Teamsters reject latest proposal from concrete companies

The following is from Teamsters Local 174:

SEATTLE (Aug. 2, 2022) — A full year after the expiration of their contract, the group of Teamsters Local 174 members working in the concrete industry have again voted overwhelmingly to reject the latest subpar offer from their Employers. This secret-ballot vote held by this group sends a clear message to the Employers and makes the strongest point since late 2021, when they voted 212-1 to reject an earlier substandard offer. Since then, multiple similar offers have been rejected by voice vote, ultimately leading to the group walking off the job in an Unfair Labor Practice strike that lasted 145 days.

The Union returned to the members to work in April in a gesture of good faith as contract negotiations continued with help from federal mediators; however, the group of Employers have remained steadfast in their proposal leading to today’s strong rejection by the Teamster members.

“This entire contract negotiation process has felt like the Twilight Zone in terms of how little sense the Companies are making,” said CalPortland driver and bargaining committee member Brett Gallagher. “From the beginning, our demands have been clear and reasonable. There’s nothing outrageous at all, but these companies just will not listen. It blows my mind that somehow, we are painted as the villains because we want a fair deal for our families.”

“Today we told them again that their offer isn’t good enough – which they should have known after 145 days without a single Teamster mixer driver crossing the picket lines, but apparently they needed to hear that message again,” said Denny Emerson, a Cadman driver and bargaining committee member. “It feels like we’ve rejected this same offer 20 times at this point, but now the ball is back in their court and it’s time for them to make a real move in their proposal rather than continuing to move the deck chairs around on the Titanic. Make a real proposal that we can all vote for and let’s get back to the business of delivering concrete and move on with our lives.”

Founded in 1909, Teamsters Local 174 represents 8,600 working men and women in Seattle and the surrounding areas. Follow Teamsters 174 on Facebook.