PLYMPTON, MASS. (WHDH) - A strike between food distributor Sysco and hundreds of its union workers appears to have come to an end after a new contract was ratified on Thursday.
Sysco Boston announced that, effective Friday, work at the distribution center will resume operations “with a brief transition between our third-party contingent force and returning union associates” after the latest contract offer was accepted.
On Facebook, Teamsters Union Local 653 shared a lengthy post from the International Brotherhood of Teamster page that detailed the apparent highlights of the deal.
Among them were immediate wage increases of $5, and $11 in wage increases across the five-year agreement, improvements to employee retirement benefits, overtime improvements and more.
Hundreds of workers started striking outside of the Sysco facility in Plympton around midnight on Oct. 1, after contract negotiations originally fell through.
More than 300 workers walked off the job over contract changes, including the alleged removal of both union health insurance and union pensions.
As the strike went on, with union members sometimes confronting non-union truck drivers working in the interim, Plympton Police monitored the picket line, at one point arresting “approximately 16-20” people in an attempt to restore order.
“I’ve never been prouder to be a Teamster,” said Kevin Whitten, a 15-year driver at Sysco Boston quoted in the Teamster Facebook post. “This fight proves that we truly are the biggest, fastest, strongest union in the world.”
In a press release, Sysco told customers they were looking forward to returning to normal business operations.
“From the entire Sysco Boston team, we thank you for your patience and support during this time,” the statement read in-part. “While the Teamsters’ actions caused significant challenges to your business and ours, we engaged all available resources and worked tirelessly to serve as many customers as possible.”
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