Lead photo: Members of Teamsters Local 507 seen on strike at an Airgas location. Photo courtesy of Teamsters on X.

The union representing tankhaul workers at Airgas locations nationwide has expanded its strike, with hundreds of workers now participating across 15 facilities in 11 states as of July 22.

The expanded strike includes picket lines at Airgas locations in California, Illinois, Indiana, Massachusetts, Michigan, Missouri, New Hampshire, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Rhode Island.

MDM’s 2Q25 MarketPulse Report (store link) 

According to a previous statement from Teamsters Local 507, tankhaul workers, led by Airgas Teamsters in Cleveland and New Jersey, cited unfair labor practices and the company’s alleged refusal to “engage in meaningful negotiations.”

Teamsters Local 996 in Honolulu announced that workers are preparing to strike in response to similar concerns.

“Airgas has failed to treat our members with the dignity and respect they deserve,” Teamsters Tankhaul Division Director and Teamsters International VP At-Large Juan Campos said in the release. “This expansion could have been avoided if the company had simply bargained in good faith. Instead, Airgas chose to stall, provoke and disrespect its workers.”

A day prior to the strike expansion announcement, Teamsters also claimed that chemical leaks outside of two Airgas facilities in Peoria, IL and Oakland, NJ where strikes are occurring may have been deliberate by Airgas as an intimidation tactic.

Yesterday, Airgas unleashed unidentified chemical agents on striking Teamsters at multiple locations nationwide. The fact that these incidents occurred at facilities in both Illinois and New Jersey suggests this was not an accident — it was a potentially deliberate and… pic.twitter.com/WJOpqbBbp6

— Teamsters (@Teamsters) July 17, 2025

In the Store: MDM’s U.S. MRO Market Trends Report 

Airgas Responds

Responding to Teamsters’ claim above and the broader strike expansion, Airgas provided the following statement to MDM on July 24:

“First, we must address the allegation that chemical agents were used against striking workers at our facilities. This allegation is unequivocally false.

The circumstances surrounding the alleged incident in Oakland, NJ depicts a standard industry process where, in this case, CO2 is safely vented to avoid an overpressuring of the cryogenic equipment that stores these gases. During that process, a visible water vapor cloud may form due to rapid cooling of humid air. It is not clear to us what situation the union may be referencing in Peoria, IL.

Nothing is more important to us than the safety of our people and communities, and any suggestion that we would intentionally cause harm is ill-informed and reckless.

Regarding the extent of the strike activity, out of 1,400 Airgas locations, only two are actively on strike. While picket lines have been intermittently extended to approximately 10 other sites, we have robust contingency plans in place to provide continuity of service for our customers.

We remain committed to bargaining in good faith to reach a mutually acceptable agreement while continuing to safely and reliably serve our customers.”