The United Steelworkers (USW) said that roughly 100 members of USW Local 11-205 have engaged in a strike against Continental Cement of Hannibal, Mo., over unfair labor practices.
Although the previous contract with Continental Cement originally expired in May 2022, union employees continued working with and without a formal contract extension while bargaining continued.
“Negotiations in Hannibal were hindered by management’s unfair demands for workers to give up their voice over scheduling issues, overtime and cross training, as well as its discriminatory terminations of union employees and refusal to provide information needed for bargaining,” said USW District 11 Director Emil Ramirez. “Now, Continental Cement’s actions have left workers no other options to make their voices heard than to strike against unfair labor practices.”
Continental Cement issued a statement that it was “committed to negotiating in good faith and look forward to completing negotiations with United Steelworkers Local 11-205 on a new, mutually agreeable three-year contract. Safety is our primary core value and applies consistently to all employees.”
“In the interim, we have activated our contingency plan to continue planned plant activity and ensure cement shipments are maintained,” concluded Continental Cement. “We remain committed and well positioned to supplying our customer needs as the negotiations progress.”
