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Bazooka Workers Secure 15% Raises in Deal
8 Jul
Summary
- Teamsters Local 229 members ratified a new three-year contract.
- The agreement includes 15% pay raises and improved healthcare benefits.
- The plant is the only US facility manufacturing Ring Pops.
Teamsters Local 229 members at Bazooka's Moosic facility have ratified a new three-year contract, averting a potential strike. The agreement, ratified by over 60 workers, guarantees 15% pay raises over its term. It also enhances health care affordability, strengthens the Teamsters pension plan, improves vacation structures, and increases shift differentials and profit-sharing.
Negotiations, which began in October 2025, saw workers previously authorize a strike in May due to disagreements over wages and healthcare. Joe Secor, Vice President and Business Agent of Local 229, hailed the contract as a major win, emphasizing the workers' crucial role in producing Ring Pops.
The Bazooka plant is the only facility in the United States manufacturing Ring Pops, a popular candy brand. The company, founded in 1938, also produces Bazooka Bubble Gum and other lollipop brands. In August 2024, Bazooka relocated its operations to Moosic from Scranton due to structural issues at its former location.
This move to a larger Moosic facility allows for increased production capacity, aiming to produce up to 400 million Ring Pops annually, significantly more than the previous Scranton plant's output of 280 million. Employees create Ring Pops by heating a mixture of corn syrup and sugar to 300 degrees, adding flavors and colors, and injecting it into molds.
