April 25, 2008  

(NEW YORK, NY) – Drivers from Baldor Specialty Foods in the Bronx will vote on union representation May 21.  

In an effort to improve their working conditions and secure their families’ futures, approximately 150 Baldor drivers are fighting to join Teamsters Local 202. 

Baldor driver Frovisher Burgos said, “I am fighting for the union because I want improvements in my working conditions, but most of all I want respect on the job.” 

Baldor management campaigned aggressively to dissuade drivers from supporting the union. Workers report Baldor subjected them to retaliatory job assignments, harassment, surveillance and mandatory captive audience meetings.

Baldor driver and union supporter Maximiliano Paniagua said, “Ever since I came forward as a union supporter the company has treated me differently.  I used to receive truck routes with 12 or 13 stops, now I get 19.

“Although I am fearful that I will lose my job because of my union support, I will continue to fight for myself, my family and my co-workers at Baldor,” Paniagua said.

The Baldor drivers and Local 202 are not alone in their struggle for justice.  Congressman Jose E. Serrano has publicly affirmed his support of the workers. 

“Strong unions are the first and best hope for working people in America,” Serrano said. They are “essential to rebuilding our nation’s middle class.”

Founded in 1903, the Teamsters Union represents more than 1.4 million hardworking men and women in the United States and Canada.