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.
The store in downtown Everett is open but there are pickets out front and the trucks have been idled.
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.”
Both sides are scheduled to meet with a Federal Mediator on Thursday.
July 13, 2016 at 3:43 PM
AFTER you account for the benefits, it’s still significantly higher than the national average. Sure they work hard for their pay, nobody is arguing that they dont. But then again, so do ditch diggers.
July 11, 2016 at 5:53 PM
The 130,000 is an overall package, the glaziers are not putting that all in their pocket. Part of that figure is for retirement, a good chunk of it is probably going good towards health insurance. Glaziers work hard for their pay, I spent 20 plus years doing just that, and if the are fighting for what the feel is right, more power to them.
July 9, 2016 at 3:00 PM
P.s. the national average for a glazier is about 44k
July 9, 2016 at 2:59 PM
$130k… you’re kidding me right? To install windows?!? Get a grip on reality, pull your big kid undies up, and get back to work, crybabies.
July 9, 2016 at 8:00 AM
Anon
sad for you…. never allowing a reply to your ridiculous comments.
But it must be a nice way ti live. Never have to live the consequences for your words… Coward
#DrMorq
July 7, 2016 at 4:54 PM
Fire every single one of these guys.
July 8, 2016 at 7:20 AM
YES wa-fux,
Fire all of them.
Because no one fought for their rights as workers and damn it… business pays more then enough to workers. Its the 1% who deserves the profits, not some lazy union workers..
Were any of you downtown in Seattle when the window fell out from 30 floors up?
And you want non skilled, non-trained kids to put windows in buildings Or is that only when its not your home?
#DrMorq
July 8, 2016 at 9:06 AM
Wow, typical. I’m fairly certain the window that fell out was put in by “skilled” and “trained” Union glaziers. And, it sounds like the unit split so it may not have even been the installation. Shocking as it may be to you, there are people with skill that are not in the union. That’s not a copyright you hold pal. And yes, $130,000 a year for a construction worker working 40 hours a week through the year is more than enough. They were offered a raise of more than 4% a year on top of that and that’s not enough for them??????? Get serious.
July 7, 2016 at 3:07 PM
It looks like they should have started negotiating the new contract a year ago. Going on strike rarely pays off. I’m not saying this as a “right winger.” My dad was in the Teamsters all his life and this was his opinion too.
July 7, 2016 at 7:28 AM
Bourne may not have a working knowledge of how the union structure works.
July 7, 2016 at 10:34 AM
He (and all the other handles he spouts Right-wing nonsense under) does not have a working knowledge of anything unless it reinforces his views. Every issue is oversimplified to a Conservative talking point. Manages to be on the wrong side of nearly every issue, and always seems to find a way to use every article as an indictment on the homeless, the drug addicted, the unemployed, the government, and Obama. It’s so ridiculous it’s actually starting to grow on me.
July 7, 2016 at 9:13 PM
You love your enabling government so much, you can come pick up the needle cap, the drug baggie and the cut up tin can from my lawn. It’s a piece of crap, and a little overgrown- so watch out for the missing needle hidden in the tall grass.
I haven’t dared to contact Hep C from walking in my own yard. I’ll even provide you with a prize if you find it!
The unemployed drug addicted homeless are almost all the same thing.
Glad you get a stiffy from Bournes posts.
July 7, 2016 at 9:14 PM
Says the guy who somehow brought Obama into this topic by complaining about something completely off topic.
Troll. Quit spamming.
July 8, 2016 at 12:14 AM
SJW FO SHO I.D.I.O.T.
July 6, 2016 at 6:58 PM
Why would you want to replace them? Simply for wanting to negotiate a better contract? It’s when we allow the bosses and owners to take away our ability to stand up for ourselves that the middle class loses. Would you like to work at 4AM?
July 7, 2016 at 8:01 AM
There are a ton of people who would rather work ANY job rather than sit around and collect unemployment, regardless of the time. I don’t know the facts but I am sure there are plenty of people who have applied at these businesses.
The glass companies should start firing these ungrateful employees and start hiring new. This isn’t skilled work, this is replaceable labor and if you’re not happy, don’t waste the employer’s time and money, go find something else.
July 7, 2016 at 8:05 AM
I do work at 4 am, Jerk.
July 7, 2016 at 8:47 AM
Why do you say this is unskilled work? How would you know what all their work entails and how much of it can be done by anyone without training? Do you belong to a Union? Did you ever need to fight for better working conditions?
July 13, 2016 at 8:09 PM
You oviosly have no idea what is going on in seattles skilled labor market most if not all instalers wouldnt last a day on the job these journeymen are skilled workers this is why their pay is high
July 8, 2016 at 8:41 AM
The facts are that the 4am-7pm time change was taken out of the contract offer before it went to vote. The sick pay being “taken away” is a blatant falsehood as well. The union negotiated that out in the late 80’s to get more money in their checks. If people were upset about these items, and they were major concerns, they should actually READ what they are voting on.
The contract that was offered was as good, and in most cases better, than any other Union agreement across the board. It was not only fair, it was generous. Most people in society would do back flips if they got the kind of raises that were offered, and in turn rejected.
With the construction industry being this busy, it smells a lot like planned extortion to me.
July 6, 2016 at 6:45 PM
They should be lucky to have a job in today’s market. Replace them with hard working non-union people.
July 7, 2016 at 6:17 AM
And who will you blame when the non union worker makes a mistake that ruins a 20illion dollar building?
July 7, 2016 at 3:13 PM
There are plenty of non-union workers that do quality work, don’t be so ignorant.
The working hours and length of contract are easy to mediate out.
What gets me is the “Sick pay” being taken away by the owners. That was negotiated out in the late 80’s by the union itself to get more money up front in their checks. Don’t believe everything you read. If you can find sick days accounted for in the last agreement, point it out to me and I will retract that part of my statement.
July 8, 2016 at 9:52 AM
I don’t know all the details of the negotiations but there not paid enough!
Locally 66 supported them today on our job.
July 8, 2016 at 10:04 AM
I’ve got 34 years in the trades! Ive seen plenty of hard working non skilled installations! We had to fix them! It’s all in the training and that don’t come cheap.
July 11, 2016 at 10:05 AM
And I know a non-union company that went in and fixed a project that a union company installed…$1million repair. It goes both ways. The training is good in the Union, but they are not the only skilled glaziers around.