Union members in St. Louis reject Graybar’s labor contract, seeking pay raises, changes to health care coverage and more.
(Lead photo courtesy of International Brotherhood of Teamsters)
On Feb. 26, the union representing warehouse workers at a Graybar service center in St. Louis, MO, began a strike following rejection of the latest labor contract.
Forty-two employees belonging to the Intentional Brotherhood of Teamsters Local 688 are seeking pay raises, changes to health care coverage and admittance into the Graybar’s profit-sharing program, according to a union news release.
“After six months of negotiations, the rejection of Graybar’s final offer signals a collective dissatisfaction among the workforce with the current compensation structure,” said Chris Tongay, Secretary-Treasurer of Local 688. That final offer rejected by the union was submitted by Graybar on Feb. 24.
In a Feb. 26 statement released on X, Local 688 officials said Graybar’s pay for the teamsters is “below industry standards in the area” and the currently mandated health care plan results in “bi-weekly copays of $500. For someone earning $17.50, this amounts to nearly 50% of their take-home pay.” The employees are also seeking inclusion in profit-sharing, which it says is available to about 9,400 other Graybar employees.
In a statement obtained by tED magazine, a Graybar spokesperson acknowledged the labor dispute and said it plans to minimize customer disruption.
“We value our employees and are committed to providing a fair and safe work environment,” the electrical, industrial, communications and data networking products distributor told tED. “While we work toward a resolution, we remain committed to providing excellent customer service and have implemented contingency plans to minimize disruption to our customers.”
A little colder on day three of our strike at Graybar but our fight is hot! Everyone is committed to getting a fair contract no matter the weather and is willing to stay no matter how long it takes. pic.twitter.com/BEKJq7phNx
— Teamsters Local 688 (@teamsters688) February 29, 2024
The news of the strike came days before Graybar announced its latest acquisition of electrical distributor Blazer Electric Supply in Colorado Springs, CO. The company ranked as the No. 3 Electrical Distributor and No. 20 Industrial Distributor on MDM’s 2023 Top Distributors List.
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Vesna Brajkovic
Vesna Brajkovic is MDM’s Senior Editor, having joined the company in May 2023. She has more than seven years of experience as a B2B publication editor, having focused on the commercial trucking, railroad, transit, fleet maintenance, automotive aftermarket and aviation industries. Brajkovic most recently spent the past two-plus years as Managing Editor of Heavy Duty Trucking for Bobit Business Media — where she reported and edited news and features on the commercial trucking industry, managed eNewsletters and social media, coordinated print magazine production and developed content for events and multimedia such as podcasts and videos. She can be contacted at vesna@mdm.com.
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