Ten Day Strike Concludes in Victory for Workers

(FRIENDSHIP, N.Y.) – Members of Teamsters Local 264 employed at Friendship Dairy, a subsidiary of Saputo Dairy, have voted by over a two-to-one margin to ratify their most recent collective bargaining agreement with the company. The three-year contract comes after the workers went on strike for ten days.

“It was a privilege to stand in solidarity with the members at Friendship Dairy,” said Darrin Ziemba, Teamsters Local 264 Recording Secretary and Business Agent. “We made the necessary preparations to run a formidable strike and the members took ownership from there – rotating in and off the line so others could grill food for members, cut wood for the fire, keep the generators going and more. The comradery I witnessed was inspiring, and for that reason the faces of these members will be burned in my memory for life.”

The workers initially went on strike primarily because the company sought to drastically cut their health care benefits. The new collective bargaining agreement not only preserves their current health care plan, but also includes four percent raises through the lifetime of the agreement. Dustin Davis is one of the workers who participated in the strike.

“I think it’s a very fair offer and I love how we all stuck together and did what we needed to do,” Davis said. “Everybody’s gotten along incredibly well and we’re just a big family.”

Teamsters Local 264 represents over 4,000 workers in the private and public sector throughout upstate New York. For more information, go to http://www.teamsters264.org/.

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