Deadline passes for Kongsberg Automotive workers

VAN WERT - More than 300 employees of Kongsberg Automotive locked out of their jobs stood by anxiously waiting Friday for news.

Company and union officials agreed upon a 10 a.m. deadline Friday, but that came and went with no word from the company on its next move. The 327 hourly employees of local 1-524 Steel Workers Union said they were willing to return to work for their old wages - more than $14 an hour - but not for the $9 the company had proposed.

They have been locked out of work for a month.

Kongsberg human resources Manager Tom Herman declined comment. No other company officials could be reached for comment.

Security guards stood outside the building not far from workers protesting near the street. The building remained boarded as replacement workers kept production going inside.

Union staff representative Jim Kerns said the union met Kongsberg's 10 a.m. deadline with a deadline of its own seeking to see profit margins or financial statements proving the company is struggling to stay competitive.

"The only thing these folks have on their minds is money and they don't care how they make it," he said. "We asked for them to prove their case. Show us where you bid on jobs and were turned down."

Kerns said he and others are convinced the issue boils down to corporate greed with the desire to take advantage of a low-paid workforce in Mexico or China. He said the company could care less about the American worker.

"It's just like a disposable diaper. Let's just get rid of it," he said.

Kerns said the union plans to file a complaint with the National Labor Relations Board in hopes of obtaining the company's financial information.

Kongsberg, which bought the company that had operated as Teleflex since 1966, makes shifter cables for car transmissions and the shifter tower or console. Kongsberg is based in Norway, union officials said.

Earlier this week, union workers agreed to a 10 percent pay cut, a pension freeze and changes to the 401K, but the company didn't accept, union members said.

Local union official Judy Grubb, who has worked at the plant for 33 years, said the company's lack of response is frustrating.

The building's windows have been boarded up. Union members picket in front, near the street. Friday was the first day locked-out workers started receiving unemployment checks.

Grubb said the company has orchestrated its plan well in advance - arranging temporary workers and security while the contact was being negotiated earlier this year.

Union workers are willing to return to work immediately if the company is willing to pay them their old wages.

Meanwhile, some union workers are struggling as it becomes harder to keep up with life's expenses. Health insurance, alone, is difficult to afford, Grubb said.