{"id":12410,"date":"2026-03-26T05:21:13","date_gmt":"2026-03-26T09:21:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.packagingindustrynews.com\/?p=12410"},"modified":"2026-03-26T05:21:13","modified_gmt":"2026-03-26T09:21:13","slug":"smurfit-westrocks-wakefield-workers-walk-out-over-wage-dispute","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.packagingindustrynews.com\/?p=12410","title":{"rendered":"Smurfit Westrock\u2019s Wakefield workers walk out over wage dispute"},"content":{"rendered":"


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Teamsters Local 3 has raised concerns as the company moves forward with its plans. Credit: International Brotherhood of Teamsters. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

Production workers at Smurfit Westrock\u2019s site at Wakefield, Massachusetts, US, have gone on strike after contract discussions with the company reached an impasse.<\/p>\n

The 60 employees represented by Teamsters Local 3 began an unfair labour practice strike following the expiration of their previous agreement on 23 March.<\/p>\n

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Workers are seeking \u201cfair\u201d wages, \u201caffordable\u201d healthcare, and the retention of retirement contributions.<\/p>\n

The Wakefield facility supplies packaging for major pizza chains, including Domino\u2019s and Papa Johns.<\/p>\n

In a recent filing with state officials, Westrock Services, a subsidiary of Ireland-headquartered Smurfit Westrock, notified that the Wakefield site will close in May, resulting in 91 job losses.<\/p>\n

Representing 400 workers in the Boston area, Teamsters Local 3 has raised concerns as the company moves forward with its plans.<\/p>\n

Local 3 president Steve Sullivan commented: \u201cSmurfit Westrock is the worst kind of corporate bully, spending millions of dollars for executive compensation and golden-parachute buyouts but nothing for the workers who built and maintain this company.<\/p>\n

\u201cTeamsters will not back down in this fight and will remain on the picket line 24\/7 until this greedy employer comes to their senses.\u201d<\/p>\n

In a separate development, Smurfit Westrock\u00a0confirmed last month<\/a> that\u00a0it will\u00a0discontinue\u00a0a paper machine at its La Tuque mill in Quebec, Canada, due to cost and efficiency issues.<\/p>\n

The closure will also affect its extrusion facility in Pointe-aux-Trembles, where materials from La Tuque are processed.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

Together, those closures are expected to eliminate 90 jobs between the two sites.<\/p>\n

In\u00a0the fourth quarter of 2025,\u00a0Smurfit Westrock\u2019s\u00a0attributable net income<\/a>\u00a0dropped\u00a0to $97m,\u00a0from $146m\u00a0in the same period\u00a0a year earlier. <\/p>\n

However,\u00a0attributable\u202fnet income increased to $699m in 2025,\u00a0from $319m the previous year.\u00a0<\/p>\n

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