June 30 -- The Graphic Communications International Union's governing body voted Wednesday June 30 to approve an agreement to merge with the International Brotherhood of Teamsters and send the merger document to the membership for vote and adoption. GCIU Pres. George Tedeschi said of the General Board vote: "We believe this is a positive step for the GCIU. By merging with the Teamsters, we will acquire the resources and strength of a 1.3-million member organization. This will help our members at the bargaining table, in organizing, and in the political arena." The merger document will be published in two successive issues of the Graphic Communicator (the GCIU's newspaper) prior to a mail ballot referendum vote that will be taken in late summer and counted in September. If the merger agreement is adopted by the membership, the GCIU would become a self- governing conference of the IBT and continue to function with its own constitution consistent with the Teamsters' constitution. The GCIU, with more than 70,000 active members in the United States and Canada, represents more people working in the printing, publishing, and paper products industry than any other AFL-CIO affiliate. "The GCIU is a great union with a proud history," said Jim Hoffa, general president of the Teamsters. "Like GCIU, the Teamsters believe that pooling resources in this manner is the best path to a stronger future for labor."