UPPER MACUNGIE TWP., Pa.- Americold workers won’t be on the picket line Saturday.
The cold storage warehousing and logistics company and the union that represents its Lehigh Valley workforce have reached a new contract deal.
A representative for UAW Local 677 told 69 News the agreement was reached on Wednesday. A ratification meeting and vote will be held on Saturday, August 1. Terms of the new deal aren’t being released until after that vote takes place.
The current contract between Americold and 175 of its workers at three facilities in Lehigh County expires at midnight on Friday, July 31. Had the new deal not been reached, workers planned to picket the following day.
Last week, workers voted 100% to authorize a strike. The walkout would have impacted operations at all three of Americold’s Upper Macungie Township facilities — 7150 Ambassador Drive, 651 Mills Road, and 6985 Snowdrift Road.
Amy Unger | WFMZ-TV
Americold, founded in 1903, is headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia.
According to its website, the company has more than 220 facilities across North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and South America – totaling approximately 1.4 billion refrigerated cubic feet.
Americold began operations in Upper Macungie in the 1970s. Locally, it also has a temperature-controlled warehouse in Ontelaunee Township in Berks County.