With negotiations set for Monday, workers and allies rally against employer's invasive medical testing, efforts to use temporary workers, and the company's disregard of its workers rights
TERRE HAUTE - Earlier today, striking Bemis factory workers in Terre Haute, Indiana were joined by actor and activist Danny Glover, as well as community allies, in a picket line and worker rally. Workers discussed fears of losing their health care and their job security. They also called on Bemis, a manufacturer of flexible packaging materials, to reach an agreement that maintains the standards that workers have won through years of commitment to the success of their factory.
"The workers are fighting for what is right and fighting for what is just," said Glover. "I'm proud to be a part of that."
"I've worked at this plant for five years and I work alongside many people who have been here for twenty years or more," said striking Bemis worker Chris Scott. "None of us are about to surrender our basic rights or be intimidated by this company."
Last year, without negotiating with its workers, who are members of Workers United Local 1426, Bemis announced that it was going to require all employees, and their spouses, to submit to invasive Health Risk Assessments (HRAs), including blood tests, in order to remain eligible for their health insurance. The way in which this decision was made, without bargaining with worker representatives as the law requires, was not only illegal, but was insulting to workers and their families.
Charges were filed by the union with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) over the company's action, the government issued a complaint against Bemis, and the NLRB eventually approved a settlement of the case to resolve this dispute.
But in negotiations this year, the company again insisted that the testing of employees and their spouses would be reintroduced in the new contract as a condition of eligibility for insurance. Failure to submit would cost workers and spouses their health coverage starting in 2010.
The company also proposed that workers accept temporary employees, who work for low wages and receive no benefits. Workers asked Bemis for protections so that these low wage employees would not eventually replace the middle class jobs they have fought to preserve.
When bargaining was unsuccessful, the union committee extended the contract scheduled to expire on July 1st, by 21 days to try to work out their differences and avoid a strike. In the end, Bemis sought to take advantage of a bad economy by pushing poor conditions on its workers.
Based primarily on these two issues of health insurance and temporary workers, the membership of Local 1426 overwhelmingly voted to turn down the company's final offer. The union committee, in an effort to avoid a strike, made an alternative offer to continue bargaining while employees worked without a contract. Bemis refused this offer. More than 700 workers began their strike on July 21st. Within hours, Bemis lowered its final offer without negotiating with the workers and cut off insurance benefits for which workers had paid.
Bemis' profits remain extremely strong even during the current economic crisis. In the first three months of 2009, the company reported profits exceeding $91 million, up more than 16% compared with the same period last year.
The company continues its efforts to hire strike-breaking employees.
Workers United, SEIU is a union of 150,000 workers in the US and Canada who work in the manufacturing, distribution, laundry, food service, hospitality, gaming, apparel and textile industries. www.workersunitedunion.org
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