Local 25 Members Launch Strike in Boston
May 18, 2009
Air Freight Drivers Demand That Company Gets Serious
On May 18, workers at an air freight company in Boston who voted to join Local 25 last summer went on strike against the company, which has failed to negotiate a first contract in good faith.
The strike involves about 50 truck drivers at Horizon Air Services in East Boston.
“The drivers are walking the picket line and the solidarity is very strong,” said Sean M. O’Brien, Local 25 President. “The workers are determined to send the company a message that ‘enough is enough.’ They are demanding that the company get serious. The workers voted to form a union nine months ago and the company has stalled at every stage of the contract talks.”
O’Brien said the situation is a clear example of why the Employee Free Choice Act is needed.
“This strike is a prime example of how workers have so few rights right now,” O’Brien said. “We need the Employee Free Choice Act to level the playing field so workers can form their union and negotiate a first contract. This is about improving people’s lives. Right now, the employers have all the power and are exploiting workers.”
