TONAWANDA, N.Y. — A strike is taking place at Tonawanda's Unifrax. Workers walked out just before midnight on Monday.

Unifrax says the contract with the United Steelworkers expired in January. Over the weekend, the union voted not to ratify the final offer.

Those that are picketing are hoping this strike sparks a change.

"One of the main things is the condition these guys were working under, the lack of respect, the way they treat them so unfairly in here. It's not a good place to work," said Don Rice, president of USW 42058.

Unifrax develops and manufactures high-performance specialty fibers and inorganic materials used in high-temperature industrial insulation, energy storage, filtration, and fire protection applications.

The chief human resource officer says while they hope there's a quick end to the strike, there are plans in place if not so the plant can continue operating.