As lockout looms, sugar union to vote on company proposals
Friday, July 29, 2011 at 1:55 pm
- 4 Comments
Workers at American Crystal Sugar in northern Minnesota will vote on the company’s new contract proposal tomorrow. If it’s rejected, the company has said they are making preparations to lock out 1,300 union workers across the region and bring in replacements.
The workers, who are represented by the Bakery, Confectionery, Tobacco and Grain Millers Union, are being offered slight pay increases in exchange for decreased company contributions to benefits like pensions.
Brian Ingulsrud, American Crystal Sugar’s vice president for administration, told the Star Tribune that the company will go ahead with lockout plans if workers reject this “final offer.”
Minnesota AFL-CIO Communications Director Chris Shields told the Minnesota Independent that union leadership is officially neutral on the contract.
“There were some holes in it, but the leadership wanted to give members the chance to vote up or down on it,” Shields said.
Tomorrow’s vote will need a simple majority to pass.
American Crystal Sugar Company is a cooperative of 3,000 sugar beet–producing shareholders based in Minnesota.
Gov. Mark Dayton planned to meet with the union’s leadership on Friday afternoon, according to his daily agenda.
Follow Jon Collins on Twitter4 Comments
Comment posted July 29, 2011 @ 8:54 pm
“There were some holes in it, but the leadership wanted to give members the chance to vote up or down on it,” Shields said.
Tomorrow’s vote will need a simple majority to pass.
”
Sounds like an advocate for democracy, don’t you think?
Comment posted July 29, 2011 @ 11:21 pm
More union bashing. More worker bashing. More human bashing.
When will it end? When we all make one dollar an hour? with no overtime, no weekends, no safety regs, no real economy for the workers (just time for sleep and work), and the end of the American dream for most, while Crystal execs get huge raises. Stay classy Crystal. Guess I’ll be buying C&H from now on. Idiots.
Comment posted July 30, 2011 @ 3:39 pm
-union only workers ( with the training of non-union employees and losing your job permanently to the non-union member after you’ve trained him/her to do your job!) -health benefits
+ pay raise (but -pay raise because it goes towards my reduced health care, no thank-you!) I would rather take my chances by voting NO if I were in their shoes and having the possibility of a better deal.
Comment posted July 30, 2011 @ 10:47 pm
Here’s an idea – STOP BUYING CRYSTAL SUGAR!!!! How needs these cryptofascists anyway?
RSS feed for comments on this post.
Sorry, the comment form is closed at this time.
