Middle Georgia Workers Reject BASF Offer 800 USW Members Now Working Under Expired or Extended Contr

[Omaha Steve]

http://pittsburgh.dbusinessnews.com/shownews.php?newsid=137361&type_news=latest

PITTSBURGH -- News From USW: The members of three United Steelworkers (USW) local unions representing 500 workers at BASF in middle Georgia voted to reject the company's last proposal for a new contract on Tuesday, and the unions agreed to a contract extension while negotiations continue.

About 300 USW members at another BASF facility in Geismar, Louisiana have been working without a contract since September 19. Proposals over health insurance and defined benefit pensions remain unresolved at both bargaining tables (Georgia and Louisiana).

"The workers in Georgia and Louisiana are united in our determination to win fair contracts," said USW International President Leo W. Gerard. "BASF just had a record year in 2006, and we think that prosperity ought to be shared with the workers and the communities that support BASF."

BASF is proposing to do away with pensions for any worker hired in the future.
"Our parents and our grandparents fought to win a decent retirement for us," said Cecil Walters, president of USW Local 237 in middle Georgia. "And we're going to fight to preserve that same benefit for our children and our grandchildren."

The company is offering workers the same health insurance plan that is provided to management employees, but it wants the ability to change the insurance plan from one year to the next without the union's input.

"We're looking for a contract where each side makes a commitment and sticks to it," said Dexter Guidry, chair of the negotiating committee for USW Local 620 in Louisiana. "BASF doesn't seem to be ready or willing to make a commitment to us."

Other unresolved issues include retiree healthcare, job security, and disability benefits.
The USW represents 1.2 million workers and retirees in North America, including 40,000 members in the chemical industry.