SKOWHEGAN, Maine (From news reports) -- A union representing hundreds of workers at Sappi North America's Somerset Mill has authorized a strike amid concerns from members over forced overtime, proposed changes to a vacation time policy and other issues.
Members of United Steelworkers Local 4-9 voted Sept. 20 to authorize a strike, according to a news release issued Friday, Oct. 4 by the Maine AFL-CIO, with which the local is affiliated.
The union is planning a rally from 3-6:30 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 8 at its union hall at 653 Waterville Road.
A strike had not been planned as of Friday morning, according to Andy O'Brien, communications director for the Maine AFL-CIO.
The local has about 500 members that work at the mill, O'Brien said.
Union leadership cited forced overtime as one of its chief concerns for the potential strike.
"Nobody wants to strike, but our members have been pushed so far to the limit with forced overtime that it's impacting their health and safety and their ability to see their families," Justin Shaw, a pipe fitter and president of USW 4-9, said in a statement. "We've had members working mandatory 24-hour shifts with only the state-mandated day off every two weeks to spend time with their families. This is also a workplace and public safety issue.
"When people are overworked and exhausted, they can make fatal mistakes, whether it's operating heavy machinery or commuting to and from work. We believe we can come to an agreement with the company on these critical issues, but we need them to come back to the table with an offer that resolves this dispute."
For example, Shaw said there are only two workers qualified to supervise the No. 2 paper machine at the Skowhegan plant. The company has said it is working on a $418 million conversion and expansion of its No. 2 paper machine, which produces a packaging material.
One of those employees is 70 years old and works the night shift so he can take his wife to medical appointments during the day, Shaw said. The other recently submitted his notice to retire, he said.
"Sappi has tried to avoid drafting workers for overtime by dividing work into 16 and 18-hour shifts, but that has also required workers to do two different jobs at the same time, which creates safety concerns," Shaw said in a statement. "We need a long-term solution in our contract to this problem so that it doesn't happen when the next generation of Sappi workers retire."
The steelworkers union also said it is opposed to a change in policy about how employees can use vacation time for situations covered under the state's earned paid leave law.
According to the news release, workers currently are paid from 40 hours of earned vacation time in those situations, but can negotiate being able to take the full vacation time without pay or reduced pay. Sappi is seeking to take away the vacation time when workers use earned paid leave, the union said.
In addition, the union is seeking contract language to specify wage adjustments for employees that take on additional duties, according to the news release.
In a statement, Sappi officials pushed back on the union's concerns.
"We are disappointed that the employees represented by the United Steelworkers at Somerset have rejected our offer and provided their leadership with strike authorization," the company's statement said. "We have presented a highly competitive offer, featuring industry-leading wage increases on top of wages that are already among the best in both the industry and the region. We take exception to the union's characterization of the issues regarding overtime and vacation benefits. We remain hopeful that we will reach an agreement."
Sappi North America, a subsidiary of an international company, employs about 2,100 people at its four mills, technology center, service center and sheeting facilities in the U.S. and Quebec, according to its website. In addition to the Somerset Mill, Sappi operates mills in Westbrook; Cloquet, Minnesota; and Matane, Quebec.
The Somerset Mill employs about 754 people. In a year, Sappi says it produces 1 million metric tons of coated woodfree paper, paperboard and label papers, and 525,000 metric tons of bleached chemical pulp.
The steelworkers union previously authorized a strike in 2022 amid contract negotiations.
The two sides eventually reached an agreement on a three-year contract that the Maine AFL-CIO called "the most lucrative package for members" since Sappi purchased the mill in 1995.
