Home Delivery |
Contact Us |
Jobs |
Alerts |
News Archives |
Site map |
Log In |
Webmail |
Internet Services |
Mobile
Text size: 
Nichols and union approve new five-year contract
Comment on this story |
Print this story | Email this story
By Jonathan Turner, jturner@qconline.com
By Jonathan Turner, jturner@qconline.com
|
After nearly a year of contract negotiations, members of the Teamsters union, Local 371, overwhelmingly have ratified a new five-year agreement with Nichols Aluminum of Davenport, which produces flat-rolled aluminum sheet metal. Negotiations began last Oct. 6, with the last contract expiring Nov. 15. Members worked without a contract until a strike began. The local was on strike from Jan. 20 until April 6, two days after Nichols made more than 100 temporary employees permanent. During the strike, Nichols continued to run its Davenport plants at 1725 Rockingham Road and 2101 J.M. Morris Boulevard with salaried staff and the temporary employees. "I'm proud of my members for sticking together for as long as they did," Teamsters Local 371 President Howard Spoon said Sunday, noting just 25 members of the 200-plus who originally went on strike are waiting to be called back to work. Many went back to Nichols, and some have found jobs at other local companies like Deere and Alcoa, he said. "It was a long, long fight, and 11 weeks of strike," Mr. Spoon said of the negotiations. "I'm glad it's finally over. My members are, too." Concessions were made on both sides of the bargaining table on key issues such as wage increases, employee advancement and health coverage. A tentative agreement was reached with a federal mediator on Sept. 18, and the final contract (good until November 2017) was approved Thursday and Friday, Mr. Spoon said. The federal mediator assisted on negotiations earlier in September as well. Nichols -- a division of the Houston-based Quanex Building Products Corp. -- has been headed by a new president, D. Russ Brown, since July. Among the contract provisions, union employees will get bonuses in the first two years, then wage hikes of 1.5 percent, 1.5 percent, and 2 percent in the last three, Mr. Spoon said. The company will cover 80 percent of health insurance costs and an employee's out-of-pocket maximum payment will be $2,000 a year for an individual and $4,000 for a family, for the life of the contract, he said. Nichols also agreed to pay for training for production employees to advance to higher-paying jobs, Mr. Spoon added. 
|
|
 |
|
||
Coal valley, IL Details |
|||
Overnite Crunch Coffeecake
(More recipes)
| (More Print Ads) |
Today is Tuesday, June 18, the 169th day of 2013. There are 196 days left in the year.
1863 -- 150 years ago: Fanatics have grown wonderfully civil since the president snubbedthem by revoking Burnside's infamous attack upon the freedom of the press.
1888 -- 125 years ago: The Interstate baseball league has collapsed, leaving Davenport'sleading team without a league connection.
1913 -- 100 years ago: Passengers were stunned yesterday when lightning struck a LongView street car at 9th Ave. and 25th St.
1938 -- 75 years ago: X-ray examinations today traced the trouble with Dizzy Dean's$250,000 pitching arm to a pulled muscle back of his right shoulder blade.
1963 -- 50 years ago: Radio station WQAD in Moline is being considered by the NationalCivil Defense Office for selection as a "secured communication center" Mrs. Gault,executive deputy director of the Moline Civil Defense unit reported today.
1988 -- 25 years ago: "Marketplace 29 A.D." an unusual vacation Bible school programthat will allow children to live three days as people did during the Bible Times June 21-23. The three day program, is a joint project of Aldersgate and Bethel-Wesley UnitedMethodist churches.
(More History)