US Foods Midwest Teamsters Ratify 4-Year Deal: 26% Wage Hike, Pension, Safety Protections

Breakthrough contract at US Foods’ Midwest hubs

More than 200 drivers and warehouse workers at US Foods represented by Teamsters Local 135 ratify a four‑year collective bargaining agreement on Feb. 12, following a credible strike threat that forces management concessions. The deal delivers a 26% wage increase, the first defined‑benefit pension for workers previously limited to a company 401(k), expanded health coverage, protections against unchecked automation and enforceable load standards aimed at improving driver safety and working conditions. Local 135 President Dustin Roach says the contract is won through members’ militancy and unity and will hold management accountable, while member Terrell Saunders calls it the best agreement he has seen at US Foods.

Negotiations intensify in the days before the vote as workers demonstrate readiness to withhold labor, prompting US Foods to accept a comprehensive package that union officials say would not have been possible without a credible strike authorization. The agreement includes clearer, enforceable working rules for drivers and warehouse staff and stronger language on safety and workload limits that union leaders say addresses chronic issues in the distribution sector. Teamsters officials add that the contract will be enforced through grievance procedures and expanded bargaining‑committee oversight to ensure management compliance.

Executives at US Foods, a major foodservice distributor, face operational implications as Local 135‑represented employees deliver across Indiana and into Louisville, supplying hundreds of restaurants, major universities and critical hospital systems. Union leaders and local members say the wins on wages, pension security and safety protections could set a template for other Teamsters‑represented sites within US Foods, which employs more than 5,500 workers covered by Teamsters nationwide. The settlement comes amid broader scrutiny of labor practices in food distribution, where long routes, heavy loads and automation concerns are central bargaining themes.

Union leverage and industry context

The agreement underscores the International Brotherhood of Teamsters’ leverage when members are prepared to take collective action; the union, founded in 1903, now represents about 1.3 million workers in the U.S., Canada and Puerto Rico. Officials suggest that enforceable standards and pension gains may influence future talks across the company’s distribution network.

Operational footprint and contacts

Local 135 members continue daily deliveries to restaurants, campuses and hospitals in the region while implementing the new contract terms. The union provides a media contact, Lena Melentijevic, at (347) 208‑2279 or [email protected], and recommends following @Teamsters for updates.