Teamsters Local 830 members strike against Liberty Coca-Cola
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- Workers are walking the picket line Monday morning at a Philadelphia Coca-Cola plant. Members of Teamsters Local 830 have rejected Liberty Coca-Cola's latest contract offer.
It was dark and rainy Monday morning, but that didn't stop workers from walking the picket line. They're demanding better pay and a fair benefits package.
As you can see, there are several workers holding signs on Day 2 of the strike at the Coca-Cola plant on Erie Avenue.
The members of Teamsters Local 830 include drivers, warehouse workers and sales personnel.
They're making their voices heard at Liberty Coca-Cola, which bottles and distributes drinks like Dr Pepper, Dasani water and Minute Maid, which could be affected by the strike.
After lengthy negotiations between both sides, the union rejected the company's latest offer and its contract expired Saturday without a new agreement in place.
"These guys work really hard, just like everybody else. But they want better wages, better benefits. We started in February, and we had about 18 sessions of back and forth between then and now," Frank Ryder, Teamsters Local 830 business manager, said. "What it comes down to really is you have inflation nowadays with all the prices of everything going up and the wages are not satisfied to where we think it should be. As long as it takes us to get a good contract, we'll be out here."
The union says its members are the driving force behind Coca-Cola's operations and success, but they feel they're being treated like second-class citizens.
Coca-Cola says it made a generous offer to union members and is pledging to continue negotiations.
Workers say they'll stay on strike until all contract disputes are settled.
In a statement, Coca-Cola said, "We have been negotiating in good faith with union leadership over the last few months. We presented a contract for our 400 members that offers the highest wage increases in Coca-Cola/Teamster Local 830's history, along with a generous health and welfare benefits package."
