Stalled negotiations force Teamsters 174 members to prepare for a strike

This weekend, a group of 31 drivers from Heidelberg Materials (formerly Corliss) voted unanimously to authorize a strike against their employer. Negotiations between Heidelberg and Teamsters Local 174 have stalled, leading to this unanimous message delivered to company management.

The group’s demands are sensible – they wish to be treated similarly to other Teamsters in the same industry doing the same work. However, the company balked at the idea and continued on their quest to treat these workers as second-class citizens. Because of this, the group came together to deliver a powerful message of solidarity and willingness to fight as hard as it takes to get to a fair deal.

“This group has been lagging behind the rest of the industry for decades while working nonunion, but now they have come together to say with one voice they are ready to fight for equality,” said Local 174 Secretary-Treasurer Rick Hicks. “Solidarity is everything when it comes to winning a fair contract, and now armed with this unanimous strike vote, we are ready to return to the bargaining table to focus on pushing this employer into doing the right thing and paying our members their true market value.”

The contract expires on September 30, at which point a strike could be called at any time. This would shut down concrete deliveries coming from Heidelberg in the south end of King County.