Elgin Warehouse Workers Urge Charlesbank Investors to Act on Stalled Union Contract

Workers at Box Partners, a shipping-supplies wholesaler in Elgin, Ill., are calling on investors in the private-equity firm Charlesbank Capital Partners, which acquired the company in 2021, to intervene, saying management has stalled contract negotiations more than a year after employees voted to unionize.

The workers, who are represented by LIUNA Local 681, say bargaining has made little progress while management has resisted core proposals on wages and benefits. On Feb. 3, workers and union organizers will address Charlesbank investors directly during a call, outlining what they describe as anti-union tactics and deteriorating workplace conditions since the organizing drive.

“It’s time for Charlesbank to step in and support a fair union contract that ensures Box Partners thrives now and into the future,” said Dagoberto Gonzalez, who has worked at the company for nearly a decade. “When workers are respected and taken care of, we’re more productive and the business grows. When we’re under attack, morale drops and performance suffers.”

Employees voted overwhelmingly in the fall of 2024 to unionize, citing unsafe working conditions, low pay and limited access to basic necessities such as drinking water and bathroom breaks, according to workers.

During the election campaign, Box Partners hired a labor attorney and threatened to review employees’ immigration work authorization, as well as take other adverse actions, if they voted in favor of the union, workers said. Neil Thomas, the company’s chief executive, who was appointed after the Charlesbank acquisition, also sent a letter urging employees to vote against unionization.

Workers say that while management invested heavily in opposing the union, it has resisted what they describe as modest bargaining proposals, including $2-an-hour wage increases and improvements to health insurance.

“We’re asking for a fair union contract so we can do our jobs with dignity, support our families and help this company grow,” said Oscar Lopez Barrera, a warehouse worker who has been with Box Partners for almost four years. “If investors want a stronger company and a stronger investment, it starts with respecting the workers who make Box Partners succeed.”

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