TONAWANDA, N.Y. -- The City of Tonawanda mayor is going public with the idea that ongoing contract negotiations for Tonawanda chemical plant workers could have an impact on the environment.
The contentious negotiations at DuPont Yerkes hit a stalemate last week, after plant management refused to budge on major cuts to wages and benefits. It's an offer that's led city mayor Rick Davis to write a letter to plant management asking them to reconsider.
Davis says the push for subcontracted work is most concerning, due to the type of chemicals plant workers handle and the years of training they have to receive. He adds that the move could lead to another explosion, much like the one the plant experienced seven years ago.
"The City of Tonawanda is downwind from the DuPont plant and so if there is, God forbid, an issue that does come up, our residents are going to be impacted,” said Davis.
The union is planning to hold a membership meeting Tuesday to discuss their options going forward.
UPDATE: Plant Management claims they haven't received Davis' letter yet, but did send along the following statement in regards to current contract negotiations:
"The management of the DuPont Yerkes site is currently in contract negotiations with representatives from USW Local 6992 following notification of their intent to open the labor contract. DuPont continues to be committed to working collaboratively with USW Local 6992 to reach an agreement that provides for the long-term viability of the Yerkes site to protect our business and the jobs it supports.
On July 6th, at the request of the Union, we provided a thorough offer which includes set wage increases and added layoff protections over the life of the proposed 4 year contract. As I indicated in our prior statement, we remain committed to reaching a fair agreement and believe this is best achieved at the bargaining table. We have offered and remain available to meet with the Union for this purpose.
We are also committed to safely continue plant operations to ensure continuity of supply for our customers should there be any labor disruption before these negotiations are completed."