BELLINGHAM, Wash. – Union workers at Bellingham Cold Storage have voted in favor of a strike against the seafood warehousing company.
A statement on Teamsters Local 231’s website says months of negotiations failed to produce a contract and 80% of its members voted unanimously in favor of a strike.
The main sticking point for workers appears to be health care.
The union claims that the company, which was recently bought by Seattle-based investment firm Joshua Green Corporation, wants workers to pay what it calls an “absurd amount” of their medical premiums.
It claims the goal is to push workers and their families onto non-company provided health insurance, including Medicaid.
No word on when a strike would take effect.
Bellingham Cold Storage says it will release a statement Friday afternoon.