Reading, PA – Teamsters at Arkema's Birdsboro plant voted today in favor of a new contract that provides wage increases and protects their health care benefits. The 45 Teamsters were forced to strike Aug. 14.
"Our members were united throughout this strike," said Bill Shappell, President of Teamsters Local 429in Reading, which represents the Arkema workers. "Many of our members at Arkema had worked at this plant for 20 to 30 years. They've shown a great deal of strength and dedication. We won a good contract for them and they earned a new level of respect from the company."
"We really appreciated the support of political leaders in Reading and in Philadelphia for our strike, and it made a difference," said Jim Phillippi, an 18-year Arkema employee. "The company realized we were standing strong in our fight for good jobs for our community."
During the strike, an international coalition of trade unionists led by France's Confédération Générale du Travail (CGT) had pledged their support of the Birdsboro employees. Also, last month, the striking Teamsters were joined by more than 200 other union members for a major rally outside Arkema's corporate headquarters in Philadelphia. Two days later, the Philadelphia City Council passed a resolution, authored by Councilmember Juan Ramos, in support of the Teamster strikers. Next week, Councilmember Ramos has scheduled a series of environmental safety hearings about the Arkema plant.
In addition to the Arkema employees in Birdsboro, Teamsters Local 429 represents employees from numerous industries, including county and municipal governments, dairies, food and steel warehousing, freight truck drivers, United Parcel Service (UPS), construction, vending services, beer distributors, emergency medical service groups, oil delivery, heating and air conditioning services and prison correctional officers.
