Union members at Glenmore Distillery are voting on a new contract today, and the negotiating committee has recommended they vote yes in approval.
Negotiations have been ongoing for more than a month, and members have been working without a contract since April 15. In a vote on April 13, 95% of members voted no to a new contract proposal from Glenmore.
A federal mediator was called in to help both parties reach an agreement.
“They worked through the second half of last week and the weekend, and we were able to reach a tentative agreement on Sunday evening,” said Caitlin Blair, spokesperson for UFCW 227.
She said Wednesday the union negotiating committee reviewed the details of the agreement with all of the union members and recommended that they vote to approve the new contract.
The main point of concern in the original proposal was that new hires at Glenmore would make at least $9/hour less than current workers.
“Our union members on the committee felt like they could recommend the new agreement because everybody has the opportunity to earn the same wages for the same work,” Blair said. “The other really important thing that this agreement does for our members that has been an issue is it allows for better work-life balance.”
Union members will cast their secret ballot vote Thursday.
“If the tentative agreement is ratified in a vote of the members, we will begin the process of implementing it and getting back to a focus on serving our customers and communities,” said Amy Preske, public relations manager for Glenmore’s parent company Sazerac.
Blair said there is still a chance the members would vote no, but either way the union has fought hard to reach a point where both parties can agree to terms.
“The union negotiating committee showed what solidarity looks like,” Blair said. “They stood together and they represented their fellow union brothers and sisters well. That solidarity among the union members at Glenmore is what’s gotten us to a point where we have a tentative agreement where the committee is recommending a yes vote.”
Regardless of the outcome, there are still three unfair labor practice charges pending against Sazerac after they were filed by the union last week. The most serious of those alleges the company has engaged in bad faith bargaining from the beginning of contract negotiations.
Preske said last week the company has at all times bargained in good faith and has made many concessions on its own proposals, as well as agreeing to many proposals made by the union.
