Teamsters Launch Pipeline Strike

The Teamsters union is preparing to strike companies represented by the Pipe Line Contractors Association in a dispute over retirement plans.

The union Tuesday said more than 200 workers had walked off job sites to protest proposals that would replace traditional pensions with 401(k) retirement plans.

The Teamster contract with the PCLA, which represents more than 70 companies that build and maintain gas and oil pipelines, expired Dec. 31, 2011.

The strike, which the union said was under way in Pennsylvania and West Virginia, could involve more than 700 workers nationwide, the Teamsters union said.

Contact William B. Cassidy at wcassidy@joc.com. Follow him on Twitter at @wbcassidy_joc