More information, contact: Tony Montana – 412-562-2592; tmontana@usw.org
PITTSBURGH– The United Steelworkers (USW) today said that members of local unions representing Arconic (NYSE: ARNC) 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.