Joliet's Ecolab Strike: Machinists Local 124 Remain Unified

JOLIET, IL —As music from Ozzy Osbourne blared in the background, dozens of union employees at the Joliet Ecolab plant stood along Route 6 on Tuesday afternoon letting motorists know they're on strike this week.

At times, Route 6 sounded like a parade as cars and trucks constantly honked their horns, letting the striking union workers know they have their full support.

"Yeah, yeah, it's been pretty good," a member of Local 124 told Joliet Patch as he stood along Route 6 holding his sign.

Local 124 consists of about 350 union employees who either work at Joliet Ecolab plant on Route 6 or at the company's two other warehouse buildings behind Houbolt Road.

This marks the first Ecolab strike for Joliet in several decades.

One employee, who has been here for 41 years, said the last strike happened in 1976. Incidentally, he said this year marks the 50th anniversary of the Joliet Ecolab plant, but instead of a company celebration, Local 124 remains at odds with the management and that's what prompted this week's strike.

The union's strike began Sunday.

Local 124 is expected to take another vote, on Wednesday, on whether to accept the company's offer, which could bring the bitter labor dispute to an end. One of the employees who spoke with Patch said he was not authorized to discuss the particulars as far as the strike is concerned.

More than 200 members of Local 124 work at the Ecolab plant on Route 6. As the strike is taking place, management and office staff are continuing to work at the building.

On a positive note, one of the striking workers told Patch, about 90 percent of all the semi-trailer delivery drivers are not crossing the picket lines to make their supply deliveries to Ecolab.
On many days, about 100 semi-trailers visit the Joliet Ecolab plant at 3001 Channahon Road to delivery supplies, the union members said.

According to the Ecolab website: "Our 47,000 associates deliver comprehensive science-based solutions, data-driven insights and world-class service to advance food safety, help maintain clean and safe environments, optimize water and energy use, and improve operational efficiencies and sustainability at nearly three million customer locations in more than 170 countries."