September 20th, 2012 by WCBC Radio
It’s been more than a week, and the union workers at Galliker’s/ Potomac Farms Dairy are still on strike and still picketing the south Cumberland facility. Teamsters Local 453 represents 55 workers at the dairy in Cumberland and others working in Oakland, Moorefield, W.Va., and Culpeper and Broadway, Va. Prior to going on strike last Wednesday, the workers had gone a year and a half without a contract. A previous contract expired at the end of February 2011, but both sides verbally agreed to continue negotiations. In May, the company made its final offer. Union members rejected that offer by a 90 percent margin and also took a vote authorizing a strike, also with 90 percent support. Issues include company contributions to an employee pension plan, wage retroactivity and holiday pay. A member of the union phoned in to WCBC’s “Dave Norman Show” Wednesday. He said that the union members are aware they have put their employment in jeopardy, but they strongly believe in the cause…
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October 26, 2012 at 10:11 pm, Local said:
With so many people unemployed this strike is plain stupid. Reject the corporate office’s offer but to strike is too much. What about pride for a company that provides milk to local schools, or at least did. I respect strikes based on health and safety issues but on pay raises and paid holidays? It just seems like there are better ways to go about it. Instead you see well fed old men with signs standing around cursing at people who think they should go back to work.