WHEREAS, Teamsters Local 107 members working for Sears have been involved in a labor dispute with the retail giant involving its proposed changes to work hours and seniority that would hurt workers; and

WHEREAS, its current contract with the company expired in July 2015 and the union has been forced to deal with lengthy, concessionary and at times arrogant negotiations that have gotten workers no closer to a new deal; and

WHEREAS, the company has offered no new raises and expensive health care that could cost members with families as much as $900 a month; and

WHEREAS, Sears wants its union employees to work less than eight hours a day, and have the ability to send them home when it deems fit on a daily basis; and

WHEREAS, the company wants its workers to relinquish their seniority when layoffs arise by allowing Sears to choose to keep more junior workers over those who have worked at the retailer for decades; and

WHEREAS, the company wants to use a new sales mandate that would set goals which would require workers to sell a minimum amount of product based on a regional area or be terminated; and

WHEREAS, IBT International Vice President Bill Hamilton may ask for a boycott of Sears if and when the dispute heads to a next step.

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED at this 29th International Convention that the IBT backs Local 107’s plan to stand tall and not hand back the gains made by Sears workers over the last seven-plus decades; and

FINALLY, BE IT RESOLVED that Local 107 members will go on strike if necessary in their fight for a fair pay, benefits and working conditions.