News
Sysco/SYGMA Workers Vote to Join Teamsters
74 Warehouse Workers Join Teamsters Local 337, Prepare for Contract Negotiations
Press Contact: Daniel Moskowitz Phone: (770) 262-4971 Email: dmoskowitz@teamster.org
(DETROIT) – Warehouse workers at Sysco/SYGMA have voted to join Teamsters Local 337 in Detroit. SYGMA is a subsidiary of Sysco that supplies food and other goods to major chain restaurants. The group of 74 workers join a growing wave of organizing victories at Sysco nationwide.
“We endured eight weeks of intense union busting from a multibillion-dollar multinational mega-corporation,” said Andrew Wingate, a SYGMA worker in Detroit and a new member of Local 337. “The thousands of dollars this company spent to stop us from forming our union didn’t matter in the end. We stood strong, we won, and now we’re ready to fight for the first contract we deserve.”
Newly organized warehouse workers join drivers at the same Detroit facility who are already represented by Local 337. Despite Sysco’s aggressive and costly union-busting campaign, these workers remained determined to form their union.
“Sysco management attempted everything they could to prevent these workers from exercising their legally protected right to form a union, but the workers prevailed,” said Todd Lince, President of Local 337. “Our newest members are the backbone of this company, and we’re committed to negotiating a contract that reflects their hard work and dedication.”
The latest victory in Detroit is part of a broader movement at Sysco and its subsidiaries. Nationwide, the Teamsters represent more than 10,000 workers at the company. Earlier this month, SYGMA drivers in Kansas City voted to join Teamsters Local 955, and Sysco logistics workers in Kent, Wash., joined Local 117.
“Sysco’s union-busting playbook of lies and intimidation is failing coast-to-coast,” said Tom Erickson, Director of the Teamsters Warehouse Division. “This company is driven by greed, and its mistreatment of workers only fuels our organizing efforts. Workers at Sysco are sending a clear message: they’re ready to fight for respect, dignity, and the contracts they deserve.”
Founded in 1903, the International Brotherhood of Teamsters represents 1.3 million hardworking people in the U.S., Canada, and Puerto Rico. Visit Teamster.org for more information. Follow us on Twitter @Teamsters and “like” us on Facebook at Facebook.com/teamsters.