Press Releases
Teamsters Local 251 Demand Town of Tiverton Negotiate in Good Faith
Teamsters Express Frustration with Lengthy Process
Press Contact: Matt Taibi Phone: (401) 434-0454 x227 Email: mtaibi
(TIVERTON, R.I.) – Teamsters Local 251 is demanding that the Town of Tiverton stop stalling contract negotiations with its members who work in the Department of Public Works (DPW). In a letter to the Tiverton Town Council, the Teamsters raise deep concerns over union busting efforts by the Town of Tiverton, which has dragged out bargaining for a year.
Since July 2022, Teamsters and the Town of Tiverton have been in negotiations for a new contract. The employer has held workers’ wages hostage, repeatedly demanding that Teamsters change health insurance providers or else they will not be eligible for raises for the next three years.
“This month marks two years since Teamsters working for the Town of Tiverton received their last raise. They work hard and the treatment they have faced is nothing short of frustrating…Workers want to be treated with dignity and respect, while also being compensated fairly for the important work they do,” Matt Taibi, Secretary-Treasurer of Teamsters Local 251, wrote in the letter.
Negotiations last took place on June 29 and the employer offered no movement despite the Teamsters DPW Bargaining Committee providing flexibility. No further negotiating sessions are currently scheduled.
“While Tiverton DPW workers scrape by in these tough economic times, the town and its council continue to drag their feet. They’d rather waste thousands of dollars of taxpayer money on a union busting firm than give workers a fair contract,” said Gary DaSilva, Recording Secretary and Assistant Business Agent at Teamsters Local 251. “We will not stop fighting until our members get the contract they deserve.”
Teamsters Local 251 represents over 6,300 workers in a wide variety of industries throughout Rhode Island and southeastern Massachusetts. For more information, go to teamsterslocal251.org.