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Striking UPM Blandin paper mill workers rally in Grand Rapids [1]
['Chelsey Perkins', 'More From Author', '- July']
Date: 2023-07-22
GRAND RAPIDS — Fiery speeches drowned out the honks of passing motorists as hundreds of striking UPM Blandin workers and supporters gathered for a rally Friday.
“I swear to goodness I saw the most American thing I’ve seen in the past 10 years happen today,” said Zak Radzak, secretary-treasurer for the Teamsters Local No. 346. “There was a man walking across the street with a picket sign on his shoulder. And that is America, boys and girls, that is what this country was founded on.”
Mill workers walked off the job nearly a week ago after voting to strike amid contract negotiations. This is the first strike ever authorized by Teamsters union members at the mill, which has been a major employer and central feature of the city of Grand Rapids since 1901. It’s also one of the largest suppliers of magazine and catalog paper in North America.
Parties met for contract negotiations again Thursday, but a company spokesperson called the two offers “fundamentally different.”
“We are now going to take the time to review both proposals and consider potential paths to finding an agreement,” UPM Blandin statement said in a statement Thursday. “The Company remains engaged in and committed to the bargaining process. We are hopeful we can move forward and reach an agreement when negotiations resume.”
Paper mill leadership proposed to resume talks on Aug. 2. The mill will likely remain shuttered until an agreement is reached.
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