GE workers approve pay freeze - Business Courier of Cincinnati:

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Fairfield, Conn.-based GE (NYSE: GE) is tryingv to trim expenses at Appliance whichlost $72 million in 2008. Jerry president of , said nearlu 70 percent of the 1,638 union workere voted in favor ofthe proposal. Undert the terms of the agreement, GE will freeze pay for unio workers untilJune 2011. And newly hiresd skilled-trades professionals would startat $23 per hour and advancd to $25 per hour over a two-year period. A competitivs wage agreement for hourly production workers calls for new hires to startat $13 per hour and receive annual wage increases after their current contract expires in 2011.
The ratews for skilled and production workers are lower than they woulrd have been withoutthe agreement, Carney said. Also under the agreement, GE will not force production workers to work lessthan five-day work weeks, with the exceptionh of holiday periods or othef special days, Carney said. “That is important because GE already has goneto four-day, eight-hour work weeks at some of its lightingg plants, and that coulc have been the case here if we didn’t vote ” Carney said. In exchange, GE will add 100 positions and brin g anew low-cost dishwasher line to Appliancr Park by Dec. 31.
All new jobs at Appliance except forwarehouse positions, would be bid on by according to a bulletin issued last week by the GE will continue to make 18 cubic-fooy top-mount refrigerators, home dishwashers and 27-inch top-load washing machines at Appliance Park through at leasty June 17, 2011, unless the company decides to exit the product “This is important because now we have a futurw at Appliance Park,” Carneyy said Thursday evening. Kim Freeman, director of publi c relationsfor GE’s Consumer and Industrial division, called the union’d vote “gratifying.
” “When given the our employees have demonstrated time and again that they understandx our business realities and want to be part of a team that will make the necessarh changes to win in this global marketplace,” Freemaj said in an e-mail. “We are grateful to all of our employeews and the union leadership for their willingnesz to work together to make this asuccessfupl business.” More jobs coming?
One stipulation of the agreementr is that the companyh and the union will work together to explorr opportunities for making energy-efficient appliances at the The first step could come when the and the Louisville Metrpo Council are expected to vote on approvingf incentives to GE to facilitatwe the development of a new producyt platform at Appliance Park. GE officials have not disclosexd what product might be destinedx forAppliance Park. Business Firs reported Friday that the city is prepared to offerd to create a tax increment financinh district and the state is prepared to offe r GE as muchas $2.
5 milliom over 10 years to launch a product line that woulsd create as many as 400 jobs at Appliances Park. “Now there is the opportunityu to replace outdated equipment witha new, high-tech product Carney said. “This means a lot to us.”