BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) — Workers represented by IAM Local Lodge 330 were seen striking outside the Buffalo Milk-Bone plant on Tuesday.
Members of the machinist union began striking after a tentative agreement between the union and the company was voted down by members. The vote to strike followed.
A statement from The J.M. Smucker Company read the following:
“We were disappointed to learn of the Buffalo IAM Union’s decision to strike, despite having reached alignment with Union leadership on a fully recommended tentative agreement last Wednesday. We have a strong track record of providing competitive wages and benefits to all employees and have always engaged fairly and transparently in our negotiations with our Union partners. Regarding our negotiations with the IAM, we are confident the agreement put forward was not only fair but competitive based on the current market. While we manage this issue, we remain committed to delivering on the needs of consumers and do not anticipate an immediate impact to product availability. A majority of our Buffalo employees are not participating in the strike and will continue operations at our facility. We will also maintain production of our Milk-Bone dog snacks at our Topeka, Kansas, manufacturing facility, as well as several co-packers.”
The J.M. Smucker Company
The strike only pertains to the machinists in Buffalo, not other cities. The workers who are still performing production duties at the plant on the city’s east side are not represented by this specific union.
Evan Anstey is an Associated Press Award, JANY Award and Emmy-nominated digital producer who has been part of the News 4 team since 2015. See more of his work here and follow him on Twitter.