Teamsters stand together with Seattle City Councilmember Teresa Mosqueda to demand fairness and respect for workers at ICS. 

Seattle City Councilmember Teresa Mosqueda marched with workers at ICS today to deliver an unequivocal message: Teamsters will not be threatened, not during contract negotiations, not anytime.  

Poised at the company's front door, backed by dozens of workers, Mosqueda handed a letter to company management articulating the workers' demands.  

"We want to make sure these workers are not intimidated and that their rights are respected," she insisted.

Mosqueda said she was especially troubled by the company's threat to audit workers' immigration status just prior to the start of contract talks. 

"I'm concerned, as you'll see in the letter, that in the days before negotiations, re-verification was brought to this workplace. That is a form of intimidation," she told ICS managers.

Councilmember Mosqueda tells workers: "The eyes of the city are on this company."

So far, negotiations with the company have generated little progress toward meeting the workers' demands.

Our union team has met with the company four times and has yet to see any indication that they are willing to bargain a contract that recognizes the physically challenging, hazardous work that ICS Teamsters perform. 

ICS may also have broken the law. Last week, managers engaged in surveillance of a union meeting and tried to implement changes to working conditions without fulfilling their obligation to bargain. In response, our Union's legal team filed unfair labor practice charges with the National Labor Relations Board, asserting that the company was in violation of federal labor law.

Last night, Teamsters at ICS voted unanimously to authorize a strike, signaling 100 percent solidarity and that they are prepared to withhold their labor if the company continues to violate their rights. 

"The company doesn't want to give us what we deserve - that's what we're fighting for. But we're going to fight until we win," said Iduviges Sanchez, a 12-year employee.

Sanchez expressed gratitude for the support of Councilmember Mosqueda and the broader community. "As Teamsters, we have the support from the community. That makes us stronger."

Teamsters 117 Secretary-Treasurer, John Scearcy, said the Union would not allow a company like ICS to threaten or exploit its workforce. "We are united in fighting to defend the rights of these workers," Scearcy said. "We stand with them for fair pay, safe working conditions, and a workplace free of threats and discrimination."