SYSCO Foods Strike is Now Spreading, Causing Concern for Restaurants

What started out as one SYSCO distribution center in Syracuse going on stroke last week, is now spreading throughout the northeast, account to the union that represents the workers.

Restaurants and Hospital Cafeterias which rely on SYSCO for food supplies, are getting more worried as the strike lingers on and now seems to be spreading.  Employees at the industry's largest supplier of food have just gone on strike in Syracuse, which includes more than 200 employees of Teamsters at Local 317 in Syracuse who walked off the job to protest unfair labor practices last Tuesday. Media reports say that the job stoppage includes drivers and warehouse workers which will cause an immediate effect on restaurants, schools, colleges, hospitals and nursing homes. As early as Wednesday, restaurants are already reporting that food deliveries did not arrive as scheduled, according to Syracuse.com.

Now, the problem has spread to other SYSCO distribution sites in the northeast, including in Boston where more than 600 workers have now walked off the job.

Locally, SYSCO's Syracuse area warehouse located on Warner's Road in Onondaga supplies food to many restaurants and institutions in the Utica-Rome area.

Last Tuesday's Social Media post: "SHOT HEARD AROUND THE WORLD: Just now, at 9:21pm ET, more than 200 Sysco Teamsters at Local 317 in Syracuse, NY walked off the job to protest unfair labor practices." - Teamsters Union Facebook page.

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The union warned, "This could spread. Stay tuned," on their Facebook page. As the prediction proves to be true, the union claims that several SYSCO branded locations are currently working without a contract or they have contracts that are ready to expire, according to the social media post.

Local 317 filed a complaint with the National Labor Relations Board against SYSCO back on Sept. 21, according to Syracuse.com.

"Sysco Syracuse distributes over 10,000 items, consisting of meat, poultry, seafood, produce, dairy, frozen, beverage, dry and canned food products," according to its website. The company's history in New York dates back to 1933 with Bird's Eye Company, which distributed frozen foods. The company later became Albany Frosted Foods, and in 1970, merged with SYSCO.