Mott’s Picketers On the Road Again (7/28/10)

RWDSU Local 220 members picket Bowman Apple Products in Virginia today. 

Now in their tenth week on strike, Mott’s workers are once again taking their picket lines beyond Williamson, New York. Today and tomorrow, RWDSU Local 220 members are setting up picket lines and leafleting employees at the National Fruit manufacturing plant in Winchester, Virginina and Bowman Apple Products in Mt. Jackson, Virginia. The targeted plants were chosen to protest outsourcing by Mott’s and Dr Pepper Snapple due to slowed production at the Williamson, New York Mott’s plant.

A similar picket line is being set up at Dr Pepper Snapple’s American Bottling plant in Northlake, Illinois, to protest the fact that staff at that plant are being recruited as scabs (replacement workers) for the Williamson Mott’s plant.

“Looks like they just can’t run the plant in Williamson without us, and now they have to pay their competitors to do it for them—seems like they would rather pick a fight that might damage their brand and their financial health instead of bargaining a fair contract.” said Bud Bristol, a Local 220 striker, a five year Mott’s employee.

"Everyday that this strike goes on, it becomes clearer how invaluable these workers are to running the factory in Williamson, New York.  Now we are making it clear that we won’t rest until the truth is out about Dr Pepper Snapple’s corporate greed.” said RWDSU President Stuart Appelbaum. Mott’s is a wholly owned subsidiary of Dr Pepper Snapple Group.