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Workers at Airgas Vote Overwhelmingly to Join Teamsters
Workers Join Teamsters Local 507, Prepare for Contract Negotiations
Press Contact: Kara Deniz Email: kdeniz@teamster.org
(VALLEY VIEW, Ohio) – Drivers and warehouse workers at Airgas in Valley View, Ohio, have voted overwhelmingly to become Teamsters. These workers follow in the footsteps of over 50 Airgas workers in Oakwood, Ohio, already represented by Teamsters Local 507.
“We organized because of the poor management decisions at our facility and to improve our working conditions,” said Martin Palmer, a 20-year driver at Airgas and a new member of Local 507. “The best way to fix things was to join the union. Our colleagues in Oakwood did it, so why not us?”
Local 507 members at the Oakwood Airgas facility recently ratified their second Teamsters contract, winning union health care and a $5-$7 wage increase. The gains achieved by Airgas Teamsters in Oakwood were a major factor in workers in Valley View’s decision to organize.
“My message to Airgas is simple: find another way to save money because it won’t be on labor,” said Dan Chavez, Secretary-Treasurer of Local 507. “We will negotiate a strong first contract that provides our members with the wages, benefits, and working conditions they deserve.”
Airgas, a subsidiary of the French multinational giant Air Liquide, is the largest distributor of industrial, medical, and specialty gases in the United States. Workers at the company’s Valley View location faced an ineffective corporate-sponsored union-busting campaign.
“Despite the false claims made by union busters, Teamsters at Airgas have higher wages, better benefits, and safer working conditions compared to their nonunion counterparts. This is an indisputable fact,” said Juan Campos, Director of the Teamsters Tankhaul Division. “I want to congratulate these workers on becoming Teamsters and extend an invitation to every worker at Airgas nationwide to join the fight and organize.”
Teamsters Local 507 represents workers in a wide variety of industries throughout the Cleveland area. For more information, visit www.teamsterslocal507.com.