Local 773 Members Demand Fair Contract, Witness Safety Concerns

(BETHLEHEM, Pa.) — Members of Teamsters Local 773 at Gardner Cryogenics in Bethlehem, Pa., have been forced out on strike after the company refused to offer an acceptable collective bargaining agreement. Gardner Cryogenics Teamsters manufacture specialized tankers for transporting liquid helium and liquid hydrogen.

The 184 workers joined Local 773 in February of this year.

“Our members have an extremely specialized skill that deserves fair compensation,” said Dennis Hower, President of Local 773. “This greedy company thinks we will break, but that will not happen. Nothing our members are asking for is unreasonable, and we will win the benefits, wages, and working conditions that we deserve.”

Gardner Cryogenics’ parent company, Air Products, reported a staggering $12.6 billion in sales last year. Yet, the company is offering Local 773 members wages that are significantly below industry standards and health care benefits that fall well below average.

 “We want to return to work. All of us are dedicated craftsmen and women who take great pride in the product that we build,” said Rob Reznick, a production technician at Gardner Cryogenics and a member of Local 773. “We are taking a stand because we have accepted substandard wages and costly health insurance year after year. We will not waver from this fight. We are in it for the long haul!”

In a reckless and alarming move, Gardner Cryogenics has resorted to hiring untrained scab laborers. These individuals, lacking the necessary skills and experience, have been observed mishandling and dropping tanks, raising serious safety concerns.

“When a tank is dropped, an accident inspection is required, but the replacements the company has brought in are untrained and don’t know how to do these inspections,” said Hower. “We’ve witnessed the company send these tanks out to customers after being dropped without inspections. This is dangerous for consumers and the public.”

Teamsters Local 733 represents workers in a wide variety of industries throughout Lehigh Valley. For more information, visit www.teamster773.org

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