Employees at the auto-parts manufacturer BorgWarner were still on strike Tuesday, calling for a new contract from the picket line outside the gates of the Ithaca facility.
Union members voted down the company’s final offer on Friday. The Teamsters chapter that represents BorgWarner employees called the offer a “slap in the face.”
Union members said the picket line has run continuously since the Teamsters’ contract expired Sunday night.
Tori Eidman, a picketing BorgWarner employee, said workers have had enough.
“We just want respect and dignity and a fair and rightful contract that we so rightfully deserve,” Eidman said.
The Teamsters are demanding a contract with higher wages and more affordable health care for workers. Duane Wright, the secretary, treasurer and principal executive officer for the chapter, told WSKG negotiations are continuing this week.
Politicians from both sides of the aisle have come out in support of the strike.
Assemblymember Anna Kelles and state Sen. Lea Webb, both Democrats, released a joint statement saying they stand with striking workers.
On social media, Republican Rep. Marc Molinaro wrote that he joins workers in calling for a “fair contract that fully honors their hard work and commitment.”
The BorgWarner strike follows a more than two-week long strike at Cornell University, which ended with a new contract that secured higher pay for employees.
