Teamsters Local 135 to hold practice picket at US Foods Fishers

Teamsters Local 135 members staged a practice picket at the US Foods distribution center in Fishers, Indiana, as they push for a new contract and warn management that a strike is authorized. The event brought more than 200 drivers and warehouse workers to the facility at 12301 Cumberland Rd, underscoring the leverage rank-and-file employees hold over restaurant and institutional supply chains across the state.

The union scheduled the demonstration to begin at 4:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 27, with some notices listing a 4:30 to 5:30 p.m. window. In a union release, the group said, “Last week, the group voted to authorize a strike by a 98 percent margin if US Foods refuses to come to the table with a contract that addresses the members' concerns.” The current collective bargaining agreement expires on Jan. 30, and at least one repost of the release stated, “There will be no contract extensions.”

Teamsters and participants framed the action around pay, benefits and workplace safety. The union has called on US Foods to “put a fair agreement on the table,” and social posts from the local urged management to present an agreement that delivers “higher wages, improved benefits, and” additional measures. A union release noted that these workers “deliver to customers across the state of Indiana and into Louisville, supplying hundreds of local restaurants, major universities, and critical hospital systems,” highlighting the potential ripple effects of any labor stoppage.

On-the-scene details from a driver who posted on Reddit described practical limits on participation. “I’m one of the drivers here, and today we held a practice picket,” the poster wrote, adding that “a lot of drivers started late today and were still out on their routes, and any employee still clocked in could not participate in this practice picket otherwise they could get fired.” The same poster characterized the picket as “just a small taste of what’s going to be coming to US foods if they don’t pay us employees a fair wage, and give us the safety rules, health insurance and better work conditions that we’re asking for.”

Visuals at the Fishers site reflected the union’s messaging, with picketers carrying signs that read “US Foods Teamsters Strike Ready” and “You've Got the Money, Pay Us!” Local 135’s action signals increased readiness to escalate if talks do not progress before the contract deadline.

For restaurants and foodservice operators in Indiana and Louisville, the next days are critical: the contract lapses on Jan. 30 and the union has a near-unanimous strike authorization in hand. US Foods has not been quoted in the released material. Media contact for the union is Lena Melentijevic, (347) 208-2279; LMelentijevic@teamster.org. Expect bargaining moves or public responses in the immediate run-up to the contract expiration and watch for any notices of strike activity that could affect deliveries to kitchens and institutions.