08 FEBRUARY 2012qconline.com
Nichols Aluminum, union still apart on issues
Edited by : AL CIRCLE
2 min read
Contract negotiations Sunday between Teamsters Local 371 and Nichols Aluminum in Davenport again failed to reach agreement.
Negotiations got under way Saturday morning for the first time since a strike began Jan. 20. The 254 members of Local 371 went on strike last month after negotiations with Nichols -- which operates plants at 1725 Rockingham Road and 2101 J.M. Morris Blvd. in Davenport -- reached an impasse.
Tom Brackmann, Nichols' president, said Sunday that talks broke off before noon Sunday and that the union rejected the company's last offer, though it previously accepted parts of a new health insurance plan.
"This is not just about insurance. There are multiple issues," he said, noting he could not get into details about the company's rejected offer. Other issues of contention include new-hire entry wage rates, Mr. Brackmann said.
"We will stand firm that our offers were fair and reasonable," he said. Howard Spoon, Local 371 president, could not be reached Sunday for comment.
Negotiations began Oct. 6, 2011, and the previous contract expired Nov. 15. Union members worked without a contract from that date until the strike began. In past contract negotiations, Mr. Spoon has said, the union agreed to take smaller wage increases to keep the health plan in place.
Nichols previously offered a plan that would increase the co-pay for doctor visits from $5 to $30. Under the plan offered by Nichols, the deductible for employees, which was nothing under the old contract, would go up to $2,000, Mr. Spoon previously said.
Nichols remelts scrap aluminum to sell on to its customers, which include building and construction, transportation, machinery and equipment, consumer durable, and electrical industries. It also has plants in Decatur, Ala., represented by the steelworkers union, and Lincolnshire, Ill., represented by machinists, Mr. Brackmann said.
The Alabama plant negotiated a new contract in May 2011, and "we agreed amicably," he said. Nichols will offer future negotiation dates to the Teamsters Local 371 to continue Davenport talks, Mr. Brackmann said.
Negotiations got under way Saturday morning for the first time since a strike began Jan. 20. The 254 members of Local 371 went on strike last month after negotiations with Nichols -- which operates plants at 1725 Rockingham Road and 2101 J.M. Morris Blvd. in Davenport -- reached an impasse.
Tom Brackmann, Nichols' president, said Sunday that talks broke off before noon Sunday and that the union rejected the company's last offer, though it previously accepted parts of a new health insurance plan.
"This is not just about insurance. There are multiple issues," he said, noting he could not get into details about the company's rejected offer. Other issues of contention include new-hire entry wage rates, Mr. Brackmann said.
"We will stand firm that our offers were fair and reasonable," he said. Howard Spoon, Local 371 president, could not be reached Sunday for comment.
Negotiations began Oct. 6, 2011, and the previous contract expired Nov. 15. Union members worked without a contract from that date until the strike began. In past contract negotiations, Mr. Spoon has said, the union agreed to take smaller wage increases to keep the health plan in place.
Nichols previously offered a plan that would increase the co-pay for doctor visits from $5 to $30. Under the plan offered by Nichols, the deductible for employees, which was nothing under the old contract, would go up to $2,000, Mr. Spoon previously said.
Nichols remelts scrap aluminum to sell on to its customers, which include building and construction, transportation, machinery and equipment, consumer durable, and electrical industries. It also has plants in Decatur, Ala., represented by the steelworkers union, and Lincolnshire, Ill., represented by machinists, Mr. Brackmann said.
The Alabama plant negotiated a new contract in May 2011, and "we agreed amicably," he said. Nichols will offer future negotiation dates to the Teamsters Local 371 to continue Davenport talks, Mr. Brackmann said.
Tagged with:North america
Previous article
Norco Lions Club gets new aluminum-recycling trailer donated
Next articleAussie Aluminum Heading for Scrap Heap
Grow with
AL Circle
