Uniroyal Back at Work After 14-Week Strike
7-31-67 [handwritten]
Uniroyal employes were returning to work today in Naugatuck and Beacon Falls after two of three striking local unions voted to ratify a three – year contract ending the 14-week walkout.
Resumption of full – scale production is expected to be delayed since many workers are on annual vacation. About one-quarter of the workers have volunteered to postpone their vacations and return to the job immediately, the company said today.
Local 218 , United Rubber Workers of America, Chemical Division, approved the contract last night by voice vote. About 125 of the 725 members were present at Naugatuck High School. Vacations kept most away.
Unanimous Vote
Local 45, Footwear Division, voted unanimously Saturday night to accept the contract.
The third local, 308, Synthetic Division, will vote tonight. It is expected to approve the contract.
About eight men walked out Sunday night before casting their ballots and about five were heard to vote “no.”
A local spokesman for Uniroyal said the “new agreement will cost approximately 80 cents an hour and represents an average increase of more than 6 per cent a year for three years” of the contract.
Wages alone will show a 43-cent hike over the period, he said.
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When asked about this from the floor Sunday, Rzesutek replied: “That’s the way it’s been for 20 years.”
One union member, who walked out before the vote Sunday, said:
“I just spent 14 weeks (on strike) for that contract, and now they tell me I’ve got to wait 45 days before we get the benefits.”
In addition to the 80 per cent guaranteed annual wage, one of the significant gains appears to have been in company-paid surgical plan, which now has unique and untried aspects.
Instead of the $450 maximum for surgical operations, Rzesutek reported, the company will pay the entire bill as long as it’s a “customary and reasonable charge.”
Undoubtedly, the local president told the membership, “we’re going to have some (court) test cases on this.” He said he hoped to get the cooperation of local doctors on this clause regarding “customary and reasonable” medical bills.
The union leader expressed specific pride in improvement of “time spent in grievance meetings.” Also, he said the union won pay for any time spent in arbitration proceedings, “up to 40 hours.”
One other aspect of the contract yet unreported was complete medical coverage of wife and dependants of a worker, who dies on the job and who is at least 55 years old with 15 years of company service.