The strike against Sysco Boston in Plympton, Massachusetts, has come to an end, the International Brotherhood of Teamsters announced Thursday.
The workers have been on strike since Oct. 1 against New England's largest wholesale food distributer, with as many as 20 being arrested Monday after using tractor-trailers to block exits. The Teamsters said Thursday that the union "achieved a phenomenal victory."
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"This morning, workers at Sysco Boston voted overwhelmingly, 215-2, in favor of a record-breaking agreement, successfully ending the strike with a resounding victory for more than 300 members of Local 653," the union said in a statement.
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The Teamsters said they and Sysco agreed to a five-year contract that includes $11 hourly raises over the life of the deal, as well as "life-changing improvements in retirement benefits; maintenance of industry-leading, affordable union health care; overtime improvements; and MLK Day as a paid holiday."
Sysco did not immediately comment publicly on the agreement.
"Corporations will fear the Teamsters. Their ability to hold down our members is over. The Teamsters are ending it," General President Sean M. O'Brien said in a statement. "Any company that bullies workers will be met with the full firepower of this union. Our momentum cannot be stopped. We still have open contracts around the country, and we will strike again and again to protect our members."
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"These workers were fearless. They were going to hold the line until they got the contract they deserved, and they did," Tom Erickson, director of the Teamsters Warehouse Division, said in a statement. "Let this be a lesson to Sysco and any other employer that our members are united and ready to fight back for what they deserve."
