Armstrong Workers Approve Union Contract

Beverley, WV, May 1, 2006--Union workers at one of Randolph County's largest employers have ratified a contract offer, averting a possible strike, a union official said Saturday. Members of Teamsters Local 175 employed at the Armstrong Hardwood Flooring plant in Beverly approved the three-year contract Friday on a vote of 413-332, said Stephanie Ojeda, a lawyer who represents the union. The contract includes a 30-cents-per-hour increase in each of the first two years of the contract and a 35-cents-per-hour raise in the third year, Ojeda said. In return, monthly health care premiums will rise $5 per month starting next January and will increase each year for a total of $15, said union local president Ken Hall. "It still keeps them under $100 per month, which is less than most employees in this area, this state or, frankly, this country pay for insurance," Hall said. Workers also will be able to earn up to four personal days off each year through good attendance, Hall said. Contract negotiators had been meeting since March 13. The company made a final offer to the union at 3 a.m. Friday. The union, which represents 925 workers at the plant, had voted to strike if the offer was rejected, Ojeda said. Dorothy Brown Smith, spokeswoman for plant parent Armstrong Holdings Inc., of Lancaster, Pa., said the company is "pleased that we were able to reach a successful resolution." In 2003, the plant's workers went on strike but ratified the company's offer four days later. The plant is one of 16 across the nation that makes Armstrong wood flooring products.

Related Topics:Armstrong Flooring, AHF Products

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