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Knowing these talks are important to thousands of
workers across Connecticut, representative from IAM locals and Unions
having contracts with United Technologies Corporation attended opening day
negotiations between the IAM and UTC Fuel Cells, a division of United
Technologies Corporation (UTC). They came to show unity and solidarity and
to pledge their support in the fight to obtain a fair and just agreement.
“We’re not intending to go backwards,” declared IAM
chief negotiator James Parent. The union’s goal is simple; to negotiate a
contract that FC IAM members can accept — by addressing the key goals of
Job Security and Retirement Security.
Negotiations between the IAM and UTC Fuel Cells, whose workers are
members of IAM Local 1746 in East Hartford, CT., began on October 22.
IAM Aerospace Coordinator Frank Santos, pointing to reports that UTC
Chairman George David has made $327 million in the last 10 years, stated
if UTC can pay the CEO so well, the company can well-afford to address our
demands, especially on pensions.
After hearing company negotiator Ryan Jurkovic complain about steeply
rising health cost and saying the Union “would see proposals on this”, IAM
Representative Bill Rudis challenged Fuel Cells and UTC management to join
the IAM in lobbying for national health care rather than trying to dump
more cost onto its’ workers.
Having
completed two sessions with the company and having sat through a “state of
the business” presentation by UTC Fuel Cells’ Ed Dlugolenski, who repeated
time and again the dilemma of “cost” as a major drawback in getting
products to market, it’s clear that Fuel Cell workers need to be prepared
to fight to get a good contract.
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