Federal Labor Law Violations Provoke Teamster Strike at Oak Harbor

Trucking Company Refuses to Bargain in Good Faith

SEATTLE, Sept. 23 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Teamsters at Oak Harbor Freight Lines inWashington,Oregon, andIdaho walked off the job last night in response to hostile efforts by company representatives to bully and intimidate workers.

Oak Harbor Freight Lines, one of the largest trucking companies on the West Coast, provides time sensitive delivery services to some of the largest companies and government agencies in the country including the Gap, Recreational Equipment Inc. (REI), Safeway, Siemens, Georgia Pacific, McKesson, Owens & Minor, JC Penney, Honda, GM & Chrysler Parts, Urban Outfitters, Whirlpool, and theState of Washington.

"The last thing we want is a strike," said Al Hobart, Teamsters Vice President and Teamster Joint Council 28 President. "We understand that service disruptions during the peak shipping season and the holiday rush hurt everyone.Oak Harbor's owners just have not left us with any alternative. The company seems to be more interested in violating the law than protecting the interests of its customers."

Union officials report the National Labor Relations Board is investigating several labor law violations committed by the company including coercing and threatening employees, as well as making unlawful changes to working conditions.

"If these negotiations are any indication of the company's approach to collective bargaining, then I am concerned thatOak Harbor's customers will experience service disruptions up and down the West Coast in the coming days," said Tyson Johnson, International Vice President and Freight Division Director.

Founded in 1903, the International Brotherhood of Teamsters represents 1.4 million hardworking men and women inthe United States,Canada andPuerto Rico.

SOURCE International Brotherhood of Teamsters

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