A contract dispute at a Mauser Packaging Solutions facility in Seattle drew a visit this week from Sean O'Brien, general president of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters. Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell also reportedly attended the rally at the industrial packaging location on Tuesday, along with other local leaders and allies who accused Mauser of union-busting.
Unionized workers at the Seattle site have been negotiating a new contract with Mauser, whose cans, plastic bottles and industrial packaging footprint spans North America, South America, Europe, Africa and Asia. According to Teamsters Local 117, a Washington chapter of the North American labor union, on April 14 Mauser shut out 20 members at the facility who repurpose steel barrels.
“The company unexpectedly initiated the lockout during contract negotiations. Teamsters have been picketing at the facility since then, calling on the company to end the lockout and bargain in good faith,” the group reported.
Teamsters accused Mauser of cutting workers’ hours leading up to negotiations, “with management making false claims that business has slowed,” the group said in the press release. Teamsters is calling for “sustainable hours and fair, family-supporting wages,” but it did not specify the contract terms it’s seeking.
Workers at the facility have been involved with Teamsters since 2014, according to Paul Dascher, secretary-treasurer of Teamsters 117. Dascher said in an emailed statement that Mauser has “taken an adversarial, generally unproductive approach to negotiations” since then.
A Mauser spokesperson said via email that the company is “committed to reaching a negotiated resolution regarding the situation at the Seattle facility.”
“The last, best, and final offer (LBFO) presented to the Teamsters Union on April 11, 2025, is still open for acceptance or ratification,” Kimberly Braam, communications director for Mauser Packaging Solutions, said in an email Tuesday.
