PITTSBURGH, July 11, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- The United
Steelworkers (USW) today said that members of local unions
representing Arconic employees voted to ratify a three-year master
contract covering more than 3,000 hourly workers at the company's
facilities in Davenport, Iowa;
Alcoa, Tenn.; Lafayette, Ind.; and Massena, N.Y.
The newly approved contract provides annual general wage
increases, applicable to all union members, of 3.5% percent each
year, resulting in a 10.5% improvement during its term. It
maintains or improves existing benefits, such as supplemental
unemployment and health care and retirement provisions for
currently active employees. There is also a $1,750 ratification bonus.
USW International Vice President Tom
Conway, who chairs the union committee, said that
negotiations between the USW and Arconic ended in a completely
different tone than they began – with the company demanding major
economic and non-economic concessions that the union considered
excessive and unnecessary.
"The strength of our union depends on the solidarity of the
members," Conway said. "When called upon, they stood together and
demanded from management nothing less than the fair contracts that
USW members have earned and deserve."
Conway called the strike authorization granted by members of
local unions participating in the negotiations a turning point for
bargaining and credited local union leaders, volunteer activists
and the USW negotiating committee's hard work for resolving issues
with management without a labor dispute and without unfairly
burdening new hires or retirees.
"This is a great outcome not only for our members at Arconic,
but also for workers throughout the aluminum industry and as well
for the employer and its customers," Conway said.
The USW represents 850,000 men and women employed in metals,
mining, pulp and paper, rubber, chemicals, glass, auto supply and
the energy-producing industries, along with a growing number of
workers in public sector and service occupations. For more
information, visit http://www.usw.org.
More information, contact: Tony
Montana – 412-562-2592; tmontana@usw.org
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SOURCE United Steelworkers (USW)