Local workers say a twelve day strike at Keurig Dr. Pepper in Ottumwa ended with both sides coming to terms on a new collective bargaining agreement.
“From the very beginning, this fight was about securing justice and holding this employer accountable, and that’s exactly what we did,” said Drake Custer, Local 238 Recording Secretary and Business Agent. “These hard-working men and women were fearless, relentless, and united, because that’s what it takes to be victorious on the picket line.”
According to a press release, the new three-year collective bargaining agreement includes the workers in a Teamsters health insurance plan, which Teamsters say offers better coverage at a lower cost to the members. 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, they 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 come together and win this contract; it shows what happens when we stick together.”
The agreement ends a strike that lasted over a week, starting on April 9.
Ottumwa Radio News contacted Keurig Dr. Pepper for comment on the agreement.
