Workers at a pet food factory in Western New York are going on strike.
WIVB reports employees at the Milk-Bone plant in Buffalo, N.Y., began a strike Monday after the company rejected a new union contract, according to BCTGM Local 36G, which represents 165 workers there. Chief negotiator and BCTGM International Vice President Roger Miller accused the company of threatening and intimidating workers while moving “backwards in negotiating.”
“The union members had hoped to improve their sub-par medical plan when they entered bargaining,” Miller said. “Instead, the company proposed to increase the cost of it. This is a deal-breaker, especially since it would offset any wage increase they were able to win.”
Miller added that he planned to file charges against Milk-Bone with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB).
According to WKBW, workers at the Milk-Bone Manufacturing Plant make and package pet treats, including varieties of Milk-Bone dog biscuits. An employee told the Buffalo TV station that they’ve been working for weeks without a new contract, but negotiations for better pay and health care coverage fell apart.
“Nobody that I’ve talked to has ever been on strike so it’s uncomfortable,” Milk-Bone production technician Garrett Knoll told WKBW. “It affects a lot of people, it affects families and kids. We got people here that have their kids and their families out here. Nobody wants to do it but it’s got to be done.”
J.M. Smucker Co., which owns Milk-Bone, has not commented on the strike. It’s unclear how workers on picket lines could potentially affect manufacturing output.
WKBW reports electricians and mechanics at the same plant went on a strike last year.
