PHILADELPHIA, Nov. 17, 2009 – Members of the United Steelworkers (USW) Local 1478 at the South Glens Falls mill of SCA Tissue North America have ratified a labor contract that constitutes a master labor agreement applicable to union workers at all SCA Tissue operations. By ratifying the contract, employees at the location gain access to a SCA/USW national framework for wages and benefits, exact terms of which were not disclosed. The contract also includes an agreement to collaborate on productivity improvements and on the creation of a joint health and wellness committee.
The pact, which will run for four years when the current agreement expires in July 2010, was praised by company and union spokesmen as reflecting the cooperative approach both parties have taken in labor negotiations
"Our manufacturing leadership team and the USW have established a strong and collaborative working relationship. This provides a critical foundation for the success of our labor contract process and SCA Tissue's day-to-day manufacturing operations," said SCA Tissue President Don Lewis.
"This contract and the way it was negotiated is an example of the progressive labor relations that SCA Tissue and the USW have developed," said James Carmichael, SCA Tissue Director, Employee Relations.
“It’s a win-win,” agreed Keith Baker, mill employee and president of the local USW chapter, which represents 250 hourly employees at the South Glens Falls plant and the Saratoga distribution center. “Both sides worked hard in collaborating on this contract. It’s a good agreement and one that will allow us to continue to work together toward continued success.”
Kyle Brock, SCA Tissue Vice President, Human Resources, called the agreement “the latest example of the mutual trust and cooperation which has encouraged SCA to make a substantial investment in terms of human and capital resources in the region.”
Since the 2001 acquisition of the South Glens Falls mill and the Greenwich converting plant, SCA Tissue has invested nearly $70 million in its upstate New York facilities. The operations have an annual direct economic impact in the region of $120 million. SCA Tissue has nearly 430 employees in the area at its mill in South Glens Falls, converting facility in Greenwich and distribution center in Saratoga.
The company’s progressive relationship with its employees includes investing more than 10,000 hours per year in employee training and creation of a Joint Advisory Committee of union and management personnel who meet quarterly to work mutually on solving challenges. The company also has developed a High Performance Work System that empowers employees to be involved in business decision and workflow initiatives.
“Since acquiring this mill in 2001, SCA Tissue has shown its commitment to our workers and our community not only through strategic capital investment but by continuing to support good paying jobs even during tough economic times,” Baker said.
SCA Tissue manufactures all of its tissue from 100 percent recycled materials. The South Glens Falls mill processes 110,000 tons of recycled paper annually, producing 80,000 tons of paper that is converted into more than five million cases of bath tissue, folded and hardwound towels that are sold in the away-from-home market to commercial venues such as restaurants, office buildings, health care facilities and other public venues in the Northeast.
In addition to the South Glens Falls mill and the Greenwich converting plant, SCA Tissue North America, which is headquartered in Philadelphia, has manufacturing facilities in Wisconsin, Alabama and Arizona. The company employs 2,400 in the U.S.