AKRON (March 9)—RCA Rubber Co. took another step toward implementation of a proposed consolidation plan when members of Local 8L of the United Steelworkers of America approved a five-year contract with the company.
Union members at the firm's Akron operations—who approved the pact by a 72-16 vote—will receive a lump sum payment of $750 in each of the first two years of the contract and increases of 2, 3 and 4 percent for the last three years. In addition, workers will receive additional money to help cover monthly pension payments.
As part of the package, the union agreed to work mandatory overtime, according to a company spokeswoman.
The rubber flooring manufacturer has a consolidation plan on the drawing board that calls for the closure of the current Akron factory and subsidiary Pulaski Rubber Co. in Pulaski, Tenn. Machinery and other equipment from the sites would be moved to an 80,000-sq.-ft. building the company hopes to purchase that previously was used as a warehouse.
Those plans are not set in stone, the company cautioned last fall when it made the announcement.