Hynes workers voting on pact

Union officials think the contract offer should be rejected.
By DON SHILLING
VINDICATOR BUSINESS EDITOR
AUSTINTOWN -- Union workers at Hynes Industries are voting today on a contract offer that includes concessions in health care, seniority, pensions and profit sharing, an official said.
The company is calling it the final and best offer, but the bargaining committee of United Steelworkers of America Local 2377 is recommending the package be rejected, said Kirk Davies, a Steelworkers representative.
The 120-member union must give 72 hours' notice before a strike, and Davies said he would speak with members before taking any action. A federal mediator has been involved in talks and may try to get the two sides together if the proposal is turned down, Davies said.
"We don't want to strike this employer, but we've tried every method that I know of to get them to be a little more reasonable," he said.
William Bresnahan, company president, could not be reached to comment.
The Oakwood Avenue company is a processor that cuts and shapes steel and wire for a variety of uses.
Davies said Hynes has offered a three-year contract with annual per-hour raises of 40 cents, 30 cents and 40 cents. The average wage is $11.29 an hour, he said.
The proposed raises, however, would be offset by increases in health care costs, he said.
Union members would begin making co-payments on premiums, which would be $50 a month in the first year of the contract but increase to $90 a month by the third year.
What's in dispute
Davies said union officials are not against sharing in the cost of health care, but the company's proposal includes a plan that calls for higher deductibles and more out-of-pocket expenses, as well as the co-payments.
The proposal also would allow the company to disregard seniority when filling positions, Davies said. Previous contracts called for the company to offer positions to the most senior workers who were qualified for the positions.
Another change would allow the company to use the employees' share of profit sharing if it has to make a payment to its pension plan, Davies said.
He added that the company also wants to close its defined-benefit pension to new hires, giving them instead a 401(k) plan that matches 35 percent of their contributions, up to 6 percent of their wages.
The two sides have been bargaining since July, and Hynes made the final offer Jan. 6. The last contract expired Nov. 1.
The union staged a two-week walkout in 1991.
shilling@vindy.com