Williamson, NY --- "No, we didn't think it would last this long," Russell Ladd, a striking RWDSU Local 220 worker said Monday. The Retail, Wholesale, and Department Store Union (RWDSU) is representing some 300 local workers who last week voted down a contract offer from Mott’s parent company, Dr. Pepper Snapple Group.
All the while corporate, political, and labor leaders around the country keep a close eye on Route 104 in Williamson, because they know a lot is at stake in this labor dispute.
"The nation is watching this road to see which way it goes, because the other unions, if we lose, they know they got a heck of a fight ahead," Ladd said of the national interest being paid to this strike.
Congressional Representatives from as far away as Texas have weighed in on the Williamson strike; statewide political candidates from Comptroller and Attorney General to Governor and U.S. Senator are all making their stops at the picket line.
Some have called this as an epic clash between corporate and labor in the midst of a recession. Whether one agrees with that assessment or not, that tone bubbles just beneath the surface. But in the end, it’s wages and work that matters most to those affected.
"Nobody here wouldn't be glad and enthusiastic to get back inside," Ladd said.
While national attention focuses in on this strike, so to does the community that watched it unfold all summer. When you speak to folks with no direct connection to striking workers or Mott’s company, you often find a shared sentiment--many say they’re less worried about who wins the labor dispute and more concerned about who is losing because of it.
"That's what we were wondering,” Arlene Scharles of Williamson said. “If that should close where would the apples go?"
"It'd be terrible for the farmers if they shut it down," Karl Eaton of Williamson said. "I don't know if they (Mott’s) are making a lot of money or if they're making a little, but I know they have to make enough to stay in business. But they also need the laborers there to stay in business, otherwise they're gone."
"I've talked to the people that are right in it (and) they're very angry,” Janann Phillips said. “So I tend to not get into those conversations. I'm not taking sides, I'm looking at the whole picture, and I hope it gets resolved soon so people can continue on."
A Dr. Pepper Snapple Group spokesman once again stated that the company’s most recent offer to Local 220 workers was its “last, best, and final offer” and that negotiations are no longer continuing. Workers on the picket lines say they’re shopping for winter clothing and determined to hold out until their demands are met.
Recent press releases from each side of this labor dispute are attached to this report.
