American Standard Moves Molds
Oct. 23, 2008 7:41 a.m.
By Jeremy Lydic
SALEM, Ohio -- As the strike at American Standard Brands Inc. moved into its sixth day, the company announced it moved molds for some of its higher-volume acrylic products to another manufacturing plant. The molds were moved Wednesday, resulting in the reduction of some 20 to 30 hourly jobs.
"We will do whatever we must to ensure we continue to meet our customers' needs," said the strikebound plant's manager, Paul Lee, in a prepared statement. "For now, that means the permanent relocation of these products to another facility so that we are in a position to continue to fill orders."
The move doesn't surprise Joe Holcomb, staff representative from the United Steelworkers of America. It's "nothing unusual" for a company to move productions during a strike, and the company hasn't mentioned anything about discontinuing operations indefinitely, Holcomb said.
USW Local 1538 filed unfair labor charges Monday with the National Labor Relations Board office in Cleveland claiming that American Standard refuses to negotiate a new collective bargaining agreement and the company is interfering with union activities by dealing directly with members.
Holcomb claims members were approached by company officials who wanted workers to demand "certain motions be made at union meetings." The company's claim that the union officials didn't take the contract proposal to its members for a vote was false, he said.
"Everything the company had given us in proposals, we laid out on the table," Holcomb said. "Nobody wanted to make a motion" to vote on the proposal.
"Everybody voted for strike authorization after seeing the proposal."
Some 340 workers hit the picket line Oct. 17, prompting company officials and union leaders to meet and discuss the company's "last, best and final offer." No compromise was reached.
U.S. Rep. Charles Wilson, D-6 Ohio, joined Mayor Jerry Wolford and a federal mediator at the five-hour meeting to help the two parties reach an agreement.
"There is a long history of cooperation between the company and the workers and I urge both sides to work together to resolve this dispute," Wilson said in a statement Wednesday. "American Standard is an important business leader in our area. Behind every good company is an equally important work force and the skilled workers of USW Local 1538 are among the best in country."
American Standard also employs 37 salary workers at the Salem plant.
Copyright 2008 The Business Journal, Youngstown, Ohio.