FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: December 9, 2019
Contact: Chelsea Connor | cconnor@rwdsu.org | 347-866-6259
WORKERS AT COCA-COLA NORTHEAST REACH TENTATIVE AGREEMENT ON NEW UNION CONTRACT
Nearly 400 workers in Needham, Massachusetts Set to Ratify New Contract Just in Time for the Holidays
(NEEDHAM, MA) – Today, Local 513 of the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union (RWDSU), announced that nearly 400 workers at the Coca-Cola Northeast facility in Needham, MA have reached a tentative contract agreement with the company. The worker-led negotiation committee worked tirelessly to secure a strong tentative agreement that guarantees annual wage increases among many other critical provisions. The committee will strongly recommend workers vote in favor of this agreement. The contract could be ratified just before Christmas Eve. The workers in the bargaining unit handle production of Coca-Cola vending machines as well as product delivery services.
Needham, MA Coca-Cola Northeast workers are members of Local 513 of the RWDSU, which also represents workers across the region at other Coca-Cola and Pepsi facilities as well as at Canteen Vending Co., which supplies and delivers both snacks and beverages. This announcement comes on the heels of a strong contract secured by these members at Pepsi earlier this year. The RWDSU has continuously secured strong contracts across the country in food processing and distribution among many other industries. Today’s tentative agreement is another win by members of the RWDSU.
The ratification vote of the Coca-Cola Northeast contract is scheduled for Sunday, December 22, 2019. News on the ratification vote and more details on the contract will be shared on Monday, December 23, 2019. The negotiations committee expects it will be overwhelmingly ratified.
If ratified, the Coca-Cola Northeast contract will be in effect for four years and includes critical provisions such as:
Annual general hourly wage increases over the term of the contract.
Additional vacation time for senior members, and early retirement options.
There were numerous improvements to the contract language, which will help workers on the job and with work-life balance.
“I have worked shoulder to shoulder with many members who will be covered under this new contract, not just in the negotiations room, but on the floor of this very Coca-Cola Northeast facility. I know firsthand how much a strong contract helps the hard-working families in our community and I am proud of the work we did here. Coca-Cola treats its workers with dignity and respect in Massachusetts. They have shown that being a responsible employer here makes a real difference,” said Tina Buonaugurio, Executive Vice President of the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union (RWDSU), and President of the New England Joint Board of the RWDSU.
“When you can come home to your family knowing that you have a steady job, with a strong union contract it makes your life stable. I worked at this facility for 29 years and I know the feeling of having a new contract. What makes this tentative agreement even better is that workers will go into the holiday season knowing they have a strong union contract, and that will make their holidays that much merrier,” said Phil D’Arcangelo, Secretary-Treasurer of the New England Joint Board of the RWDSU.