work.”