Olin workers reject concessions plan

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Olin workers reject concessions plan

EAST ALTON - Union employees of Olin Corporation's Winchester Division apparently have rejected concessions aimed at keeping about 900 jobs from moving from East Alton to Mississippi.

Valerie Peters, director of human resources for the Winchester Division, said company officials would evaluate all options, including relocation of the division's centerfire ammunition operations. Olin announced in August that it might move those operations to Oxford, Miss., where it moved its rimfire ammunition manufacturing in 2004.

Union members voted Sunday on a concessions package that reportedly included a three-year wage freeze and the elimination of vacation bonuses and a fifth week of vacation.

"The union's proposal to Olin would have allowed Winchester's Centerfire Operations and approximately 900 jobs to remain in East Alton," Peters said in a prepared statement. "The initiatives proposed by union leadership, combined with incentives available from the state of Illinois, would have meant that our East Alton location could become much more competitive in the future. It is extremely unfortunate union members chose to reject the union's proposal."

Most of the workers are represented by International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers District 9. Machinists business representative Marty St. Peters could not be reached for comment.
 
Another case of businesses moving to a right to work state.
 
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Note, the company is making record profits with the massive buying up of ammunition by the public, law enforcement and our military. Still not enough for them. They want the workers to take a cut. I would be all for the cuts if the company was suffering.but their NOT!

Quote
"That being said, Olin's Winchester division should post record profits in 2009, as a result of increased military and commercial demand, and lower metal costs. In addition, Olin's chemical shipments for the balance of 2009, although lower vs. 2008, should have a seasonal boost over 2009 first quarter, which was also hampered by planned plant maintenance and downtime."

Olin workers reject contract that would have kept 900 jobs in metro-east


EAST ALTON -- Olin Corp.'s union employees on Sunday voted down giving concessions to the company to keep their jobs in East Alton.

By a two-to-one vote, the workers rejected a contract that would have guaranteed that about 900 jobs would stay in the metro-east.

In August, the Clayton, Mo.-based munitions manufacturer announced that it might relocate these jobs at its Centerfire Manufacturing Operations from Olin's East Alton plant to the company's Winchester Division in Oxford, Miss.
Olin Corp.

Company spokeswoman Valerie Peters would not disclose the details of the contract offer or the company's reasons for the potential move, but said the company will "announce a final decision shortly."

"It is extremely unfortunate that the union has voted to reject the proposal," Peters said. "We will evaluate all options, which one is the potential relocation of the Centerfire operations."

According to Marty St. Peters, who is the business representative of the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers District 9 in East Alton and represents about 850 of these workers, Olin contends that it could save $30 million in operating expenses a year by moving these jobs to Mississippi. He also said that Mississippi has right-to-work laws prohibiting union membership as a condition of employment. Olin moved its Rimfire operation and 150 jobs to its Oxford plant six years ago.

St. Peters said most of the workers were not convinced that they should take concessions because they believe the metro-east plant is very profitable.

"A lot of them say the company is doing record profits, and a lot of them are working hard and a lot of overtime," St. Peters said. "They just didn't think it was right."

But he also believes that the vote has paved the way for the move.

"I would think that the company will go ahead and move to Mississippi now," said St. Peters, who worked at the company's Brass Division for 20 years. Olin in 2007 sold the metals division to Global Brass and Copper Holdings Inc., an affiliate of New York-based private equity firm KPS Capital Partners LP.

St. Peters said if that happens, he predicts the relocation would hurt Olin and devastate the metro-east economy.

"They could very easily destroy this company," he said. "It could go all bad for them."

The move would leave a large void in the local economy. According to Leadership Council Southwestern Illinois, the economic development corporation that serves Madison and St. Clair counties, Olin employs 1,821 people in East Alton and is the sixth-largest employer in the metro-east.


Read more: http://www.bnd.com/2010/10/19/1442963/olin-union-votes-down-concessions.html#ixzz13ECgrtXg
 
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Vacation bonus? 5th week of vacation?


I have a hard time accepting the premise that general manufacturing level employees deserve such benefits. We are talking about people who stand/sit at a machine or drive a forklift, or perform some other non-technical action to produce ammunition. It sounds to me like they have it pretty good now and their refusal to work with the company smacks of greed on the part of the union to me.

So what if the company is profitable. That is their objective. They have a duty to their shareholders first and foremost to provide a return on their investment. If that is mitigated the investors will move their money to another company and this one will fold leaving the workers with only their union to comfort them.

I see nothing here so far to feel sorry for the workers if the work is moved.

They are welcome to bring the work to Texas.
 
Houston54 said:
Vacation bonus? 5th week of vacation?


I have a hard time accepting the premise that general manufacturing level employees deserve such benefits. We are talking about people who stand/sit at a machine or drive a forklift, or perform some other non-technical action to produce ammunition. It sounds to me like they have it pretty good now and their refusal to work with the company smacks of greed on the part of the union to me.

So what if the company is profitable. That is their objective. They have a duty to their shareholders first and foremost to provide a return on their investment. If that is mitigated the investors will move their money to another company and this one will fold leaving the workers with only their union to comfort them.

I see nothing here so far to feel sorry for the workers if the work is moved.

They are welcome to bring the work to Texas.
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Well put 54! Unions.....can't stand em' and don't wanna go off on a tangent in front of everyone. Look, if I choose to become a janitor, I expect to make 8-10$/hr, not $18. I agree that they can come to KS, a right to work state and highly skilled technical people in their corporation will make appropriate wages, as will those lacking skills. I refuse to work in a union environment and I'm actually happy to see this taking place. Trim the fat from American business....shut down the unions! The union shops in the town I grew up in have all moved their operations or changed names. Unions are cost-prohibitive to corporations in most cases. Where a strong union develops, a weak bottom line is to follow. Weak bottom line = move the company somewhere else.

Just like Goodyear....keep the union and it is only a matter of time until Mexican workers (where ppl don't complain about what I'd consider a fair wage) take those positions.
 
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1. If the company doesn't make a profit, would they all take a pay cut???
2. If they are getting paid the wages/benefits they agreed to work for, the
company has fulfilled its obligation!
3. It is of NO business of the employees what the company or executives
salary or profits are.

Boeing will be leaving Seattle soon for SC due to unrealistic union demands, and many more companies will be leaving union strongholds in the future due to union wages/pension issues.
 
Nothing destroys worker ambition quicker than a union contract.

As far as that record profit statement go to earnings dot com, punch in OLN and you'll see they're profits are about 12 to 15% of what they used to be.

5 weeks vacation? Yeah right. Workers would be better off putting their union dues into a Roth IRA.
 
kansasbrittany said:
Well put 54! Unions.....can't stand em' and don't wanna go off on a tangent in front of everyone. Look, if I choose to become a janitor, I expect to make 8-10$/hr, not $18. I agree that they can come to KS, a right to work state and highly skilled technical people in their corporation will make appropriate wages, as will those lacking skills. I refuse to work in a union environment and I'm actually happy to see this taking place. Trim the fat from American business....shut down the unions! The union shops in the town I grew up in have all moved their operations or changed names. Unions are cost-prohibitive to corporations in most cases. Where a strong union develops, a weak bottom line is to follow. Weak bottom line = move the company somewhere else.

Just like Goodyear....keep the union and it is only a matter of time until Mexican workers (where ppl don't complain about what I'd consider a fair wage) take those positions.
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Well put guys. I am sure that a right to work state will be happy to have the business. The company will most likely save money on taxes as well.

Remember to get out and vote tomorrow!
 
By voting down the contract they said they dont want the jobs. Fine! go some where they do want them
 
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