USW 449 Workers at Huhtamaki Ratify “One of the Better Contracts” Waterville Mill Has Ever Seen

Members of United Steelworkers Local 449 at the Huhtamaki foodservice and packaging products mill voted overwhelmingly on Sept. 25 to ratify a new three-year contract that includes strong wage increases, more vacation time to improve work-life balance and more. USW Local 449 represents 470 members at the Huhtamaki mill in Waterville.

“Negotiations started out a little rough, but we were prepared and at the end of the day we saw the best offer we were ever going to see," said Lee Drouin, President of USW Local 449. "It was one of the richest contracts we’ve ever seen and a big win for our members.

“With inflation spiking in the middle of our previous five-year collective bargaining agreement, our members were chomping at the bit to get a seat at the bargaining table. They didn’t disappoint either," said Mike Higgins, Labor Representative for USW District 4. "In order for the company to understand the seriousness of our members, we put 140 items and issues, one by one, in front of the company. Though it took some time, the company addressed many of our concerns with language and economics. I can confidently say that this is one of the better contracts the Waterville mill has ever seen."

Highlights of the new contract include:

• Annual pay increases of 4 percent in year one, 3 percent in year two and 3 percent in year three
   
• All employees who did not receive mid-contract recruitment and retention increases will receive $1.15/hr increase. This will impact roughly 400 mostly production workers at the mill.
   
• Shift differential: $0.75 for all evening shifts (2pm-10pm and overnight shifts)
   
• Training rate increase of $1 per hour for all work scheduled as a trainer
   
• An additional $250 per year employer contribution to 401ks
   
• Increase in sickness & accident benefits to $540 in year one, $560 in year two, and $600 in year three
   
• Vacation improvements of 6 week for 27+ years; 5 weeks for 18+ years; 4 weeks for 10+ years; 3 weeks for 6+ years; and 2 weeks for 0-6 years

Union leaders say the negotiations were very challenging at the beginning because the last five-year contract was very strong as it was negotiated in 2019 before the COVID pandemic. Midway through the contract the company provided wage increases of $6.00/hr for electricians and $2.90/hr for millwrights to improve employee retention and recruitment. However, about 400 workers did not receive those pay raises, so they wanted to make sure they received substantial wage increases in the new contract to keep up with the rising cost of living.

"Giving raises like this to individual groups from a bargaining unit really puts a lot of stress on local leadership, and the negotiating team let the company know it,” Higgins added. “Though a $1.15 per hour increase is a far cry from $6.00 or $2.90, for that matter, this is still a huge win to advance the interests of Local 449’s membership and their families. I’m very proud of every member of the bargaining committee for standing tall and fighting for our members' agenda.”