Tentative agreements reached

Listerhill - Tentative labor contracts have been hammered out between company officials and three unions that represent much of the production workers at Wise Alloys, officials said Monday.

The Steelworkers local tentatively agreed to a new contract just after 7 p.m. Monday, union and company officials told the TimesDaily.

Earlier in the day, the International Union of Operating Engineers Local 320 agreed to a new contract, which members will be voting on until 8 a.m. today to determine whether they will accept the deal. Carpenter's Local 1209, which has eight members at the Wise can plant in Sheffield, also has apparently agreed to a new contract, company officials said.

Wayne Travers, a spokesman for Wise Alloys, said the Steelworkers local has agreed to a five-year deal but did not know other details when contacted Monday night.

"Pending ratification by the full membership, they will return to work at 8 a.m. (today)," Travers said.

The 330 Steelworkers went on strike early Friday after negotiations on a new contract broke down without an agreement. The union resumed negotiations with the company Monday afternoon.

The strike at Wise began Thursday at 3 p.m. when the contract at the plant expired with the Security, Police and Fire Professionals of America local. Those workers were joined on the picket line an hour later when the North Alabama Building Trades unions at Wise walked out without a new contract.

Wise officials have said jobs that have previously been held by the guards and building and trades workers are being outsourced to private companies. The local building and trades unions filled about 200 jobs.

Two sources with the Steelworkers local said Monday night that all 330 members are expected to report to work at 8 a.m. today.

Lance Stover, business agent with the Carpenter's local, confirmed the union reached a tentative agreement with the company, but did not divulge any details.

Union members voted to pull off the picket line Monday after the contingent agreement was reached, he said.

"We'll be glad to get back to work," Stover said.

Gary Dalrymple, business manager with the operating engineers local, said the operating engineers at the Wise Reclamation Plant on Ford Road officially joined the strike at 11 a.m. Monday, before agreements had been discussed.

Union leaders said that after the operating engineers decided to strike, it stimulated further contract negotiations and led to a tentative agreement. Those workers were still manning a picket line Monday night despite the tentative agreement.

They will continue on the picket line until an agreement is reached, Dalrymple said.

"The contract expired Thursday night at midnight, but we agreed to work day to day," he said. "We didn't feel like there was anything being done so we decided to strike."

Dalrymple said that once the union declared a strike, they felt like they made a lot of progress toward a resolution.

"We've got some real positive developments, and it's a pretty decent package for them to vote on," he said.

If the operating engineers group of about 105 workers approve the new contract, they are also expected to return to work at the same time this morning at the Reclamation Plant.

"We thank the unions for working with us to reach a fair and equitable agreement for everyone," Travers said.

It's unclear how the new contracts will affect the strike by Building Trades workers and others who are part of the company's outsourcing effort. There are about 200 Building Trades workers at Wise Alloys.

"We don't know what the ramifications will be at this point because we still don't know exactly what the Steelworkers have negotiated," said Charles Lamon, assistant business agent with the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 558. "We let them handle their workers and we worry about our workers.

"We will still operate picket lines and they'll have to cross it in order to report to work. We have a good working relationship with all the unions and I don't see this causing a lot of friction between the unions. Their leadership has to make those calls and do what they think is in the best interest of their members.

"Having those workers reporting back to work would probably dampen our efforts, but I don't think it would kill us. I don't know if the company will contact us now and negotiate with us or if they'll tell us we're gone forever."

Lamon said representatives of the various building and trades locals will meet today in an effort to make a counter-proposal to the company.

Travers said Monday night that workers hired by ABB Inc. are providing maintenance work at Wise Alloys.

"Since August, Wise has worked with the building and trades and the offer was on the table until Nov. 1 for them to review the agreement (with ABB)," Travers said. "They were given a chance to submit a competing proposal, and they did not."

Keith Huntley, vice president of the North Alabama Building Trades, said the union's members are united and standing firm, but are ready and willing to go back to work.

"We are looking forward to a resumption of negotiations that hopefully will include the company's owner and chairman/chief executive officer, David F. D'Addario," Huntley said. "We believe that it will be beneficial to the process and to everyone involved if Mr. D'Addario will come in and personally take a hard look at what is happening at Wise Metals, or perhaps more importantly, what is not happening in our negotiations with his plant representatives."

Huntley cited a lack of movement from a meeting Friday with federal mediator Robert Dillard, union representatives and company officials.

"The unions are awaiting word from the federal mediator on another meeting, which we hope will involve the active participation of Mr. D'Addario, giving him the opportunity to hear, first-hand, our side of the argument," Huntley said.

Kenda Williams can be reached at 740-5720 or kenda.williams@timesdaily.com.

Managing Editor Mike Goens contributed to this report.