4 days ago
Labor dispute affecting Columbus fire protection
COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) — A main Columbus fire truck supplier is facing a labor dispute and it's impacting the city's fire truck shortage.
Columbus City Council canceled a nearly $3 million contract with the company after it could not fulfill its request.
For the past 11 weeks, union employees at Sutphen, a Dublin-based fire apparatus manufacturer, have been on strike. Now, the company has lost a contract with Columbus because it could not commit to delivering a truck in 14 months.
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'I wasn't planning on this happening,' Sutphen employee and Teamsters Member Corwin Shreve said.
'We haven't had a raise since 2023,' Teamsters Union Steward Josh Shreve said.
'This is our 11th week being out here, but we've worked eight months and a half without a contract until going on strike,' Teamsters Union Steward Jerry Becker said.
Sutphen has brought in non-union employees from other locations to work in Dublin.
'I'm really disappointed that when I first started here, they talked about how we were a family and there, for a while, I mean, I kind of bought into — not so much now,' Sutphen Employee and Teamsters member Jordan Fowler said.
The city of Columbus frequently purchases fire apparatus from Sutphen, but when the strike did not end and Sutphen said it could no longer fulfill the order in the city's 14-month timeframe, Columbus bought a truck from another company.
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'Our firefighters cannot afford to wait,' Columbus City Councilmember Emmanuel Remy said. 'This decision is not about contracts or companies. It's about keeping our promise to the people of Columbus.'
A Sutphen spokesperson sent the following statement:
'As we have stated previously, Sutphen continues to negotiate in good faith. We have offered numerous proposals designed to deliver intentional and meaningful improvements in wages, benefits, and flexibility for our team members.
'These proposals include, among other benefits, paying 92 percent of team member health insurance premiums, offering the largest increase in base pay in the history of the Sutphen and Teamsters partnership, and providing team members the opportunity to earn additional compensation based on performance.
'At Sutphen, our mission remains building the safest, most reliable fire apparatus in the world. While we remain committed to negotiating in good faith and prioritizing team members across our family-owned business, we continue to build fire apparatus at all of our facilities, including our Dublin location.'
The union disagrees, with the general president of the union even coming out to join the line.
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'This is just a pure example of corporate greed,' International Brotherhood of Teamsters General President Sean O'Brien said. 'It's important for our members to know that they have the backing of the 1.3 million members nationwide.'
'We just want a contract,' Josh Shreve said. 'We want to go back to doing what we do best.'
NBC4 also asked Sutphen about losing the contract with Columbus, but the company did not answer that question.
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