Coca-Cola Workers Strike at South Suburban Alsip Plant

Norman Parish | As of Thursday, December 17, 2015

Larry Spencer is a striking worker at the Coca-Cola plant in south suburban Alsip, Ill. For the last six years, he has worked at the plant at 12200 S. Laramie Ave. Strikers are seeking improvements in wages, health care and improvements in scheduling.
Larry Spencer is a striking worker at the Coca-Cola plant in south suburban Alsip, Ill. For the last six years, he has worked at the plant at 12200 S. Laramie Ave. Strikers are seeking improvements in wages, health care and improvements in scheduling. Photo by Norman Parish.

For the last six years, Larry Spencer knew where he would spend his days: inside the Coca-Cola plant in Alsip, Ill.

Last Friday, Spencer wasn’t so sure of his future. He stood outside the plant for several hours with dozens of colleagues.

Spencer has been on strike with more than 300 co-workers at the plant and one in Niles, Ill. for the last two weeks.

Spencer and his colleagues are protesting alleged unfair labor practices as their union Teamsters Local 727 and Coca-Cola attempt to negotiate a new contract.

A federal mediator started meeting with the two sides on Monday.

“They just kept postponing meetings,” said Spencer, 50, a production worker.

photo

Photo by: Norman Parish

Teamsters Local 727 is striking against the Coca-Cola plant at 12200 S. Laramie Ave., Alsip, Ill.

Two weeks ago, Teamsters Local 727 filed charges with the National Labor Relations Board. Coca-Cola was accused of bad faith bargaining and intimidating employees, including walking the shop floor carrying baseball bats.

Spencer and other workers at the Alsip plant said the bat incidents occurred in Niles.

In the contract, the union seeks improvements in wages and health care. It also wants improvements with scheduling.

“We have a start time but not a quitting time,” said Bruno Ramos, a 64-year-old forklift driver. “It’s unfair.”

Workers complain that they also have been working for the last seven months without a new contract.

“If they really wanted to take care of us, we wouldn’t be here,” said Sean Bisset, a 37 year-old mechanic.

Like Spencer, most of the workers are African American at the Alsip location at 12200 S. Laramie Ave. About 55 percent are black and about another 30 percent at Hispanic, according to Aisha Hurston, a union business agent for the workers in the south suburb.

Workers pay average’s $12 to $19 an hour, officials said.

The strike is believed to be the first since 1985, officials added.

In a recent statement Coca-Cola said:

“It is unfortunate that the union’s leadership abruptly left the discussion and chose not to continue to work toward an agreement. We were ready to work as long as it took to find a solution. The union leadership chose misleading rhetoric and false attacks instead of finding common ground. We hope to reach a resolution in the near future and will continue to negotiate in good faith with the union leadership. We are prepared to continue production and deliver our quality products to our customers and consumers throughout the region.”

Union leadership also "walked away after the company made a proposal that included significant annual pay raises, adjustments to health care benefits that result in more choices for you and your family and an increase in Company contributions to your retirement benefits," according to Coca-Cola.

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