CalPortland in negotiation with Teamsters Local 174
Published by Rebecca Bowden,
Assistant Editor
World Cement,
On the morning of 11 August 2017, Teamsters Local 174 instructed CalPortland mixer drivers to strike, leaving dozens of projects in a difficult position across Seattle. Some mixer trucks loaded with perishable concrete were abandoned by drivers, leaving the potential for damage to company property that required additional handling and safety measures to extract the concrete while it could still be managed. Other loaded mixer-trucks were returned to local plants where the concrete could be off-loaded through additional salvage and recycling efforts, to properly handle returned material.
The company has been in discussions with Local 174 of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters regarding its members who are employed in the company’s Seattle-area operations. CalPortland participated at the negotiating table with Teamsters Local 174 along with three other ready mixed concrete employers in the area. At the union’s request, the company met with union members and a mediator on 2 August 2017, but attempts to reach a fair and competitive agreement for all parties were again unsuccessful.
According to a CalPortland press release, ‘the company is astonished by the union’s decision to strike in advance of the mutually scheduled negotiations set for early this week. False accusations by Teamsters Local 174 regarding the company being in violation of federal labour law and failing to bargain in good faith are unfounded and detract from the bargaining process.“
Further negotiations with a mediator are scheduled to resume on 15 August 2017.
Read the article online at: https://www.worldcement.com/the-americas/15082017/calportland-in-negotiation-with-teamsters-local-174/
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