WARNERS, N.Y. (NCC News) – Teamsters union workers at the Sysco distribution center will strike for as long as it takes to get a new deal, said union steward Keith Hubbard.
“The company said that they were going to take care of us and they failed to do so. The members here have had it. So we’ve walked the line. We had to draw the line eventually,” said Hubbard.
On Tuesday evening, 200 workers began picketing outside of the site. They’ve been working without a labor agreement since August 19.
“Workers are like look – enough. They’re tired of it. They’re tired of unfair treatment and [Sysco] abusing these workers and we need to make sure they live up to the corporation they say that they are,” said Syracuse Labor Council president Mark Spadafore.
Sysco is a major food provider to local hospitals, nursing homes and restaurants, amongst other places.
While the company is continuing to find solutions in order to keep delivering food, those solutions may not be the safest.
Multiple strikers said they’d seen unrefrigerated trucks delivering food products such as raw meat and eggs, then leaving them out in the back of pickup trucks to be picked up later in the day.
Sysco did release a statement, saying in part, “Sysco Syracuse offered wage increases that would place our associates at or above market, along with a $2,500 signing bonus, comprehensive health, and welfare benefits, and paid time off.”
But, despite that offer, there seems to be no end to the strike in sight.
Learn more by watching the video.
