Keurig Dr Pepper Offers No Sound Reason for Proposed Installation of New Security Cameras

Teamsters Local 727 and the American Bottling Company, a subsidiary of Keurig Dr Pepper, initiated bargaining Friday, September 28 over the Company’s proposed installation of 14 new security cameras at its Northlake facility.

Keurig Dr Pepper management arrived for Friday’s bargaining session wholly unprepared to discuss the potential implications of additional cameras.  While the Company claimed to have assembled helpful materials on a file for projection, Keurig Dr Pepper’s representatives waited an hour into bargaining to request a projector—a request which, as Local 727 informed the Company, could have been fulfilled should the Union have known of it prior to the meeting.

In fact, the Company was not even able to provide Local 727 with a satisfactory explanation as to why these new security cameras were necessary in the first place.  The Union has submitted a request for information in order to substantiate the vague claims Keurig Dr Pepper did make.

Though negotiations for a new collective bargaining agreement covering Keurig Dr Pepper inside production employees are looming, the Company chose to announce the installation of these 14 new cameras just weeks after Local 727 drivers successfully won a 40-day long Unfair Labor Practice strike against Dr Pepper.  As such, the proposed installation of these 14 new cameras appears to be retaliation for the Union’s tremendous win.

“Dr Pepper had months to raise this issue during negotiations.  For it suddenly to pop-up now suggests Company management is still bitter over the Union’s ULP strike victory,” commented John Coli, Jr., Secretary-Treasurer of Local 727.

Once the Local 727’s information request has been fulfilled and the Union has had sufficient time to review the supplied information, the parties will schedule a meeting to continue bargaining over this issue.

“This Union will never ‘okay’ the monitoring of our members’ union activity,” added Coli.  “Management can rest assured we are prepared to protect the constitutional and contractual rights of our members at all costs.”

Any members with questions should contact Business Representative Caleen Carter-Patton at (847) 696-7500 or [email protected].

Nothing in this article should be read as the union’s waiver of any legal argument, position or additional grievance. The union does not forfeit its right to make any and all supplemental arguments.

Category: BEVERAGE