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11 August, 2005ICEM News release No. 6/2002
Multinational Saint-Gobain will soon begin collective bargaining with American union the UAW for a first agreement covering 850 workers at the company's facility in Worcester, Massachusetts.
Saint-Gobain informed the union of this decision yesterday. It marks a major victory for a UAW campaign that mobilised strong global trade union support.
The company's action comes on the heels of a decision by the US National Labor Relations Board certifying the UAW as the workers' bargaining agent and denying Saint-Gobain's request to throw out the results of an August 24 election where the majority of the workers at the Worcester plant voted in favour of UAW representation. The company announced yesterday that it does not intend to appeal the NLRB's decision.
French-headquartered Saint-Gobain is one of the world's leading glass, ceramics and materials firms, employing some 171,000 people in 45 countries.
The UAW was assisted in its campaign by the Fédération Chimie Energie CFDT and the Fédéchimie CGT-FO, two unions which represent Saint-Gobain workers in France, and by the 20-million-strong International Federation of Chemical, Energy, Mine and General Workers' Unions (ICEM), to which the UAW and the French unions are affiliated. The French unions mobilised to support the American workers and pressured management to drop its legal fight, recognise the UAW and commence good-faith collective bargaining.
"We applaud the UAW members in Worcester who have stood strong for these many months in support of their union and who have resisted management's anti-union attacks," said Kenneth Zinn, ICEM North American Regional Coordinator. "We are also greatly appreciative of the French unions' steadfast support for this organising effort.
"This is a great victory for international labour solidarity," said Zinn. "It shows that the global reach of the trade union movement can match the global reach of the multinational corporations with real practical results for workers."
"We are ready to commence good-faith bargaining with Saint-Gobain for a first contract," said UAW Region 9A Director Phil Wheeler, "and we're glad to hear that Saint-Gobain is finally recognising the UAW as the workers' bargaining representative.
"The workers in Worcester are more unified than ever and stand ready to do what is necessary to achieve a fair and just contract and we look forward to working with management to make the Worcester plant an even better facility," Wheeler continued. "The UAW is grateful for all the support we have received in this organising effort from Members of Congress, especially Rep. James McGovern, elected leaders in the Worcester city government, the Massachusetts state legislature, our brothers and sisters in the French labour movement, and the ICEM. All who showed their support for us share in our victory."
Saint-Gobain informed the union of this decision yesterday. It marks a major victory for a UAW campaign that mobilised strong global trade union support.
The company's action comes on the heels of a decision by the US National Labor Relations Board certifying the UAW as the workers' bargaining agent and denying Saint-Gobain's request to throw out the results of an August 24 election where the majority of the workers at the Worcester plant voted in favour of UAW representation. The company announced yesterday that it does not intend to appeal the NLRB's decision.
French-headquartered Saint-Gobain is one of the world's leading glass, ceramics and materials firms, employing some 171,000 people in 45 countries.
The UAW was assisted in its campaign by the Fédération Chimie Energie CFDT and the Fédéchimie CGT-FO, two unions which represent Saint-Gobain workers in France, and by the 20-million-strong International Federation of Chemical, Energy, Mine and General Workers' Unions (ICEM), to which the UAW and the French unions are affiliated. The French unions mobilised to support the American workers and pressured management to drop its legal fight, recognise the UAW and commence good-faith collective bargaining.
"We applaud the UAW members in Worcester who have stood strong for these many months in support of their union and who have resisted management's anti-union attacks," said Kenneth Zinn, ICEM North American Regional Coordinator. "We are also greatly appreciative of the French unions' steadfast support for this organising effort.
"This is a great victory for international labour solidarity," said Zinn. "It shows that the global reach of the trade union movement can match the global reach of the multinational corporations with real practical results for workers."
"We are ready to commence good-faith bargaining with Saint-Gobain for a first contract," said UAW Region 9A Director Phil Wheeler, "and we're glad to hear that Saint-Gobain is finally recognising the UAW as the workers' bargaining representative.
"The workers in Worcester are more unified than ever and stand ready to do what is necessary to achieve a fair and just contract and we look forward to working with management to make the Worcester plant an even better facility," Wheeler continued. "The UAW is grateful for all the support we have received in this organising effort from Members of Congress, especially Rep. James McGovern, elected leaders in the Worcester city government, the Massachusetts state legislature, our brothers and sisters in the French labour movement, and the ICEM. All who showed their support for us share in our victory."