Teamsters terminate agreement, strike at Smurfit Westrock site set for closure

Packaging Dive reported the development on 2026-03-25. The company says the union terminated the two parties’ labor agreement at the Wakefield, Massachusetts, corrugated converting plant. Approximately 90 employees will be affected when the facility closes this spring.

The report places the news in a wider commercial context. Teamsters members began striking Monday at a Smurfit Westrock corrugated converting plant in Wakefield, Massachusetts, the day they say their contract expired. Teamsters say Smurfit Westrock should “return to the bargaining table” and “get serious about negotiating,” according to a news release. Smurfit Westrock was notified on Feb. 21 that Teamsters would terminate the two parties’ labor agreement.

For the food sector, the practical implications extend beyond the immediate announcement. Smurfit Westrock filed a notice with the state, dated March 18, disclosing that it would close the Wakefield facility and lay off a total of 91 employees during a two-week period starting May 18. Smurfit Westrock is closing this facility as part of its ongoing optimization plan, the spokesperson said.

Attention now turns to how companies, customers and regulators respond. Some of the employees at the Wakefield facility are covered by a different union, the National Conference of Firemen & Oilers 32BJ SEIU Local 3, according to the worker adjustment and retraining notification Smurfit Westrock filed with the state of Massachusetts. Members of this union are not on strike with the Teamsters, the Smurfit Westrock spoksperson confirmed.