Trucking News · New Jersey · November 10, 2026

Truckers: Bimbo Bakeries Drivers in New Jersey Authorize a Strike

Illustration of a worker rolling a rack of bread trays to a gray box truck at a dock before dawn as a driver checks the load — Illustration for this story. Not a photo of a specific location.

Image caption: Illustration: AI-generated illustration, not a photo of the people, vehicles or places in this story. It shows a worker rolling a rack of bread trays to a gray box truck at a dock before dawn as a driver checks the load.

More than 90 truck drivers and warehouse workers at Bimbo Bakeries in East Brunswick, New Jersey, have voted unanimously to authorize a strike, Teamsters Local 701 said in a Nov. 9 news release. A strike authorization is not a strike. It gives union leaders the power to call one if contract talks fail, and no strike date has been announced.

The workers are seeking a contract that keeps their Teamsters health care, according to the union.

The health plan at the center

The union says Bimbo is trying to drop the Local 701 health plan that the workers have been covered by for more than 25 years. The release also says management has questioned workers about the negotiations and that Local 701 has filed unfair labor practice charges against the company. Those are the union's claims. The company's response was not included in the release, and a filed charge is not a finding.

What union leaders said

"These workers deserve a deal that honors their worth and respects the precedent they have set with previous agreements at Bimbo Bakeries," said Jeff Padellaro, director of the Teamsters Brewery, Bakery and Soft Drink Conference. "It's time for management to put serious offers on the table."

"The company thinks they can intimidate workers into accepting an offer that downgrades their benefits," said Ron Lake, president of Teamsters Local 701. He said members "are ready to head to the picket line if a fair contract is not reached."

Ken Golden, a Local 701 member and shop steward at Bimbo Bakeries, said management keeps bringing offers the workers would never accept. "We are not willing to be strong-armed out of our union's health plan," he said. "We don't want to strike but are ready for a work stoppage if the company keeps going down this road."

Local 701, based in North Brunswick Township, says it has represented working families for 75 years.

Labor disputes involving truck drivers and freight workers have been in the news this fall. Big Rig Daily has also covered a Teamsters Local 633 pension strike.