Strike Hits Everett’s Goldfinch Bros Glass

Editor’s Update Monday July 25th: No contract details yet but it appears a settlement has been reached and workers will be back on the job tomorrow or no later than Wednesday.

Yesterday pickets appeared in front of Goldfinch Brothers Glass Company at the corner of Rucker and California in downtown Everett. Right now the retail store is open and they continue to schedule appointments to measure for glass and window replacements and to work on estimates for future new construction projects. The strike has affected the ability for Goldfinch to actually install windows and its trucks are parked. According to a picket captain named Mike there are 13 shops on strike in the Puget Sound area. The strike began on Friday and picketing began yesterday. Goldfinch Bros. is the only Everett location affected.

MyEverettNews.com received the following press release from the Western Washington Glass Contractors Multi-Employer Group who represents Goldfinch Bros. and a dozen other companies in the Puget Sound…

The collective bargaining agreement between the Commercial Glaziers represented by IUPAT DC#5 Local 188 and the Western Washington Glass Contractors Multi-Employer Group expired June 30, 2016. The parties have been in bargaining since May, 2016, meeting 7 times, including a full day session with the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service on June 29, 2016. The parties reached an agreement at the end of the mediation session which was recommended for ratification by the Union and the Union bargaining committee. However, on June 30, the Union membership voted to reject the Employers’ offer and instead chose to go on strike, beginning July 1, 2016.
The Employer Group made a fair and substantive offer, as evidenced by the Union Committee’s recommendation, and the fact that the offer was in line with, or greater than, the settlements of most other trades in our region. Specifically, the Employer Group proposed an increase amounting to an additional $8.50 per hour over four years, bringing the hourly package (which includes full family medical coverage and pension contributions) to $64.66 by July 1, 2019. This would mean that by 2019, an average full time glazier, before overtime, would receive a wage and benefit package equaling $130,000.00 per year.
The Group is hopeful that an agreement will be reached quickly and the work stoppage will end. The parties will be meeting with Federal Mediators later this week.

MyEverettNews.com also received the following statement via email from Goldfinch…

“We believe we have made a fair and reasonable offer to our union employees and are disappointed that our union employees have chosen to go on strike rather than to take a raise and keep working. We have a mediation session scheduled on Thursday with a federal mediator and we are hopeful that the work stoppage can be resolved soon.”

MyEverettNews.com spoke this afternoon with Jed Nannery, a business representative for the Local. He said in addition to wages, two major concerns of the members were first, the proposed extension of the working hours currently 5am – 5pm to 4am – 7pm. “We have members who need to be able to go to ballet recitals, ball practice and school events and can’t do that if we’re working until seven,” said Nannery. The second concern was employers wanting to take away sick days. Nannery says the workers also hope the federal mediators can help both sides reach an agreement.