Indianapolis, IN — Teamsters at Brulin Holding Company went out on strike in the early morning hours of October 1. The strike was called by Teamsters Local 135 in response to unfair labor practices committed by Brulin management during contract negotiations, which have dragged on for months.
With picket lines at all three company entrances, workers chanted, “What do we want? Fair contract! When do we want it? Now!” and “If we don’t get it, shut it down!” They also put up a giant Scabby the Rat inflatable at the front entrance on Dr. Andrew J. Brown Avenue.
Richard Dean, a manufacturer at Brulin for two years, described the reasons for the strike, “Instead of wanting to work with their employees, they’re only about their business. Brulin is choosing their own profits over making their employees’ lives easier.”
According to Teamsters Local 135, the company has refused to bargain in good faith, prompting the union to file an unfair labor practice charge with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB).
Speaking on the company’s tactics, Dean continued, “How is that your last and best offer when it’s the first offer you’ve made? It makes me see they’re more corporate-oriented than caring about our families, which is what they say.”
Workers at Brulin have gone without a contractual pay increase for three years. The company, which manufactures cleaning chemicals and supplies, saw enormous profits during and after the pandemic – profits made possible only by the workers’ labor.
“They think we’re overpaid,” said Doug Johnson, who has worked in shipping and receiving at Brulin for almost 13 years. Johnson, who sits on the union’s bargaining committee, continued, “I think they ain’t loyal to their senior workers, and that’s what gets me. You’ve got people who have been here 16 or 17 years, and they’re always kicked to the back burner – when we apply for another position or even during layoffs. That ain’t the way you do people when they serve you for however many years. That’s not cool. You’ve got to respect your seniors.”
Ambulatory picketing at the gates in the early morning caused a line of cars to back up as striking Teamsters chanted, “What do we want? Fair contract! When do we want it? Now!”
Dustin Roach, president of Teamsters Local 135, stated, “Brulin thinks they can get away with starving out their workers for three years, but our members aren’t backing down. They are united, they are strong, and they will not accept anything less than the fair pay and respect they’ve earned. Brulin has bargained in bad faith, and that’s why Local 135 has filed an unfair labor practice charge with the NLRB. The time for games is over – it’s time for Brulin to do right by its workers.”
The strike deadline was set for September 30 at 11:59 p.m. After last-minute preparations that day, with Roach and Business Agent Jesse Mikesell meeting members at the facility, the union warned that Brulin’s refusal to change course left workers with no choice but to strike.
Shortly after the strike began, Indianapolis City-County Councilman Jesse Brown arrived to walk the picket line with Brulin Teamsters. Bringing coffee and snacks, he joined in the chants and ambulatory picketing of Brulin’s south entrance.
The union has called on the broader labor movement and community allies to join the workers on the picket line outside Brulin’s Indianapolis location at 2920 Dr. Andrew J. Brown Avenue.
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