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Below are negotiation updates for United Steelworker members from Local Union 155 in Louisville, KY and Local Union 7972 in Hot Spring, AR working at Reynolds Consumer Products.
Today we reached a tentative agreement with the company. The vote is on the 26th for Louisville at 7:30 AM, noon and 3:30 PM at a location to be determined. A vote is pending at Hot Springs and times and location will be posted at the local union. The International believes that the agreement keeps the company viable but also provides retirement security and wage increases for our members. In addition we managed to neutralize health care premium increases and minimize changes to deductibles and out of pocket cost.
In spite of the many challenges and obstacles throughout the week the International and locals stood strong. With your solidarity and continued support we believe we have an agreement that the membership will support . You will be receiving a detailed summary sometime next week from your Committee.
Local 155- Louisville Kentucky and Local 7972- Hot Spring Arkansas
The terms and conditions of the current collective bargaining agreement have been extended by the union and the company for sixty (60) days, concluding September 30, 2014.
The reason for the extension is to allow the parties to get back together and continue to discuss and hopefully reach agreement on important issues to both sides.
We are discussing dates with the company in hopes that we can continue negotiations in the very near future.
The union bargaining committee appreciates and need your continued support, as we go forward.
In Solidarity, Fred Redmond – V.P. USW
Although we made some progress, you the members sent us here for a specific purpose to improve our wages, maintain our healthcare, and maintain pensions. We made some progress but fell short.
Therefore we have decided to break off negotiations and to come back home and have discussions with you and come back very soon to resume where we left off and get this done.
We were hoping we have better news and to be coming home with a contract but due to the companies unwillingness to meet your demands we feel it is time to come home and regroup. All provisions of the current contract and our benefit plans will remain intact until further notice. Both locals along with the International will be having a strategy session to determine our path forward.
We want to review progress we have made and make sure that when we do come back we will finish the job. We need your continued support; we will be having communication meetings to bring you all up to date. This will be the last update for now and we will be posting the day and times that the meetings will be held.
Today we worked long and hard, which is why the daily posting is late. At the end of the day, the company is still insisting on reducing cost by limiting our benefit package for new employees and changing our health care plan while increasing our premium cost. We are united in resisting these efforts and are insisting on a fair contact for our members.
The company wants us to shoulder the burden of foreign competition as well as its non-union competitor’s fanatical cost cutting. We realize we are in a competitive market but we will continue to insist on fair wage increases and reasonable health care costs.
We expect to bargain long and hard again tomorrow and it is our hope to bring this to a successful conclusion. Stayed tuned for more updates.
Today we presented some counterproposals to the company. We had a lot of good discussion on pensions and health care costs and are working diligently on counterproposals to address some of their concerns. According to their business presentation, the business appears to be challenged by foreign imports and competitors. This makes it difficult for the company to address some of our proposals. Stay tuned for further updates when we meet with the company tomorrow.
Today we exchanged proposals with the company and the company reviewed their proposals with us. The company’s proposals on pension and insurance raise some concerns. We will get more information tomorrow on the direction that they are trying to go on these two issues. Plus the company advised us that they are bringing in key executives Carol Rod and Ken Lane to review the state of the business. After they are done we will get more information on their proposals. Stayed tuned and watch for further updates. In solidarity your bargaining committee.
Dear Members, We will exchange proposals this afternoon and we hope to get a good contract. Stay in tune and check this site for updates.
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