WASHINGTON, D.C. — The International Brotherhood of Teamsters has filed nationwide unfair labor practice charges against Airgas, accusing the industrial gas supplier of widespread violations of federal labor law, including retaliation, unlawful threats, and lockouts against striking workers.
The charges, announced Friday, allege that Airgas management has engaged in a pattern of illegal conduct — threatening employees, firing and suspending workers, and refusing to bargain in good faith — after Teamsters across the country began striking on June 2, 2025 over what they describe as ongoing unfair labor practices.
“Airgas has the resources to do the right thing, but instead they continue to abuse our members and break the law,” said Juan Campos, Director of the Teamsters Tankhaul Division and International Vice President At-Large. “Management has attacked our members, harmed their families, and put their safety at risk. As Teamsters, we will always fight to protect our members’ rights.”
The initial strike began with Teamsters Local 701 in New Brunswick, New Jersey, before spreading to Locals 507 in Cleveland, Ohio, and 283 in Ferndale, Michigan. Pickets have since expanded to 15 Airgas facilities across 11 states.
According to the union, Airgas retaliated against workers by terminating and suspending employees in Pennsylvania and California, locking out members in New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Ohio, Rhode Island, New York, and Michigan, and permanently replacing strikers in Ohio and New Jersey. Workers in several states also reported threats and coercion for honoring extended picket lines.
“Management keeps shifting the goal posts and acting like they’re above the law,” said Shawn Diaz, a shop steward with Local 701. “We want to return to work, but this company that rakes in billions annually refuses to offer a fair contract that we rightfully deserve.”
The Teamsters also noted Airgas’s history of regulatory violations, citing more than $8 million in penalties issued by OSHA, the EPA, and the NLRB over the years. In 2016, a U.S. District Court in Florida ordered the company to pay $7 million for hazardous waste violations.
The new labor charges, filed with the National Labor Relations Board, seek remedies for what the Teamsters call “systematic, unlawful retaliation” and demand that Airgas bargain in good faith to resolve the dispute.
Teamsters escalate their fight against Airgas with federal charges alleging illegal retaliation and labor law violations across 11 states.