Teamsters have ended a 3-week strike at the Philly area’s largest Coca-Cola distributor
A statement from the union cited wage increases and an improved health-care plan, though details of a new five-year contract are still being finalized.
The Teamsters union at the Philadelphia region’s largest Coca-Cola bottling plant is ending a three-week-long strike after reaching an agreement with management over wage increases and retirement benefits in a new five-year contract.
“I am proud of our members for the resilience and solidarity they showed during the past three weeks,” said Teamsters Local 830 Treasurer Daniel H. Grace. “I also want to thank Liberty Coca-Cola for continuing to dialogue throughout a sometimes difficult process and for reaching a fair new five-year contract with us.”
Teamsters Local 830 — which has more than 3,000 employees across Liberty Coca-Cola’s sales, driver, and warehouse staff — had 414 members begin striking on April 16 after their previous contract expired.
“The new contract maintains our commitment to provide employees with the highest wage increases in Coca-Cola/Local 830′s history,” a statement from Liberty Coca-Cola read. “We appreciate all that our employees do to make this a great company, and we look forward to getting everyone back to work tomorrow under the new agreement.”
Though the union has previously avoided specifics on the wage increase they were seeking, the demands included increased employer 401(k) contributions and the ability for members to utilize Local 830′s health insurance, which Grace has previously said was significantly cheaper than the Aetna option offered by Liberty Coca-Cola.
That demand didn’t come to fruition, said Teamsters 830 spokesperson Frank Keel. The new contract does allow for health savings accounts and a freeze of employee contributions to the Aetna plan at 3% for the next three years, which Keel said was “previously a sticking point.”
» READ MORE: Hundreds of workers at a Philly Coca-Cola distributor were on strike. Here’s why.
The clash prompted mayoral candidate and grocery story magnate Jeff Brown to stop selling Coca-Cola products at the 12 Fresh Grocers and ShopRite stores he’s associated with in the region.
“I don’t think it’s right what Coke is doing. I stand with union men and women,” Brown said nearly two weeks into the strike. He gave up the majority of his stakes in the grocery chains before running for office.
The statement from Teamsters 830 said that “any and all boycotts” of Coke products have also ended, though “final details” of the contract are still being worked out.
“We are absolutely of the belief that Jeff Brown honored what he told our membership,” said Keel. “We actually believe [Brown’s boycott] had some impact on getting this thing done, finally.”
Keel said the union never formally asked for Brown or any other Coca-Cola seller in the region to do a boycott, though Teamsters 830 members did ask attendees at last weekend’s Penn Relays — which the beverage company sponsors — to not purchase Coke products.
» READ MORE: Jeff Brown: No more Coca-Cola at ShopRites and Fresh Grocers because of Teamsters strike
The Juniata Park Coca-Cola distributor had previously pushed back against claims that it was refusing to offer competitive wages, alleging that a contract previously rejected 5-1 by Teamsters 830 members would’ve included a 17% raise over the next five years, the largest the union would have ever received.
A spokesperson for Liberty Coca-Cola told The Inquirer in April that the current average annual pay for a union member at the 725 E. Erie Ave. facility was $79,000. Grace called the raise offer a “flat-out lie,” and noted that the average Liberty worker would have to work 20 hours of weekly overtime to reach that level of annual compensation.
“I could never verify how Liberty came up with the 17% number, but the increase in the [new] contract is higher than that,” Grace said without going into detail. “I can assure you that in 48 years I’ve been doing this, this is the highest wage increase we’ve ever received.”
Keel said that final figures should come within the next two days: “There’s a great deal of effort and enthusiasm to get this thing wrapped up quickly.”
The union narrowly avoided a strike during contract negotiations when they stood to lose their pension plans in 2018. Back then, management called the decision a necessary cost-cutting measure because of strain from Philadelphia’s soda tax, which a study from the University of Pennsylvania’s medical school found decreased the purchase of sweetened beverages by 40%.
“Nobody wins a strike, but there are pluses and minuses,” said Grace. “One thing I do know: If your membership stays together, you’ll eventually win out.”