Union Workers Picket Outside Smithtown Concrete Over Labor Dispute
Members of the Smithtown Truckers Company, represented by Local 282 Teamsters, remain picketing outside Smithtown Concrete over a labor dispute.
A labor dispute between the Smithtown Truckers Company of Local 282 Teamsters and Smithtown Concrete has forced union workers to picket.
The contract between Smithtown Concrete and the union expired July 1. An unnamed union official said Neal Spevack, president of Smithtown Concrete, is asking to cut the salaries of the union employees by 40 percent.
“The contract expired and the company won’t renew it … He claims business is slow, he’s looking for 40 percent wage cuts, which is unheard of,” said a Local 282 Teamsters official, who spoke under the condition of anonymity.
Spevack said Smithtown Concrete has given union employees raises every year, but when asked to make similar concessions that his other employees have made, the union declined.
“There’s a recession going on, yours truly is not even getting paid, every single person in this company is making concessions … they didn’t want to make concessions,” Spevack said.
Spevack said Smithtown Concrete has seen a “major economic downturn” and business is as slow as he’s seen.
“We’re so slow that we can barely afford people’s salaries, let alone benefits. It’s a very, very slow time; the economics is very poor, so it’s very, very difficult. And I’m not asking any more of them than I am asking of myself,” he said.
The unnamed union official said the union understood the slowdown of the business and was willing to make concessions during contract negotiations.
“We offered all our proposals at the bargaining table, we were very … sympathetic to his plight, we did offer concessions and changes but he totally doesn’t want to go that way,” the unnamed union official said.
According to union officials, the contract negotiations have stopped and the picket line will continue until an agreement is met.
Susie Schlomann
10:10 am on Tuesday, July 19, 2011
It is another unfortunate example of people not willing to pull together in these tough times. In the end, this unyielding attitude leads to lose-lose scenarios. Having no knowledge of the particulars of negotiations, I do wonder if the union offered 'concessions' wrapped in bonuses due in the future? In this economic environment, that is not wise planning for any employer.
One Opinion
10:50 am on Tuesday, July 19, 2011
Not unlike the situation with the STA. If the details of the negotiations are not known to the public it is hard to comprehend what is really happening. That is why it is so important that there be tranparency in regard to the STA contract negotiations.
Private business can do what it wants but when taxpayers money is paying the bill we should understand the nuts and bolts of what's happening.
John
1:26 am on Monday, July 25, 2011
Sounds to me like the union is out of line here. If the boss isn't drawing a salary at all how can the workers be upset about a pay cut, even if it is a huge one? He even said, "I’m not asking any more of them than I am asking of myself." Looks to me like he is asking less of the union workers than he is of himself if they are getting paid at all. The union workers should be glad that they even have jobs! I sure know a few people who would rather work for less instead of remaining unemployed.
Mike
9:38 am on Saturday, July 30, 2011
Neal Spevack is one of the best people i have ever worked for in my entire life!! he would give you the shirt off his back! thats what kind of guy he is. I worked for him and his father for over 30 years. Like the one poster said, those guys who are striking should be happy to even have jobs in this economy!!! There are people out there who have been out of work for a very very long time and you have these guys striking because they dont want their salaries cut. There are people out there who would be happy working for a fraction of what these guys were making!
heymikeyourFOS
7:58 pm on Wednesday, August 3, 2011
so lets see you worked at smithtown for 30yrs funny in all the time I worked there I never seen or heard of you before and believe me I know them all.Maybe you would be better off spending your time on saturdays doing something more productive rather than trolling websites with your B.S. STORY. Typical troll
Samantha
10:23 am on Saturday, July 30, 2011
so let me get this straight, if my math is correct, a teamster driver gets roughly $75 per hour with all the benefits. So if the owner wants to cut their salarys by 40% that would mean they would now be making $30 per hour or $62,000 per year. WOW you guys are picketing because the owner can only afford to pay you $65,000 per year???? so the owner was paying 150k per year for you to work there and now he can only pay 65k per year and you want to go on strike???? you guys are greedy!!!!! the avg salary in the USA IS 30k you guys would be making double that and thats not good enough for you! boy oh boy how i hate these greedy unions!!!!! You people are what is ruining america and a huge reason why all our jobs went overseas!!!! THIS IS ABSOLUTELY DISGUSTING!!!
deborah Lawrence
7:03 pm on Tuesday, August 9, 2011
Hey Samantha, you dont have the math correct! The package is $58 per hour- this includes all benefits!Can you drive a 40 ton truck down the road. I think they are underpaid,for the responsibility they have. These three drivers have worked there for 30 years! What a slap in the face.Thank God for Teamster Local 282. Deborah Lawrence
John Chiarella
8:04 pm on Wednesday, August 10, 2011
Hey Mike who are you.You must know me Johnny C.I have 39 years in that company.You are right about Ed Spevack, but we do not work for him any more.Why don't you stop up at the picket and see me.I'll give you the real deal about what's going on.And I want to thank all you people union and non union alike for crossing our picket line,and on the way out say GOOD LUCK STAY STRONG.What a joke.I'll stay with my union brothers.There not phony's.LOCAL282 I love you all.John J. Chiarella
John Chiarella
8:28 pm on Wednesday, August 10, 2011
It is upsetting to hear others bash unions! Before unions workers had little or no rights- no 40 hour week,no health coverage,no retirement,no overtime pay,no sick time,no vacation pay or holiday pay,no seniority,no protection from being fired(just to mention a few) Companies are making billions-CEO's recieve bonuses in the hundreds of millions! And some of these corporations pay nothing in federal income tax! Samantha YOU WANT TO TALK ABOUT GREED! Also Samantha- Who can live on Long Island with a salary of 30K per year!? You must still live at home with your mommy and daddy. Unions are good- A fair days pay for a honest days work! ANN
Cathy Knoedl
9:14 pm on Thursday, August 11, 2011
What if you are driving with your family in your car and you stop short in traffic and you see a 40 ton cement truck coming up behind you, or perhaps your 16 years old pulls out in front of that truck, I would pray that the experienced truck driver of 30 years was behind the wheel. These drivers have a huge responsibility, this is not an easy job.