C&H Sugar Strike Ends After 42 Days as ILWU Local 6 Returns to Negotiations
Key Takeaways
- •Approximately 90 to 93 ILWU Local 6 warehouse employees at C&H Sugar's Crockett refinery staged an open-ended strike beginning June 15, marking the union's first walkout at the plant in nearly 100 years.
- •The strike disrupted operations at a facility processing about 6 million pounds of cane sugar per day and widened when ILWU Local 10 longshore workers in Richmond refused to cross picket lines.
- •C&H Sugar withdrew its impasse declaration and agreed to a negotiations extension after federal mediators became involved in late July.
- •Workers returned to their posts on July 30 and are expected to remain on the job through September 30, 2026, while bargaining continues.
- •The central disagreements over retiree health coverage, overtime rules, and sick days have not yet been resolved heading into the next round of talks.
After 42 days on the picket line, union warehouse workers at C&H Sugar's Crockett, California refinery have returned to work under a 60-day extension of contract negotiations.
The strike — the International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) Local 6's first walkout at the plant in nearly a century — triggered a brief sympathy walkout at three California ports before pausing. The two sides are now returning to the bargaining table to resolve disputes over retiree health benefits, overtime rules, and sick days at one of the largest cane sugar refiners in the United States. C&H, a brand dating to the early 20th century, is owned by American Sugar Refining, Inc. (ASR Group), one of the largest sugar companies globally, and the Crockett facility is a key West Coast supplier for food manufacturers and retailers.
The union's contract expired on June 1, and negotiations quickly stalled. On June 15, approximately 90–93 unionized warehouse employees launched an open-ended strike.
The job action disrupted deliveries of raw cane sugar to the Crockett refinery, which typically processes about 6 million pounds per day. C&H maintained operations using replacement workers and rerouted some raw sugar through alternative terminals, including Richmond. There, ILWU Local 10 longshore workers refused to cross Local 6's picket lines, widening the dispute's reach across the San Francisco Bay area.
Tensions escalated on July 22, when a protest outside the refinery turned confrontational, resulting in nine arrests.
By late July, federal mediators had become involved, and both sides participated in marathon bargaining sessions. On July 27, C&H and ILWU Local 6 issued a joint statement announcing a return to work and an initial six-day extension of negotiations. C&H also agreed to withdraw its impasse declaration, which had previously enabled more aggressive use of replacement labor.
Under the arrangement, workers resumed their posts beginning Wednesday, July 30, with the understanding that they will remain on the job at least through September 30, 2026, while bargaining continues. The core disputes — retiree health coverage, overtime rules, and sick days — remain unresolved heading into the next round of talks.
Union leaders stated that their objective is to bring C&H's senior executives more directly into the talks and secure a fair agreement before the extension expires.
The involvement of other ILWU locals — particularly Longshore Local 10's refusal to cross picket lines — illustrates how a single-plant dispute can ripple through the regional logistics network. In a supply chain already sensitive to port and terminal disruptions, the C&H strike underscored the strategic leverage that warehouse and dock workers hold at critical nodes.
