Local 773 Members Demand Fair Contract,
Witness Safety Concerns
BETHLEHEM, Pa., June 14,
2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Members of Teamsters Local 773
at Gardner Cryogenics in Bethlehem,
Pa., have been forced out on strike after the company
refused to offer an acceptable collective bargaining agreement.
Gardner Cryogenics Teamsters manufacture specialized tankers for
transporting liquid helium and liquid hydrogen.
The 184 workers joined Local 773 in February of this year.
"Our members have an extremely specialized skill that deserves
fair compensation," said Dennis
Hower, President of Local 773. "This greedy company thinks
we will break, but that will not happen. Nothing our members are
asking for is unreasonable, and we will win the benefits, wages,
and working conditions that we deserve."
Gardner Cryogenics' parent company, Air Products, reported a
staggering $12.6 billion in sales
last year. Yet, the company is offering Local 773 members wages
that are significantly below industry standards and health care
benefits that fall well below average.
"We want to return to work. All of us are dedicated
craftsmen and women who take great pride in the product that we
build," said Rob Reznick, a
production technician at Gardner Cryogenics and a member of Local
773. "We are taking a stand because we have accepted substandard
wages and costly health insurance year after year. We will not
waver from this fight. We are in it for the long haul!"
In a reckless and alarming move, Gardner Cryogenics has resorted
to hiring untrained scab laborers. These individuals, lacking the
necessary skills and experience, have been observed mishandling and
dropping tanks, raising serious safety concerns.
"When a tank is dropped, an accident inspection is required, but
the replacements the company has brought in are untrained and don't
know how to do these inspections," said Hower. "We've witnessed the
company send these tanks out to customers after being dropped
without inspections. This is dangerous for consumers and the
public."
Teamsters Local 733 represents workers in a wide variety of
industries throughout Lehigh
Valley. For more information, visit www.teamster773.org.
Contact:
Matt McQuaid (202)
624-6877
mmcquaid@teamster.org
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SOURCE Teamsters Local 773