UE Local 684’s Gains at TEMCO Include Wages, Healthcare, Call-in Days

December 11, 2013

After four months of bargaining including two extensions, the members of Local 684 members on November 26 approved a new five-year agreement with The Electric Material Company (TEMCO). The new contract includes yearly wage increases of 1 percent, 2 percent, 2.25 percent, 2 percent and 2 percent.  The first raise is retroactive to October 4, the original contract expiration date. Each member will also receive a signing bonus of $1,600.

The issue of health insurance, and the transition to the Affordable Care Act. The company’s proposal would have increased employee’s share of premiums to 24 percent and 30 percent. The union negotiated its own health plan with UPMC under which employee’s shares of premiums will be 18 and 22 percent the employer pays the rest. The insurer’s contract is with the union, not the company, but it saves the company as well as employees significant money. The company could have saved even more if it had put its salary and management people on the new plan, but it kept them on the more costly Health American plan.

One of the most contentious issues in bargaining was the employer’s attempt to eliminate the workers’ five call-in days for which no advance notice was required.

“We had a very successful rally in the fall, and Local 506 came down, and a lot of employees came out to save those days,” said Chief Steward Steve Adkins. “We also had shirt and buttons saying ‘save the call-in.’” We were actually able to make it better, and now we have five days with one day notice, and five days without notice.” Members also gained increase flexibility in splitting their personal days into partial-day increments. Local 506 members work at the nearby Erie GE plant, which is a major customer of TEMCO, a copper mill.

The local made other improvements in the contract in such areas as grievance and arbitration language, union leave, overtime notice language, layoff notice, recall language, ADA, notice of temporary transfers, limiting return to the bargaining unit of salaried employees, profit sharing, holidays, and bereavement. The union also made gains on short term and long term disability, life insurance, discipline, safety, light duty,  job upgrades, and attendance policy. 

“Our bargaining committee rallied and drove our points home to the company, and I thought we did a real good job on that, on all issues, really,” says Adkins.

The negotiating committee consisted of President Kevin Luke, Chief Steward Steve Adkins, Jeremy Pratt, Brian Brummett, Earl Leamer, Joe Miller, Jack McIntosh and Caleb Farrell. They were assisted by Field Organizer George Waksmunski and retired UE General President John Hovis.

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