Union says strike at Coca-Cola would not occur for weeks

Alana Roberts

Thursday, May 20, 2004 | 10:50 a.m.

Teamsters leaders say the union will avoid striking at the Coca-Cola Bottling Co. of Las Vegas until June 6, when contract extensions for workers in two other cities also expire.

After that, if negotiations remain stalled in San Diego, Cincinnati and Las Vegas, the union could set strikes in those cities as well as in other cities in California.

Gary Mauger, secretary-treasurer of Teamsters Local 14, said at a news conference Wednesday that it is uncertain whether the Teamsters and the beverage distribution company will reach an agreement before that deadline.

"Right now nothing's been settled -- it's an ongoing process, there's really been no settlement," Mauger said.

He said workers at the plant voted Tuesday night to reject a second contract proposal. But union leaders decided that the workers would continue to work without a contract until June 6.

He said the International Brotherhood of Teamsters is now handling negotiations on behalf of Local 14.

"They're handling it on a regional basis. We were unable to handle it on a local level. We're trying very hard not to have a strike," Mauger said.

On Sunday workers rejected a previous contract proposal by a 2-1 ratio and voted by a 2-1 ratio to strike.

"We already have a strike vote. We chose to go back to work," Mauger said.

The workers have been without a contract since Tuesday night, when a 48-hour contract extension expired. The members had worked under contract extensions since March 7 when their contract expired.

Mauger said health benefits are the main sticking point in negotiations. The union represents about 112 workers at the North Mojave Road plant. The plant has about 290 workers in total, company spokesman Bob Phillips said.

Jim Santangelo, vice president western region of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters and president of the Teamsters Joint Council 42, said the International stands behind Local 14.

"Our president, Jim Hoffa, says we'll put money behind these people. We are not going to keep getting kicked in the head," Santangelo said.

Santangelo said although the company's current proposal isn't acceptable, the two sides aren't so far apart that an immediate strike is warranted.

He said companies are beginning to dig in their heels over health care costs following the Southern California grocery store strike. However, he said Coca-Cola Bottling Co. of Las Vegas, which is owned by Coca-Cola distributor Coca-Cola Enterprises Inc., is not dealing with the same kind of stiff competition the grocery stores are facing. He said the company remains profitable.

"They (grocery store companies) were dealing with Wal-Mart. The only thing they (Coca-Cola Enterprises) have to deal with is Pepsi," Santangelo said.

Mauger said the workers are willing to pay more for health benefits, but not as much as the company is demanding in the contract proposal. He said the latest contract proposal, which is a five-year proposal, included passing more of the cost of health care to workers and by the end of the contract the workers would be making less than they do now.

Phillips said the company remains optimistic that the two sides can resolve the dispute. He declined to speculate on how a strike could affect the company's operations.

"What we're hoping for is to continue discussions. We look forward to reaching a quick and positive resolution," Phillips said.

Coca-Cola Bottling Co. of Las Vegas distributes bottles and cans of Coca-Cola products throughout Clark, Nye, Lincoln, and Esmeralda counties. The plant distributes such products as Coke Classic, Diet Coke, Sprite, Barq's Root Beer, Poweraid and Minute Maid Juices to Go, Dasani and Evian water, as well as Cadbury Schweppes products such as Dr. Pepper, Squirt and Canada Dry.

Coca-Cola Enterprises Inc. of Atlanta says it sells about 80 percent of the Coca-Cola Co.'s bottle and can volume in North America and is a key Coca-Cola Co. licensee in foreign markets.