http://timesunion.com/AspStories/sto...storyID=685909
ALBANY - Teamsters at Sysco Food Services moved a step closer toward a possible work stoppage on Saturday with members voting to give the union local's executive board authorization to call a strike if need be.
"We still have a couple of days to try and maneuver so I'm not giving up hope," said Rocco Losavio, business agent for Local 294, which represents employees at Sysco's Halfmoon warehouse and distribution center which employs about 217 people. The vote was lopsided, but a breakdown wasn't available.
"Basically, the issues haven't changed," said Losavio, referring to disputes about health care costs and mandatory overtime among truckers.
The Teamster's previous three-year contract expired on Thursday but union members agreed to extend it until Thursday, said Losavio. Meanwhile, the company has already started using replacement workers to move trucks between the Halfmoon warehouse and facilities in Newburgh and Champlain.
"We're going to do what we have to do," said Gail Allen, president of Sysco in Albany. "We have customers to take care of," she said.