About 1,000 union workers at Emerson Electric Co. have approved a new contract that provides for a small wage increase and apparently prevents many of their jobs from being moved to a plant in Florida.
However, many of the workers were unhappy about the 1 percent pay hike in each of the next three years.
”How can anybody be happy with a 1 percent raise?” said Tom Schrum, president of Local 1102 of the International Union of Electronic, Electrical, Technical, Salaried and Machine Workers. ”The only bright aspect to look at is that we didn`t take the concessions and we didn`t take the freeze.”
Emerson initially had sought a 23 percent pay reduction for 519 workers and a wage freeze for more than 600 other union members. The company also had threatened to move 519 jobs to a nonunion plant in Florida if it did not get the concessions.
Union members voted 637-325 Sunday to accept the new contract, although many workers were unhappy about the agreement.
”We didn`t get the wage increase the people expected, and that`s what they`re mad about,” said Ken Figas, the union`s recording secretary. ”This is the worst contract we`ve ever brought back to our people.”
Local 1102 represents 1,160 workers, most of whom have jobs at Emerson`s electronics and space division. The new agreement was reached in negotiations concluded Saturday.
Average pay for most union workers at Emerson is about $8.30 an hour, officials said. The contract represents an increase of $3.20 a week for the average union member.
The union rejected Emerson`s first offer in June. The previous three-year contract expired at midnight Sunday.
