LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Nearly 100 Sysco delivery drivers in the Louisville region are back on the job after the newly unionized group won its first labor contract with the company following a two-week strike.
The Sysco drivers, who joined Teamsters Local 89 in 2022, resumed work this week after walking off the job for 13 days starting in late March.
They deliver produce, frozen food and other items to restaurants, schools, hospitals, nursing homes and other locations, unloading tractor trailers.
The strike raised the possibility of widespread disruptions for customers such as the cafeterias at Jefferson County Public Schools, but Sysco managed in part by bringing in drivers from as far as Oklahoma to cover the work temporarily.
The contract, which members approved Saturday evening, delivers wage increases of 34% over five years while addressing the “excruciatingly long and arduous work hours” that the Sysco drivers routinely endure, according to a statement from Teamsters Local 89.
The company will be required to hire additional drivers and to maintain minimum staffing level or pay double-time for any hours over 13 in a day.
The contract also cuts the workers’ share of health insurance premiums by more than half, saving them thousands of dollars a year, according to the union.
Sysco, a food distribution giant based in Houston, Texas, did not respond to a request for comment. About 17% of the company’s 49,000 U.S. employees are unionized, primarily with the Teamsters, according to the company’s latest annual report.
