Company officials didn’t return a request for comment Monday.
If no contract is in place after a year, the workers have the ability to vote whether to continue their affiliation with the union, Suffoletto said. That vote is expected to take place Wednesday. Monday’s gathering was meant as a show of support for the workers while they make their decision, Suffoletto said.
“We were just there today to support the workers’s right to choose,” Suffoletto said.
Workers at the site have no personal issues with either the company or management, said Steve Stairwalt, a union steward. However, he said workers want a stronger voice within the company.
The Teamsters have represented about 100 Sutphen employees in Dublin, Ohio, for about 40 years, said Don Givens, the union’s secretary-treasurer. The Dublin unit is working under a four-year contract that will expire on Oct. 13, and negotiations are expected to begin in July or August, Givens said.
The Springfield unit is new, however, and most of the issues under discussion are focused on the environment and work rules, as opposed to concerns about pay, Givens said.
So far, the sides haven’t been able to reach an agreement even on some of the basic language in the contract, Suffoletto said.
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