Bellingham Cold Storage strike in second week. Here’s what the company is doing
With Bellingham Cold Storage workers closing in on their first week on strike, the company has hired replacement workers to keep the two Bellingham facilities operating.
Around 115 workers went on strike on Thursday, July 1, protesting what they say is the company’s unwillingness to negotiate a new contract. Over the weekend the company posted on its website that it hired 40 replacement workers to keep the Orchard Drive and Roeder Avenue facilities operating and that more workers are arriving in the coming days.
The striking workers, mainly forklift operators, have remained outside both facilities with picket signs and are waiting to hear back from the company about coming back to the negotiating table, said Rich Ewing, secretary-treasurer of the Teamsters Local 231. There is a scheduled meeting between the union, the company and a federal mediator on Monday, July 12, and the union plans to attend if there isn’t a meeting set before then, Ewing said.
In an email to The Bellingham Herald, company President Doug Thomas said that they continue to add skilled workers beyond the weekend’s 40 and continue to serve its customers without interruption.
Ewing said in a phone interview that they’ve noted the influx of workers that have come in as replacements, but disputed whether they are considered skilled workers. He also didn’t think the other companies inside the facilities were getting the kind of service they had come to expect before the strike.
Ewing added that the striking workers are not doing anything that would prevent the new hires from working and are staying focused on getting the company back to the negotiating table.
“The resolve of these employees is incredible,” Ewing said, noting they are ready to negotiate at any time and remain on strike until then.
The strike comes at a crucial time not just for the storage company, but for local berry farmers. The raspberry and blueberry harvests are underway and many of the high-quality berries are quick-frozen and stored in places such as Bellingham Cold Storage.
The two sides had been working on a contract since November, but negotiations have broken down in the past month after the company submitted its final offer. Union leaders decided the last offer was unacceptable and staged a 30-hour strike starting on Friday, June 18. The two sides differ on several compensation issues, including health care, wages and pension benefits.
