UE Local 274 members at Kennametal's Greenfield Tap & Die plant in Greenfield, MA are in difficult negotiations with their employer, fighting the company's demands for healthcare concessions, mandatory overtime, and allowing temp workers to do union members' jobs.
The company is insisting on eliminating the current health insurance plan, replacing it with an unreasonably expensive high-deductible plan. They are also demanding the right to make unilateral changes to the healthcare plan without negotiating with the union.
Local 274 held a three-day warning strike at the Greenfield Tap & Die plant from August 12-14. The company returned to the table the following week, but failed to show up at the second of two days of scheduled negotiations, and have not moved off of their concessionary demands. Local 274 is building up a strike fund in case they have to go out again.
