Press Releases
Illinois ProTech Teamsters Win $4.5 Million Settlement
500 Teamsters Secure Months of Illegally Withheld Wages
Press Contact: Colin McCullough Phone: (856) 625-6856 Email: cmccullough@teamster.org
(SPRINGFIELD, Ill.) – Teamsters Local 916 has won a $4.5 million grievance settlement against the Illinois Department of Central Management Services (CMS) for failing to pay workers in the ProTech bargaining unit their legally owed wages negotiated in their collective bargaining agreement.
For more than 11 months, ProTech Teamsters at the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT), Department of Natural Resources (DNR), and Department of Innovation and Technology (DoIT) were denied their negotiated wage increases.
“After months of fighting to secure legally owed wage increases, ProTech Teamsters finally have justice,” said JP Fyans III, President of Local 916. “This settlement should send a clear message to this employer and any other employers, that when you violate a Teamsters contract, Teamsters will zealously pursue all legal options to secure the wages workers rightfully earned and deserve. With this settlement, we are optimistic that we have turned a corner with IDOT and the unresolved issues of recruiting new employees and retaining talented members will be our joint focus moving forward.”
“Honoring this segment of our agreed upon contract is a step toward making IDOT’s dedicated long-term workers feel valued for the service they provide to the travelers and taxpayers of Illinois,” said Melinda Winkelman, a ProTech shop steward.
Local 916 spent more than 10 months in negotiations for a fair contract, which was ratified in March 2024. After ratification, Local 916 filed nine grievances against CMS on behalf of hundreds of ProTech Teamsters who were denied raises and had their wages withheld.
“This has been a long and frustrating process, but I am glad we have come to a resolution on the wages,” said Shannon Leesman, a Division 6 representative at IDOT. “These wage increases will go a long way toward retaining current employees and hiring new employees for the future.”
Teamsters Local 916 represents more than 4,000 hardworking men and women throughout the state of Illinois from Chicago to Carbondale and East Saint Louis to Champaign. For more information, visit teamsters916.org.