CICERO, IL | Monday will mark day 10 of the unfair labor practice strike at Breakthru Beverage. Teamsters Local 710 Drivers who work out of the Cicero and Rochelle, Ill. distribution centers continue to stand strong for a fair contract that maintains their long-standing rights.

“Our drivers are the face of Breakthru Beverage. They interact with Breakthru’s customers on a daily basis and have long-standing relationships with them,” said Local 710 President Del Schaefer. “They know Breakthru’s customers better than anyone else at this company, and they are eager to get back to keeping our local bars, restaurants, and stores stocked. Unfortunately, it’s up to the company at this point. It has been radio silence since we started this fight, but we’ve been in this fight before, and we’ll win it again.”

While Breakthru claims that it is servicing its customers at levels that are close to what they typically handle on a regular basis, the reality paints a different picture. With warmer months ahead with increased summer sales, concerns are growing. Customers are already reporting that their orders are being canceled and delayed, and the members on the picket line have seen several trucks severely damaged from Breakthru’s use of temporary workers.

“We can see with our own eyes what this company seems to think is an ‘acceptable’ level of service, and it’s flat out embarrassing,” said 7-year Driver Steward Heri Torres. “This job is incredibly demanding, but as professional drivers, we do a damn good job of getting the job done. Scabs will never be able to do what we do, and our customers will suffer because of it. We don’t want that.”

The pervasive issues workers have at Breakthru in the Chicagoland area are not unique. Last week, more than 100 Teamsters in St. Louis also walked off the job on their own ULP strike against Breakthru Beverage. 

“Seeing our brothers and sisters in St. Louis go out on strike shows that we are not alone in this fight,” said Driver Steward Juan Neris, who has 22 years in the industry, 20 at Breakthru. “It also shows that the problems with Breakthru have to do with the company, not us. We are all here to do a job, and we deserve to do it with dignity and respect. Breakthru needs to wake up before this spreads further.”