Striking Workers Declare Victory At Mott's

(Metropolitan Washington Council, AFL-CIO)

More than three months after walking out, the 300-plus workers at Mott’s upstate New York applesauce plant declared victory after ratifying a new contract Monday. The workers will return to work on Monday, Sept. 20, on what would have been the 121st day of the strike (Mott's Strikers Take A Stand For American Blue-Collar Workers 7/6 UC). The members of Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union/UFCW (RWDSU/UFCW) Local 220 walked out on May 23 after earlier rejecting a concessions-laden contract from Mott’s, a subsidiary of the Dr. Pepper Snapple Group food and drink conglomerate, which made a $550 million profit last year. The new contract restores wage levels and continues the defined-benefit pension plan. “The RWDSU members at Mott’s have a message for working people everywhere,” said RWDSU President Stuart Applebaum, “Stand up for what you believe in, and stay united.” - James Parks, AFL-CIO Now blog; photo: Mott's workers are seen on the picket line in July; photo by Chris Garlock