US Foods strike spreads, disrupting service in NY, NJ and PA

Solidarity in Bridgeport, N.J.

Teamsters made another bold surprise attack on US Foods today, spreading the strike to three New Jersey warehouses.

Teamsters Local 1414 put up sympathy pickets at the US Foods warehouse in Swedesboro, while Local 676 picketed in Bridgeport and Teamsters Local 111 in Perth Amboy. Not one Teamster crossed the strike lines.

Across the country, hundreds and hundreds of Teamsters refused to cross US Foods picket lines. It is a remarkable show of solidarity. And it extracts a heavy price for law-breaking by US Foods' fast-buck artists, KKR and CD&R.

Teamsters are posting messages of support on Twitter and on the USfoods Workersunited Facebook page:

Alexandria Davis Soprano Teamsters are my heroes. They just are so proud and strong and never give up. I'm a young person who wants to become a union organizer some day and help make a better America.

Harry Ladner Jr ‎628!!!!!Support the Brotherhood!!!

Michael Brutschea Holding the line at Bridgeport

Honoring the line in Bridgeport.

The strike is disrupting service thoughout the company, as this tweet tells us:

@USFoodsWorkers: Huge props to #Teamsters Local 107 and 169 representing Bridgeport #NJ - we've been told only 2 loads out of 80 left #USFoods last night!

Here's the Teamster press release about today's action:

US Foods Teamsters in New Jersey extended picket lines last night and early today, leading to more service disruptions for the Rosemont, Ill.-based company.

The sympathy pickets were in response to a strike Sunday at a US Foods warehouse in Streator, Ill. More than 1,500 Teamsters have now honored picket lines this week at US Foods in St. Louis; Buffalo, N.Y.; Fishers, Ind.; Plymouth, Minn.; and Fife, Wash...

Perth Amboy

These (three New Jersey) facilities feed thousands of restaurants and other customers in the New York and Philadelphia metropolitan areas. More than 700 Teamsters who work at those facilities refused to cross the picket lines.

The initial strike began when maintenance workers in Streator struck US Foods in response to the company’s unfair labor practices, which included retaliating against employees for engaging in union activity. US Foods disciplined a Streator employee for being absent while he was in contract negotiations with the company as a member of the bargaining committee for Teamsters Local 722.

The Teamsters represent about 4,000 workers at 25 US Foods distribution centers throughout the United States.

For recent pictures, click here. For more information at the US Foods Workers website, click here.