SCA Tissue's South Glens Falls USW \Members Ratify Master Labor Agreement

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SCA Tissue North America, Philadelphia, Pa., USA, reports that members of the United Steelworkers (USW) Local 1478 at the company's South Glens Falls, N.Y., mill recently ratified a labor contract that constitutes a master labor agreement applicable to union workers at all SCA Tissue operations. By ratifying the contract, employees at the location gain access to a SCA/USW national framework for wages and benefits, exact terms of which were not disclosed. The contract also includes an agreement to collaborate on productivity improvements and on the creation of a joint health and wellness committee.

The pact, which will run for four years when the current agreement expires this July, was praised by company and union spokesmen as reflecting the cooperative approach both parties have taken in labor negotiations. "Our manufacturing leadership team and the USW have established a strong and collaborative working relationship. This provides a critical foundation for the success of our labor contract process and SCA Tissue's day-to-day manufacturing operations," said SCA Tissue President Don Lewis.

"It's a win-win," agreed Keith Baker, mill employee and president of the local USW chapter, which represents 250 hourly employees at the South Glens Falls plant and the Saratoga distribution center. "Both sides worked hard in collaborating on this contract. It's a good agreement and one that will allow us to continue to work together toward continued success."

SCA Tissue manufactures all of its tissue from 100% recycled materials. The South Glens Falls mill processes 110,000 tons of recycled paper annually, producing 80,000 tons of paper that is converted into more than five million cases of bath tissue and folded and hard-wound towels that are sold in the away-from-home market to commercial venues such as restaurants, office buildings, health care facilities, and other public venues in the Northeast U.S.