Anthony Reves, spokesperson and business agent with the International Longshore and Warehouse Union Local 6, said they're prepared to remain on strike until a fair deal is reached with Georgia-Pacific, an international manufacturing company with a plant located on Minaker Drive in Antioch.
Reves said: "We want fair wages and a safe workplace. The package (Georgia-Pacific) gave us at three-percent over four years is just not ideal. We're willing to work with them, just not at that percentage."
Local 6 workers' duties at Georgia-Pacific mainly involve loading sheetrock and rail. Reyes said union members had reported unsafe working conditions that have not been addressed, a sentiment echoed by fellow laborers in the International Association of Machinists Local 1584, which joined the strike in solidarity.
Jerry Gutierrez, a business representative with Local 1584 -- a union of mechanics and electricians with members also working at the plant -- said his members specifically raised concerns about asbestos exposure and inadequate respiratory equipment.
Georgia-Pacific spokesperson Nicole Linton said Georgia-Pacific makes protecting the safety and health of its employees and local communities an important part of the company's daily operations.
Antioch Mayor Lamar Hernandez-Thorpe showed his support of the workers by joining them Tuesday.
While Reves reported seeing buses of "scab workers" -- or strikebreakers -- from out of state arrive to backfill the union jobs, he noted that Local 6 has rallied 100 percent of its members and will remain strong as they wait for a fair deal.
