Striking workers from the New River Valley plant of Volvo Trucks North America in Dublin continue to picket outside the plant’s entrances. Employees belonging to United Auto Workers Local 2069 began a strike after the UAW contract with Volvo ran out on Jan. 31.

Workers on the picket line stressed that the strike was not about money but was instead primarily about health and safety concerns. Speaking from the picket line on Feb. 2, Kevin Turman of Dublin [third from left in photo] said, “We just want a safe environment to work in.”

Negotiations for a new contract began more than a month ago with union members voting in late January to strike if an agreement could not be reached by the time the contract ran out Jan. 31. The vote passed with 95 percent of members agreeing to strike if no agreement was reached.

Turman said that picketers had received lots of honks of support from passing motorists and the strikers were upbeat and steadfast. Turman said that he and fellow union workers were taking four-hour shifts on the picket lines and said they will “be out here until they fix it,” in speaking of a new contract with Volvo. At press time, UAW local leaders had not returned phone calls asking for additional updates.

Volvo spokesman Jim McNamara said on Feb. 5 that no negotiations were taking place nor did he have a timeline as to when something might take place. McNamara said that Volvo wants to work out a fair contract for both the UAW and Volvo and that the company didn’t understand why people can’t keep working while a new contract is negotiated.

McNamara also said that he was surprised that Volvo workers were saying that health and safety issues were the primary concerns. “We’re Volvo,” McNamara said. “Safety is a core value for us. We want to be a leader when it comes to safety.”