Local News

Negotiations between Teamsters and UPM Blandin to resume Aug. 9

KAXE

Published August 8, 2023 at 9:24 AM CDT

Striking UPM Blandin workers gather outside the paper mill Saturday, July 15, 2023, in Grand Rapids. Members of the Teamsters Local No. 346 voted to go on strike Friday after their demands for higher wages and better working conditions were not met by company management, according to the union.

Last week, negotiations came to a halt but will resume Wednesday, Aug. 9, with a federal mediator.

GRAND RAPIDS — Labor negotiations will resume Wednesday, Aug. 9, between UPM Blandin and the Teamsters Local No. 346.

More from KAXE on the Blandin Paper Strike

Last week, Union President Jeff Oveson said the union was seeking a federal mediator to assist with the negotiations, after both parties walked away from the table Aug. 2.

“Blandin Paper Company and the Teamsters Local 346 membership have agreed to resume negotiations on Wednesday, Aug. 9,” wrote Blandin Paper spokesperson Marsha Miller. “Both parties have also agreed to allow for a federal mediator to join. We remain hopeful that we can move forward and reach an agreement.”

The strike began July 15, shutting down production at the Grand Rapids paper mill when the unionized mill employees voted to strike, the first time in the mill’s 122-year history.

Mill workers have picketed day and night, in rain or shine, since the strike began.