Posts Categorized: Allies and Affiliates

Members of RWDSU/UFCW Local 139 who work at the Valley View Manor nursing home in Norwich, N.Y., recently ratified a new contract that strengthens wages and benefits.

Members of the bargaining unit manage all operations at the nursing home and include licensed practical nurses, certified nursing assistants, laundry and maintenance workers, as well as workers who help with dietary and activity programs for patients. These members joined the RWDSU/UFCW in 2019. Reception workers have also been added to the RWDSU/UFCW Local 139 membership, giving them a union voice and contract for the first time.

The three-year contract includes wage increases of 18 to 32 percent based upon job classifications. All employees will receive additional two percent increases in years two and three of the contract, along with a ratification bonus of up to $300. The contract also includes a first time company match to the 401(k) plan, an increased shift differential, and additional paid time off depending upon years of service.

More than 140 ICWUC and Teamsters members who work at two INEOS pigments plants in Ashtabula, Ohio, recently called on the company to stop violating U.S. labor law and bargain a first contract. INEOS is a global chemical company, and INEOS Pigments is one of the largest producers of titanium dioxide in North America. 

The workers, who are members of ICWUC / UFCW Local 1033C and Teamsters Local 377, unionized in August of 2021 after the company eliminated workers’ pensions, increased the cost of family health care by over $100 per week, and began utilizing under-trained subcontractors to perform work at the facility.

“INEOS would not be the profitable chemical giant it is without these workers, yet the company has taken away benefits like pensions and health care that allow them to support their families,” said ICWUC / UFCW Local 1033C International Representative Ron Moore. “Our members will not allow INEOS to continue to violate labor law and treat them like they’re disposable. We will continue to raise our voices, and demand they stop the stalling tactics and bargain in good faith to address our concerns.”

“We won our first election at INEOS in November of 2016,” said ICWUC / UFCW President Lance Heasley. “INEOS has used every tactic available to them to prevent the workers from having a voice in their workplace. The ICWUC/UFCW will continue to work with the Teamsters to secure a good union contract for the workers at INEOS.”