With signs in hand and a chorus of chants and horns honking in support, a group of around 50 Teamsters Union members and supporters gathered Thursday outside Boise Cascade to press for better pay and benefits as their labor standoff stretches into its second week.
The Boise Cascade Billings distribution center at 1240 S. 29th St. W. is the only Montana location for the wood product manufacture, which is headquartered in Boise, Idaho.
Zeb Plovanic has spent 23 years at Boise Cascade, but this is the first time he’s seen workers go on strike.
“No one wants to be here forever,” Plovanic said. “It’s just something we felt we had to do.”
Plovanic said that the union’s previous contract was negotiated during the COVID-19 pandemic. Since then, Plovanic said the cost of living has increased so