Delfield workers’ contract to expire

Employees preparing to continue work amid Saturday deadline

The current contract covering workers at Delfield is set to expire at midnight Saturday night, and workers there are preparing to work without a new one. Union officials say offers made by management don’t cut it.

“We just want to work there and have a fair contract,” said Kathy Clay, a spokeswoman with United Steelworkers Union Local 2-585. “We don’t want to be slaves.”

Clay said that Delfield management’s offers would tear down protections that have been in place for 50 years and require six-day workweeks with little opportunity to take vacation.

Right now, there are no plans for any kind of work stoppage, she said. Authorization of a strike would require a vote of the membership and approval of the international council.

But, union membership has no interest in an extension of the current contract, she said.

“Everyone is frustrated,” she said, and that 17-20 employees a week are quitting their jobs.

Another option the union might explore is striking two days a week and working the other three, but the last time there was unrest at Delfield was in 1977. In fact, Clay said one of the problems is that no one has institutional knowledge about the facility.

“It’s uncharted waters for us,” she said.

Rich Sheffer, vice president of investor relations for Welbilt, the company that owns Delfield, said that management continues to meet with union representatives and that good progress is being made.