Teamsters at Brenntag Great Lakes in Iowa proved that solidarity pays off. Members of Des Moines Local 90 unanimously approved a new collective bargaining agreement, ending a 60-day labor fight, and winning an overwhelming contract victory.

Management locked out members after they voted to reject a substandard contract offer. When the company tried to lure workers back after 35 days with only marginal improvements, Local 90 members responded with an Unfair Labor Practice strike that brought operations to a halt. 

Local 90 maintained a 24/7 picket line and forced the company back to the table to negotiate a fair agreement.

Getting the Goods

The new contract delivers significant wage increases, paid parental leave, strong protections against invasive drive cameras, improved discipline language, zero-cost Teamster healthcare, and improved sick leave.

“We stood together through rain, sleet, snow, and blizzards. Corporate greed could not break our Teamster solidarity. Brenntag started this fight—we finished it,” said Dillon Strait, union steward and production worker.

Solidarity for the Win

Workers didn’t stand alone. Ironworkers, UPS drivers, carpenters, plumbers, and other union members refused to cross the line.

When Brenntag’s sprinkler system was malfunctioning, sprinkler-fitters refused to cross the picket line to fix it. 

“These members held a 24/7 line for 60 days. Only one train got through, and management had to unload it themselves. The strike completely crippled operations,” said Local 90 President Tanner Fischer. “That’s the power of union solidarity. When workers stick together, workers win.”