Labor was out in force Wednesday, Dec. 3, 2104 as hundreds of striking workers and representatives from other union groups attended a solidarity rally for employees at RHI Monofrax in Falconer.

FALCONER – More than 300 people were at RHI Monofrax late Wednesday afternoon and early Wednesday night in a show of solidarity for workers who’ve been on strike since the end of September.

The strike includes 120 members of the Service Employees International Union and 14 members of the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers union.

With the strike now in its tenth week, SEIU local chief steward Karl Kraus told WRFA Wednesday night that workers are now feeling the financial impact. He said some workers are the primary source of income for their families and as a result of not working for over two months, they are even having a difficult time making house payments, car payments and even paying for groceries.

“It’s been really tough,” Kraus explained. “We are just now this week starting to get unemployment compensation [for the last two weeks] so that’s helping out a little bit but for the first seven weeks we had nothing.”

To show support for the workers and offer help to those who’ve felt the financial burden, the Jamestown Area Labor Federation has reached out to all local labor groups and other community members seeking non-perishable food items as well as cash items to help out the workers. Those donations were presented during Wednesday’s Solidarity rally.

Labor Federation president David Wilkinson (IBEW) was on hand for the rally and explained why he and other union members in the region wanted to show support.

“there was 10 labor affiliations on hand tonight and we brought down donations to try and show solidarity with the striking workers,” Wilkinson said. “It’s important to show that labor is going to stand together in hard times and in good times.”

That help from other labor groups has been greatly appreciated.

“This was incredible to have the Jamestown Area Labor Federation come down and support us,” Kraus said. “We’ve had numerous people come down over the past nine weeks. We’ve had labor unions from all over the area, they’ve come down and given us support. Just everyday Joe Americans have come down and offered support for us, and we’re down here 24 hours a day, seven days a week and we’re going to continue to be out here whether its cold, snowing or raining until we can get a contract that we can live with.”

Company officials and union reps have been unable to come to terms on a new contract since the old one expired at the end of September, with the main sticking points being increased insurance contributions for workers and lower pension benefits from the company, although Kraus says there are a few other issues as well.

The impasses in negotiations has resulted in one of the longer strike’s the area has seen in quite some time.

“This is a large strike and its very important for us to get it resolved. It puts a lot of people out of work,” Wilkinson told WRFA. “We haven’t seen a strike of this magnitude in many years and it seems like the company is not fairly negotiating with the representatives from the union. It’s a different approach that we haven’t seen in a long time.”

Austria-based RHI has owned the Falconer-based Monofrax operation since 2007. The plant makes fusion cast refractories primarily used in the glass industry. The federal government buys materials from RHI Monofrax to clean up nuclear waste, by converting the waste into a form of glass.

With no end to the strike in sight, the company has resorted to bringing in non-union labor to complete work orders that has been delayed since the strike first began the final week of September.

Kraus says the two sides will be meeting again this week to try and finally reach agreement on a new contract.

Employees with RHI Monofrax went on strike Monday, Sept. 29 after voting down a new contract with management. (Photo courtesy of Nate Evans)

FALCONER – The employee strike at RHI Monofrax in Falconer is now into its fourth week.

The striking workers at the manufacturing plant include 120 members of the Service Employees International Union and 14 members of the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers union.

On Monday, SEIU local chief steward Karl Krauss told WRFAf that union officials met with management for over four hours on Saturday, Oct. 18, but the new offer was not even close to what workers are seeking. As a result, the two sides were unable to agree to new contract terms and the strike is still underway. Krauss says a federal mediator was also present to help with the negotiation process.

Krauss said the main sticking point is insurance, along with seniority rights. He said company officials want workers to contribute more into their health insurance premiums, while also providing only a small increase in wages to help offset the insurance hike. He also said the company doesn’t want seniority to be a factor during layoffs when business slows down, while the union believes seniority needs to be protected.

According to Krauss, the management at RHI Monograx is trying to identify a total of $1,000,000 in annual savings – which is why it’s asking workers to contribute more to healthcare. The company is also offering to buy out the life insurance of 70 retired workers at $6,000 piece.

Krauss said that Saturday’s meeting was the first one devoted to contract negotiations. He said a meeting also took place on Wednesday, Oct. 15, but that meeting was intended to serve as an informational meeting with insurance providers. No actual negotiations took place.

As of Monday night, there was not follow-up meeting scheduled. Krauss said he feels management and union officials may meet again later in the month or in early November. He said Nov. 15 will mark the seventh week of the strike, which would then allow for workers to file for unemployment benefits. He said it is likely the two sides will meet again prior to that date to try and reach an agreement.

As a result the strike will continue. Krauss says other in local labor have been supportive of the strike with a large rally taking place this past Friday. In addition, other labor groups have been offering support by providing food and beverages to the striking workers and Krauss says they are obviously thankful for the support.