Members of Local 9-675 in Guin, Ala., held the line during their recent contract negotiations with 3M to ratify a new three-year agreement that includes the highest wage increases the workers have seen.
The local entered bargaining with 3M on Sept. 26 with a focus on wages and language clarification. After rejecting the company’s first offer, the membership ratified their final contract on Nov. 30. They were able to secure significant wage increases for each year of the agreement and multiple improvements to the benefits book, including up to three weeks of paid parental leave for qualified employees.
The new contract also includes an increase to shift premiums, as well as much-needed updates to scheduling and overtime.
Local 9-675 members manufacture reflective road signs and pavement marking materials; reflective products for advertising on trucks and trailers and for improved visibility of emergency response vehicles; glass bubbles for lightweight filler material, and ceramic microspheres that are a filler in paints and coatings.
First organized in 1956, today the local represents around 250 production, warehouse and maintenance workers.