WASHINGTON — Union employees at Swire Coca-Cola in western Washington have reached an agreement with their company, preventing a strike.
Earlier this week, hundreds of Swire Coca-Cola employees authorized a strike if a contract was not reached.
According to Teamsters 117, employees were looking for better pay to account fairly for inflation, the cost of living, fuel costs and grocery costs. They were also looking for better health care benefits.
Negotiations between the unions and the company began in late April. Both parties have negotiated for two weeks.
The employees are represented by a coalition of five local unions and include drivers, production workers, merchandisers, mechanics and sales representatives.
The contracts were to expire on May 15, the same day a deal was reached. Employees were prepared to walk out if that was not the case.
If a strike moved forward, the unions said it would “effectively shut down production and distribution of all Coca-Cola products to stores across western Washington as early as Thursday.”
The next steps for the union are to review the contract changes and vote on it.
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