(CHEEKTOWAGA) - A new two-year contract has been ratified by members of Teamsters Local 375 at Cope Bestway Express, Inc. in the Buffalo suburb of Cheektowaga, which provides both increases in wages and pensions, Union officials told WNYLaborToday.com today.

The contract covers 16 Local 375-Represented Workers at the solid, over-the-road hauler that operates within a "few hundred mile radius from Buffalo," Local 375 President Michael Wach tells WNYLaborToday.com.  The workers voted to ratify the company's contract offer by a 2-to-1 margin after rejecting an initial offer from Cope-Bestway, Union officials said.

The new contract provides for both an increase in wages and pension contributions, said Wach - who decline to divulge specifics of the contract with Cope Bestway.  "It's not extravagant," he said.  "Because of the economy, it was the best we could do.  We have some carriers, like YRC (Worldwide), where are members agreed to a three-dollar-an-hour reduction.  In fact, most within the trucking industry have agreed to take ten-to-fifteen-percent reductions in pay."

Teamsters Local 375 members at Cope Bestway are employed as drivers, Union officials said.

Teamster Local 375 represents 1,500 members in the Buffalo area, including 1,100 active members - who work for a number of employers, including ABF Freight Systems, Rural Metro, Avis and Hertz, and in positions at several warehousing locations.

Founded in 1903, the International Brotherhood of Teamsters represents 1.4 million members across the United States, and in Canada and Puerto Rico.