On Monday, Perrigo workers returned to work at the company’s Bronx factory, marking the end of their 16-day strike over retirement benefits and overtime pay.
Perrigo is a pharmaceutical company that manufactures and sells over-the-counter medications and other products including allergy relief, cold and flu medicine, and oral care.
Workers went on strike two days after the Perrigo contract expired on August 31, noting new rules over the termination of contributions to their retirement plans and overtime pay for weekend shifts. The strike, which included one of the famous inflatable rats, ended when the workers secured overtime pay protections, retirement benefits, and increased wages.
But have things actually changed?
Lydia Torres, Vice President of Teamsters Local 210 and community member of over twenty years, said, “There were a lot of gains. We didn’t have to give anything. There were no concessions.” According to Torres, her members were ecstatic, and everybody was happy.
Perrigo’s proposal of 12-hour shifts for both current and new employees was withdrawn. The company agreed to pay for employee pensions and continue to cover their medical plans, scholarship plans, and annuity funds. Management increased the night differential from $1.00 to $1.50 for all overnight shifts excluding 3rd shift, which was increased to $2.00. All hourly employee wages will increase annually—$1.50 the first year and $1.35 the second and third year.
“We brought the fight to the street and prevailed because the Bronx community, elected officials, and our Teamster family stood with us,” said Bernadette Kelly, Director of Organizing and Strategic Partnerships of Local 210.
Fifteen-year Perrigo employee, Princess Walker, is a mother of seven, so the compensation she gets from Perrigo is the sole way in which she provides for her family. She works fifty hours as a line operator, making sure each production line runs efficiently and each product is verified and labelled accurately. In her role, she makes $29.70 an hour. While she was on strike, she and other union members received $1,000 each per week to combat being out of work.
Princess Williams didn’t respond to multiple requests for comment by deadline.
Local 210 represents hourly workers at Perrigo, as those members are permitted to participate in the union. They do not represent salaried workers, for they were still employed and working in the facility throughout the strike.
“It was a difficult one but worth the effort,” said Torres.
As of September, according to the American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations strike map, there are four strikes still going on in New York City. California has the most companies on strike—with sixteen—in the United States while Texas, Mississippi, Ohio, Wisconsin, and Massachusetts are all tied at one strike.
Perrigo New York Management had a high of twelve openings posted in the operations department at its Bronx location over the past few weeks of the strike. As of today, this number has decreased to nine and includes positions such as 2nd shift line operator and validation engineer.
Kelly said, “This contract proves that when workers and the community fight together, we win.”
This was originally created as part of a class assignment for Reporting at the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.
Destiny Rae Jones 