Beverage Workers at Ottumwa Facility Secure Union Health Care Benefits

(OTTUMWA, Iowa) – Following a 12-day strike at Keurig Dr Pepper (KDP) in Ottumwa, members of Teamsters Local 238 have ratified their best-ever collective bargaining agreement at the facility. It is the third strike the Teamsters won in a little more than a month, and the second strike Iowa Teamsters won in less than six months.

“From the very beginning, this fight was about exacting justice and holding this employer accountable, and that’s what we did,” said Drake Custer, Local 238 Recording Secretary and Business Agent. “These hardworking men and women were fearless, relentless, and united, because that’s what it takes to be victorious on the picket line.”

The new three-year collective bargaining agreement enrolls workers into a Teamsters health insurance plan, providing better coverage at a lower cost. It also includes guaranteed paid time off and an eight percent wage increase in the first year of the contract, with additional wage increases every year thereafter.

“With this agreement, Keurig Dr Pepper won’t be able to work us non-stop anymore, so this was well worth the fight,” said Andy McCabe, a forklift driver at KDP Ottumwa. “Everything we did to win this contract, it shows what’s possible when we stick together.”

Teamsters Local 238 represents a wide range of workers, professions, and industries across Iowa. They are affiliated with the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, which represents 1.3 million workers nationwide.

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