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Minnesota Teamsters: O’Reilly Auto Parts Faces Distribution Crisis as Amazon Threat Looms

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(BLAINE, Minn.) –O’Reilly Auto Parts (NASDAQ: ORLY) drivers, represented by Teamsters Local 120, voted overwhelmingly yesterday to reject the company’s contract offer. Workers say management’s demands will create safety risks for drivers on the road, undermine their living standards and introduce 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 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.

“O’Reilly drivers are united in their opposition to management’s unsafe demands,” said Troy Gustafson, Business Agent for Teamsters Local 120. “Teamsters will not allow this company to jeopardize driver safety.”

Founded in 1903, the International Brotherhood of Teamsters represents 1.4 million hardworking men and women throughout the United States, Canada and Puerto Rico. Visit www.teamster.org for more information.