C&H Sugar Workers Reach Tentative Deal With Company
C&H Sugar Refinery workers have reached a tentative agreement with the company after a weekslong strike, a union spokesperson told KQED on Wednesday.
Dozens of warehouse employees at the Crockett refinery would be covered by the deal, which a representative for the International Longshore & Warehouse Union Local 6 said addresses some of workers’ main concerns regarding sick time and retiree benefits.
ILWU Local 6 member Cesar Garibay said the tentative agreement reached this week allows employees to keep medical benefits at a lower cost to the company. Workers still need to vote to ratify the deal, but Garibay told KQED he felt confident it would pass.
Warehouse workers walked off the job in June amid stalled contract negotiations with C&H. Union members told KQED in July that the company proposed a 20% cumulative raise over five years, while cutting sick days in half and slashing benefits for retirees — a deal they said wasn’t a worthy trade-off.
C&H dockworkers, represented by ILWU Local 10, also refused to cross picket lines in solidarity.
The strike disrupted operations at the site — which usually processes 6 million pounds of raw cane sugar per day — for weeks.
Tensions reached a fever pitch in July when C&H hired nonunion labor to unload a ship at the Crockett refinery. At least 400 IWLU Local 10 workers left their jobs at other Northern California ports to rally at the site. Sheriff’s officials arrested nine protesters on various charges, including remaining present at an unlawful assembly after being ordered to disperse, battery, obstruction and resisting a police officer. Most were cited and released, but three were held in custody overnight.
Days later, workers agreed to return to work for 60 days while negotiations continued.
Earlier on, the company had diverted some operations to the Levin Richmond Terminal, where goods like coal and oil are unloaded, raising health concerns from local officials. C&H previously told KQED that handling raw sugar at facilities like the Levin Terminal is “common practice,” and assured the quality of the processed, finished sugar.
The Bay Area Air District also inspected the site and found no visible emissions from sugar or coal handling operations and documented no violations.
Garibay said a date for the ratification vote hasn’t been set.
C&H did not respond to a request for comment on the tentative agreement.
Correction: A previous headline incorrectly stated that the strike ended today.