Company and union remain divided over contract

The contract expires a minute before midnight Tuesday.
& lt;a href=mailto:vinarsky@vindy.com & gt;By CYNTHIA VINARSKY & lt;/a & gt;
VINDICATOR BUSINESS WRITER
WEATHERSFIELD -- With a contract deadline looming less than a week away, a labor leader at RMI Titanium said the union and the company are sharply divided on several major contract issues.
Todd Weddell, president of United Steelworkers of America Local 2155, said, however, that the union is not ready to talk about a walkout.
"We're miles apart, but we're still far from going to a strike vote," Weddell said.
RMI's contract with the union representing about 400 hourly clerical, technical and production workers expires at 11:59 p.m. Tuesday. The 41/2-year pact was reached after a bitter, 61/2-month strike five years ago.
Weddell said the current round of talks began in September and seemed to be progressing smoothly until late last week when the company proposed what he called a "totally concessionary" economic package.
Company proposal
He said RMI's proposal would reduce workers' hourly rate, which now average $16 per hour, would eliminate some overtime pay, and would increase workers' medical co-payments and other out-of-pocket health-care costs.
"It would have a negative impact on every facet of our lives," he added.
Richard Leone, a company spokesman, declined comment. He said the company "will release information when it's appropriate."
The union was prepared to make some concessions to accommodate the company's need for more flexibility on the production floor, Weddell said. RMI has suggested that workers be allowed to work in different jobs throughout the plant rather than staying at the same position.
Union leaders also hoped to see salary increases, pension increases and some improvement in health care, Weddell said.
"We didn't expect the company's proposal to be so widely concessionary," Weddell said. "We're talking about a company that has been making money since 1996. They are not in trouble, and they're by no means anywhere close to bankruptcy."
Talks were scheduled Wednesday, Thursday and today, he said, and have generally been four to six hours per session.
About RMI
RMI is the titanium-producing subsidiary of RTI International Metals, which also is based in Weathersfield Township. Locally, the company employs about 595 hourly and salaried workers.
RTI, which is publicly traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol RTI, earned a second-quarter profit of $1 million, or 5 cents per share, on sales of $49.1 million. Company officials have been reporting declining profits in recent months, largely because of the continuing slump in the commercial aerospace industry, which traditionally provides about 30 percent of RTI's sales.
Officials have not yet filed a report with the federal Securities and Exchange Commission for RTI's third quarter ending Sept. 30.
& lt;a href=mailto:vinarsky@vindy.com & gt;vinarsky@vindy.com & lt;/a & gt;