Teamsters Ready-Mix Drivers On Strike Against Glacier Northwest

Workers Fight for Fair Contract as Company Refuses to Negotiate

(TACOMA, Wash.) - Ready-mix drivers represented by Teamsters Local 313 at Glacier Northwest, a CalPortland company, have reached the one-month mark of their unfair labor practice (ULP) strike against the company as negotiations over a fair contract have stalled. The drivers, based in DuPont, Wash., are fighting to address significant wage and benefit disparities with other CalPortland ready-mix drivers in neighboring King County.

"Glacier Northwest Teamsters do the same work as CalPortland's other drivers in Washington state, yet the company denies them the fair wages and respect they have earned," said Nick Lansdale, Secretary-Treasurer of Teamsters Local 313. "Rather than bargaining in good faith, CalPortland's proposals would deepen inequality and undermine the livelihoods of hardworking Teamsters in Pierce County."

The union also condemned the company's decision to bring in replacement workers and engage in other anti-union tactics since the strike began on April 1. Local 313 continues to call on CalPortland and Glacier Northwest leadership to immediately return to the table and reach a fair agreement that recognizes the essential role Glacier Northwest Teamsters play in the company's operations.

"The fact that CalPortland would bring in scabs just proves the value we provide to this company and reaffirms the decision we made last month to go out on strike," said John Silver, a seven-year Glacier Northwest driver and member of Local 313. "All we are asking for is to be treated with the same respect and fairness that CalPortland treats drivers who live an hour away from us. We are ready to stay here as long as it takes to get a fair contract."

Glacier Northwest Teamsters will remain on the picket line until management returns to good-faith bargaining and offers proposals that accurately reflect the importance and reliability of their work.

For over 120 years, Teamsters Local 313 has represented workers in a wide range of industries throughout the Pacific Northwest. For more information, visit teamsters313.org.

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