August 1, 2011
St. Paul, Minn. ó Union workers at Moorhead-based American Crystal Sugar have resoundingly rejected the company’s final contract offer.
That means the company will lock out 1,300 union workers on Monday morning, hire replacement workers and tighten security at five processing plants in the Red River Valley, and sugar storage facilities in Chaska, Minn., and Mason City, Iowa.
American Crystal Vice President Brian Ingulsrud says he’s surprised and disappointed.
“I would have expected, with the excellent offer we put on the table of 17 percent increase in pay, the employees would have chosen to be at work on Monday,” he said.
Union members say they are angry about higher health insurance premiums. They also believe contract language the company insisted on is a threat to union job security.
Union representative Mark Froemke says other concerns trumped the money.
“It was never about the money. It was about the language and the issues of health care and job security. The money was not the issue,” he said.
Union officials say 96 percent of members who voted opposed the deal.|
