The march was preceded by a rally addressed by officials of the Teamsters and other unions and by some politicians. The keynote speaker was Teamsters international secretary-treasurer Tom Keegle.

The unionists, members of Teamsters Local 792, have been on strike against Pepsi since June 11. Key issues in the fight are pay, working conditions, and jobs. Workers at the rally explained that the company has refused to budge in the negotiations from a wage increase offer of 45 cents an hour. Workers at the nearby Coca-Cola bottling plant, whose contract also expired recently, received a 90-cent raise, strikers say.

The company insists on being able to ship syrup directly to its restaurant customers, a change that would eliminate many jobs of delivery drivers and production workers at the plant.

The bosses are backing up their hard negotiating stance by deploying 100 Huffmeister Security guards, who attempt to intimidate strikers with their video cameras and military-style uniforms.

The strikers have not let themselves be intimidated, keeping up their picket lines. They also organize teams of strikers in vehicles to follow the trucks and set up picket lines when the scab truckers try to deliver their products.

A striker named Walter reported that none of the 440 members of Local 792 have crossed the picket line. The company tries to maintain production with managers and workers from other Pepsi plants, and claims production has been little affected. But in some local stores and vending machines Pepsi products are no longer stocked.

Many Pepsi strikers and representatives of other Teamster-organized plants in the area attended the march and rally. Also there were 15 members of the Hotel Employees and Restaurant Employees Union, which just scored a victory in a strike against seven hotels in the Twin Cities area.  
 
 
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