Members of Cabinetmakers & Millworkers Local 1865 hope to avoid a strike at the Radford Co., but said they are having a difficult time getting the employer to agree to a fair contract.
Sixteen members of Local 1865 are employed at Radford, which makes steel and wood doors and millwork and assembles and installs Andersen Windows. They have been working without a contract since Aug. 1.
?We actually have approval to go on strike from the membership, but we?re trying to avoid it,? said Business Agent Donald Kern. The company made a final offer Aug. 20, which the union workers rejected, and no negotiations have been held since then, he said.
The workers are seeking equal treatment with the Radford plant in Oshkosh, Wis., which also is the headquarters. The Wisconsin workers are members of Cabinetmakers Local 1363, both locals are affiliated with the United Brotherhood of Carpenters, and both groups do the same kind of work, he said.
The Oshkosh workers recently settled their contract for a 20-cent wage increase the first year and 23 cents during the second year, Kern said. ?We are just trying to get comparable to them.?
The Duluth workers were offered no wage increase in the first year and 16 cents the second year, he said.
Wage increases are needed to offset the large increase in health care costs, he said. ?Their health insurance went up. Without any kind of a wage increase, they can?t afford to pay their health insurance increases.?
Sending a message to the public
The union is reaching out to the public for support and urging people to contact Radford Co. President Mike Walsh at the firm?s toll-free number, 1-800-444-0345.
Alan Irons, a member of the Local 1865 Negotiating Committee, has written to the owners of the Radford Co., to local media and elected officials to ask their help in reaching a fair settlement.
?The members of my Union are aware that an employer must indeed be careful in today?s markets, to spend their money wisely and make good decisions as to not create a bankruptcy,? Irons wrote. ?However, when it seems an employer?s selfishness and malice against its employees may be a major influence in his decision making; this is where it leaves us wondering, ?When do we say enough is enough and make a stand???
Members of Cabinetmakers & Millworkers Local 1865 hope to avoid a strike at the Radford Co., but said they are having a difficult time getting the employer to agree to a fair contract.
Sixteen members of Local 1865 are employed at Radford, which makes steel and wood doors and millwork and assembles and installs Andersen Windows. They have been working without a contract since Aug. 1.
?We actually have approval to go on strike from the membership, but we?re trying to avoid it,? said Business Agent Donald Kern. The company made a final offer Aug. 20, which the union workers rejected, and no negotiations have been held since then, he said.
The workers are seeking equal treatment with the Radford plant in Oshkosh, Wis., which also is the headquarters. The Wisconsin workers are members of Cabinetmakers Local 1363, both locals are affiliated with the United Brotherhood of Carpenters, and both groups do the same kind of work, he said.
The Oshkosh workers recently settled their contract for a 20-cent wage increase the first year and 23 cents during the second year, Kern said. ?We are just trying to get comparable to them.?
The Duluth workers were offered no wage increase in the first year and 16 cents the second year, he said.
Wage increases are needed to offset the large increase in health care costs, he said. ?Their health insurance went up. Without any kind of a wage increase, they can?t afford to pay their health insurance increases.?
Sending a message to the public
The union is reaching out to the public for support and urging people to contact Radford Co. President Mike Walsh at the firm?s toll-free number, 1-800-444-0345.
Alan Irons, a member of the Local 1865 Negotiating Committee, has written to the owners of the Radford Co., to local media and elected officials to ask their help in reaching a fair settlement.
?The members of my Union are aware that an employer must indeed be careful in today?s markets, to spend their money wisely and make good decisions as to not create a bankruptcy,? Irons wrote. ?However, when it seems an employer?s selfishness and malice against its employees may be a major influence in his decision making; this is where it leaves us wondering, ?When do we say enough is enough and make a stand???