In McMinnville, a Recycled Rubber Factory Goes Union

A group of 61 workers at a rubber recycling factory in McMinnville has voted to join the United Steelworkers (USW).

Ultimate RB, formerly RB Rubber, is a subsidiary of St. Louis-based Accella Performance Materials. The company’s McMinnville plant turns recycled rubber into a variety of products, such as high-density rubber mats used in truck beds and horse stalls, rubber flooring for athletic facilities and playgrounds, and ballistic tiles used in shooting ranges.

Hourly wages there are low by union standards, says USW staff representative Jim Kilborn — around $12.50 for production workers, and about $22 for journeyman machine maintenance workers. The company provides medical, vision and dental benefits, and offers a 401(k). Workers would like better wages and benefits, Kilborn said, but a bigger factor in the decision to unionize was just having a voice in workplace — to be able to impact decisions that affect them, like whether they have to work on Saturdays, or a fair process for determining who works overtime … more