NEWS 25 - WEHT: Evansville, Henderson, Owensboro-Alcan Works Out Tentative Contract With Union

Alcan Works Out Tentative Contract With Union

story by Courtney Gousman

ROBARDS, KY - Sixty layoffs in the spring, and now Alcan's aluminum plant in Henderson County has come up with a tentative agreement for the 400 workers left behind.

NEWS 25 has been following the negotiations since they began, yesterday.

Alcan officials tell NEWS 25 these negotiations usually wrap-up the same day the contract expires.

That was not the case this go-round, as talks started Wednesday. After 11 hours of deliberations, nothing was agreed upon.

The talks picked back-up Thursday at Aztar's Conference Center, where NEWS 25 waited for an agreement to be announced by the one o'clock deadline.

Nothing would be final until three hours later, just before 4:00 p.m., when Alcan officials notified NEWS 25 they had worked out a five-year contract with the local United Steelworkers Union.

Alcan execs tell NEWS 25 hourly workers will receive an average of a 3% increase in pay, each year, over the course of the contract.

Alcan's spokesperson, Kenny Barkley, says the negotiations were lengthened as the company and union worked to address issues surrounding attendance of plant workers.

Barkley says poor attendance has been an issue at the Robards location for the past three years.

"We want to make sure that the attendance, employees are there to do the job the best they can. We're in an economy right now that requires the most efficient plant we've got to have everybody there as often as possible as they can be," says Barkely.

Barkley says Alcan's parent company plans to invest $50 million dollars worth of equipment-upgrades to the plant—and no more layoffs are anticipated.

That contract will remain tentative until union workers vote on it.

Alcan has given workers a deadline of midnight November 5th for approval. Union workers are expected to start voting next week.