Two Teamsters locals announce plans to terminate their contract extension with business-to-business delivery company Veritiv, making way for a strike.
Two Puget Sound-area locals of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters announced Wednesday they were terminating a contract extension with business-to-business distributor Veritiv [NYSE: VRTV], paving the way for a potential strike.
“After months of concessionary proposals and stonewalling on the part of the company, Teamsters Local 117 and Local 174 members working at Veritiv now stand on the brink of a strike,” Teamsters Joint Council 28 announced in a press release. “The workers, who warehouse and deliver paper, packaging and janitorial supplies throughout the Puget Sound area and beyond, voted unanimously to authorize a strike on December 8.”
“Veritiv management set a negative tone to the negotiations before they even began, by insisting that the two local unions bargain separately rather than jointly for the first time in decades,” the Teamsters stated.
The Teamsters, however, refused Veritiv’s demand and attended each other’s bargaining sessions.
Now that both local unions have submitted their 10-day notice to terminate their contracts with Veritiv, economic action is likely as soon as April 17.
Both Boeing and UPS have large contracts with Veritiv and a strike could have ramifications on their businesses, the Teamsters stated.
“Veritiv management came to the negotiating table with a goal, which was to split us apart and then step on us separately. Today’s actions show they have not been successful at achieving that goal,” said Teamsters Joint Council 28 President Rick Hicks. “We are all standing together and telling Veritiv clearly: they need to bargain in good faith and get our members a fair contract, or we will take our fight to the street.”
