Dozens of workers in Mount Pleasant showed up to work Wednesday morning at the Delfield manufacturing plant to find the doors locked.
Soon after, members of the United Steel Workers Local Union 2-585 gathered in protest calling for a "fair contract" and for Delfield to let them go back to work. Delfield primarily manufactures commercial kitchen appliances.
The lockout is the latest development in a series of failed contract negotiations between Delfield and the local union, who began bargaining a new contract on March 5. The bargaining has resulted in three tentative agreements between both parties. However, all three agreements were voted down my union members.
"After exhausting conventional negotiations efforts, we have concluded that extraordinary measures, though regrettable, are required to move forward," a Delfield spokesperson said about the lockout in a statement to WCMU.
Mike Bilodeau is a staff representative for the union and is part of the bargaining team. He said the top issue for members is not wages, but rather the flexibility to schedule weekend time off. Under the previous contract, Bilodeau said that members were able to have more say in when they could take time off on weekends.
"This contract under the terms and conditions at the table right now strips them of that affordability to a degree at which they're not satisfied," Bilodeau said. “That gave them flexibility with their work-life balance and their families and that’s important to our folks, as it would be any working person."
According to the Delfield spokesperson, the current contract offer has the most significant wage increases in the company's history, provides more paid time off and workplace improvements requested by union members. The lockout can end at anytime, the company wrote, after their latest settlement offer is accepted and finalized by the union.
“A lot of people are hurt by these types of actions," said Donnie Blatt, the director of the United Steel Workers Union District 1, which includes Ohio and Michigan. "We want to keep working and keep bargaining We want to get back to the table and have a discussion. We can’t resolve it if we’re not talking.”
