The strike at Okonite’s Santa Maria plant has officially ended after union members voted to ratify a new labor agreement earlier in June.
According to Teamsters Local 986, the company approached the union’s negotiating committee on June 6 with a request to reopen talks. A tentative agreement was reached on June 9, and union members ratified the contract in a near-unanimous vote on June 10. Workers returned to the job the following day.
The new agreement includes wage increases, improvements to pension and welfare benefits, added vacation and sick leave, and a one-time $2,000 bonus for all members. Union representatives said the offer marked the strongest wage and benefits package the Santa Maria workforce has ever received.
More than 160 union members had been on strike since May, following the rejection of a previous contract proposal. The earlier offer failed to meet workers’ demands related to cost-of-living adjustments and healthcare coverage. The situation escalated when the company terminated health insurance benefits shortly after the vote, prompting an unfair labor practice charge with the National Labor Relations Board.
The latest agreement resolves those issues and allows employees to return under full reinstatement, according to the union. Okonite employs approximately 186 people at the Santa Maria facility, with the majority of them represented by the union.
KSBY News reached out to Okonite for comment on the contract agreement but has not received a response.
