UTC Fuel Cell Members Okay New Pact

IAM members working at UTC Fuel Cells in South Windsor, CT voted overwhelmingly to accept a new three-year agreement with management.  With 95% of the hourly workers in attendance, IAM members voted to accept by a margin of 127 to 21.

The contract includes wage increases of 3% this year, 3% in 2004 and 2.5% in 2005, while retaining a semi-annual Cost of Living Adjustment (COLA).  Workers also received a $500 bonus, pension increases, job security language, and an agreement by management to consider an IAM IAM's High Performance Work Organization (HPWO) partnership.

The most difficult issue in negotiations, and the big drawback in the company's offer, was in the are of health insurance.  Management insisted on shifting more health care costs onto employees, raising premiums, the cost of medical services and prescription drugs.

IAM chief negotiator Jim Parent said, "We gave the membership all the information they needed to thoroughly evaluate the company's offer and make their own decision.  I believe that given the circumstances, they made a wise choice.

"At the same time," Parent continued, "these negotiations show once again why we need a national solution to the issue of health care.  Even well-off employers like UTC say they can't afford to pay escalating costs.  Their answer — to dump costs onto their employees — is no solution.  We need national health care, and we need someone in the White House who will work to help make that happen, instead of ignoring the problem."

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