Employees with RHI Monofrax went on strike Monday, Sept. 29 after voting down a new contract with management. (Photo courtesy of Nate Evans)
FALCONER – More than 130 employees of RHI Monofrax in Falconer have gone on strike, after refusing to accept terms of a new contract with company leadership. On Sunday, organized employees rejected the company’s latest offer and with the previous contract expiring at Midnight, the workers went on strike.
Specific details of what the workers are seeking in their new contract, including benefits and scheduled salary increases, have not been provided, although union officials have said in several media reports that they simply want fair compensation for the work that they provide. The Buffalo News is also reporting that the workers were upset that the company is seeking increased contributions from workers for healthcare benefits while also freezing their pensions.
The striking workers at the manufacturing plant include 120 members of the Service Employees International Union and 14 members of the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers union.
Meanwhile, the company has said in a public statement that it has made arrangements to continue to operate the business and intends to fill all customer orders in a timely fashion.
Workers said they’re willing to stay on the picket line for as long as it takes until management comes back to the table to agree on what union leaders say is a fair and equitable deal. So far, no new meeting has been scheduled between union leaders and management.
Austria-based RHI has owned the Chautauqua County operation since 2007. The plant makes fusion cast refractories primarily used in the glass industry. The federal government buys materials from RHI Monofrax to clean up nuclear waste, by converting the waste into a form of glass.
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