In late October, UE Local 690 reached agreement with Kenson Plastics for a new three-year contract, which members ratified by a more than two-to-one margin. The local succeeded in retaining the existing healthcare arrangement, whereby the employer fully pays the premium for single coverage, and employees with family or dependent coverage contribute $75 a month toward the premium.
The union’s goal in negotiating wages was to reduce the disparities in wage rates. For the workers the raised will range from $1.70 to $2.35. The worker with the previous lowest pay rate will receive $3.16 in wage increases. A few top-rated workers will receive less than $1.70 in wage increases, but those individuals will also receive bonuses ranging from $700 to $2,000.
Weekly sickness and accident pay will increase by $25 each year, bringing it to $400 by the third year. Life insurance was increased by $2,000, to $20,000. The local was unsuccessful in its effort to increase the employers’ contribution to workers’ 401(k) accounts, which will remain at 3 percent of the employee’s gross annual pay.
Commenting on new agreement, Local 690 President Mark DiCiero said, “…it turned out to be one of the better contracts, if not the best we ever negotiated.” Chief Steward Larrry Scheidemantle added, “We hung in there and were able to level out our wage structure somewhat. The folks making the least were able to see significant wage increase, while those at the high end didn’t do bad either.
Mark DiCiero and Larry Scheidemantle were the local’s negotiators, assisted by UE Field Organizer George Waksmunski.