Global foodservice distributor Sysco is calling on the International Brotherhood of Teamsters (IBT) to stop threatening strikes at its companies in multiple U.S. states, as the Teamsters Local 988 union in Houston, Texas, U.S.A., said it is “preparing to strike for a fair contract after the company abandoned negotiations.”
The potential strikes could impact deliveries of seafood and other products to hundreds of restaurants – including seafood-centric Pappas Restaurants and Cheesecake Factory – along with hospitals and other foodservice sites, as has happened during past Teamsters’ strikes against Sysco.
The Teamsters’ contract expires on 17 January, and the union claimed the company is “being charged with multiple violations of federal law.”
“We’ve been bargaining in good faith for months, but the wage package Sysco has proposed is insulting, unrealistic, and fails to reflect the value of our members’ hard work,” Teamsters Local 988 President Robert Mele said. “This is a multibillion-dollar corporation exploiting its workers. We’re ready to take a stand against Sysco’s blatant corporate greed. We won’t back down until our members get the contract they deserve.”
Sysco said it has been negotiating in good faith for several months, with the goal of reaching an agreement before the 17 January expiration, and pushed the union to stop threatening a strike.
“Their actions harm our colleagues, their families, and our community partners, including hospitals, nursing homes, and schools,” Houston-based Sysco said.
The threat to engage in a multi-site strike is “part of a ...
