BLUEFIELD, W.Va. — Teamsters Local 175 on Thursday announced members and Coca-Cola Consolidated had reached an agreement on a new contract related to operations at its Bluefield facility.
The previous contract expired on July 28.
According to the union, the offer includes additional wage increases and a “drastic reduction” in money the company demanded employees contribute to their health insurance.
“The Union held off on striking on the expiration date in hopes that the company would realize that their position was unreasonable and would opt to make a new offer that would fairly compensate the Bluefield employees for their work,” union President Ken Hall said.
“The employees also had hoped to avoid any disruptions to their loyal customers. We had planned to begin the strike this week, but the company agreed late last week to engage in further negotiations. It is disappointing that this company cannot just come to the bargaining table and agree to a reasonable offer, as most other companies do. But at least they are consistent. The contract covers three years and will provide employees with a minimum of $1.80 an hour in wage increases with very small changes to the benefit structure in year three of the contract.”
Other Teamster unions canceled contract extensions with Coca-Cola Consolidated, meaning strikes are possible unless a deal is reached.