By a majority vote, production workers at the Coca Cola manufacturing facility in Allentown, PA have voted to join Teamsters Local 773 in Allentown. There are 90 employees in the union bargaining unit, all of which work in the syrup production facility, the key ingredient in Coca-Cola beverages.

“After many years of not being heard, the employees of Coca-Cola Lehigh Valley syrup plant finally have a voice,” said Dan Rice, an employee for the past 16 years. “I look forward to this new partnership knowing that when we work together we can accomplish many great things.”

Coca-Cola has, over the years, diversified their inventory of beverages in order to suit current tastes and this plant is no different. In addition to Coca-Cola, other sodas such as Sprite, Fanta and Powerade are made at this facility.

“These Coca-Cola employees work hard to keep the production levels high and we are proud to be their union representatives,” said Dennis Hower, President of Teamsters Local 773. “We already represent other employees of Coca-Cola at an independent bottler of Coca Cola products, and we have experience negotiating contracts in this industry. We look forward to working on the first collective bargaining agreement here at Coca-Cola.”

Sean Werner, also a 4-year employee, put it simply that, “The majority of the workforce here felt that union representation was right for our future. I would like to thank Brian Taylor, Daniella De Leon, Dennis Hower and the rest of Teamsters local 773 for guiding us to a successful election. I am proud to say as Teamsters we finally have a voice.”

Founded in 1903, the International Brotherhood of Teamsters represents 1.4 million hardworking men and women throughout the United States, Canada and Puerto Rico. Visit www.teamster.org for more information. Follow us on Twitter @Teamsters and “like” us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/teamsters.

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