Teamsters began picketing August 17 at Aggregate Industries plants across New England in response to contract disputes.
Aggregate Industries had implemented a contract at Teamsters Local 170 in Worcester, Mass., and negotiations were ongoing at Teamsters Local 25, said Sean O'Brien, president of Local 25. The Teamsters have hundreds of members employed at Aggregate Industries, which produces ready-made concrete and has plants all over New England.
"For 40 years, the Teamsters have worked hard to make sure Aggregate Industries workers had a good contract, and we are not going to let the company destroy that," O'Brien said. "We will not take these picket lines down until we are victorious."
O'Brien said the company “wants to weaken the contract by cutting benefits, reducing hours to essentially part-time jobs and demolishing the seniority system.” Picket lines went up at 4:30 a.m. across New England, and are also being honored by the International Union of Operating Engineers.
Founded in 1903, Local 25 is the largest Teamsters' union in New England, representing more than 11,000 men and women throughout Massachusetts and southern New Hampshire. Local 25 is part of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, representing 1.4 million men and women in the United States, Canada and Puerto Rico.
