Fieldbrook Foods Teamsters Approve New Contract

Production and maintenance workers at Fieldbrook Foods in Dunkirk, N.Y. have overwhelmingly ratified a new three-year collective bargaining agreement. By a 16-1 margin, the 360 workers approved a new contract that provides significant increases to wages and benefits. Local 264, based in Cheektowaga, N.Y., represents the workers. With more than 1,500 varieties of ice cream and novelty desserts, Fieldbrook Foods supplies approximately 30,000 retail and food service outlets. The facility, located on Ice Cream Drive in Dunkirk, is the largest ice cream manufacturing plant east of the Mississippi River. Teamsters Norm Conway, Dan George, Mike Mullen and Tom Nasca served on the Local 264 negotiating committee. “I am very proud of the accomplishments that all the committee members and I made at the bargaining table,” Nasca said. “There are many very proud Teamsters in Dunkirk as a result of our new contract.” “I am very happy with the new contract and am especially pleased that the Teamster leadership provided a Spanish speaking translator to be certain that all in our group could understand what was going on,” said Angelo Rivera, a Fieldbrook Teamster. “In the past, many members who do not speak English tended to avoid participating in union affairs. I believe this will not be the case in the future.” Mary Holl, President of Local 264, was pleased with the contract. “The crew did a tremendous job of working together and it shows that great results can be had when solidarity is shown,” Holl said. Local 264 represents nearly 5,000 members throughout Western New York in both the public and private sectors.