Ed. note (July 25): This article has been updated.
The Teamsters union said this week that an ongoing strike at Airgas facilities has expanded to more locations — and questioned whether the industrial gas distributor was behind chemical leaks at two sites where workers were picketing.
Teamsters-represented workers went on strike in late June at Airgas facilities in five states over what the union said called a “refusal” to negotiate fair contracts and alleged unfair labor practices.
On Tuesday, the union said that strikes have expanded to more than 15 facilities in 11 states. Picket lines now extend across those original five states — Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, Pennsylvania and Rhode Island — as well as California, Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, Missouri and Ohio. A Teamsters local in Hawaii is also preparing to strike, officials said.
The day before the expansion announcement, the union issued another statement suggesting that gas leaks at two Airgas facilities the week before could be related to the dispute. Teamsters officials said that "unidentified chemical agents" were released near picketing workers at sites in Peoria, Illinois, and Oakland, New Jersey. The union said that it contacted law enforcement over the latter incident.
“I find it extremely difficult to believe that such an incident occurred in two separate locations,” Ron Lake, the president of Teamsters Local 701 in New Jersey, said in the statement. “This company endangered the lives of our members, and it looks deliberate."
Update: Airgas responded in an emailed statement to ID that the allegations of using chemical agents on striking workers were “unequivocally false."
The New Jersey incident, the company said, was a “standard” venting of carbon dioxide to avoid excessive pressure, and that it was “not clear to us what situation the union may be referencing in Peoria.”
“Nothing is more important to us than the safety of our people and communities, and any suggestion that we would intentionally cause harm is ill informed and reckless,” the company said.
Airgas also said that only two locations are “actively on strike” and that about 10 other sites have seen picket lines “intermittently.” The company said that contingency plans were in place to ensure continued service.
“We remain committed to bargaining in good faith to reach a mutually acceptable agreement while continuing to safely and reliably serve our customers.”
