Just 162 of the 395 Briggs employees in Wauwatosa and Menomonee
Falls represented by United Steelworkers Local 2-232 voted on Saturday, Briggs
spokeswoman Laura Timm told
The Business Journal.
Calls to USW officials were not immediately returned Monday
afternoon.
Briggs leadership is working with union leaders to schedule
meetings to continue negotiations, Timm said.
“Briggs and Stratton believes that the offer made to the United
Steelworkers 2-232 was fair and equitable,” Timm said in a prepared statement.
“We are disappointed in the outcome of the vote and hope we can work toward a
resolution.”
The proposed contract would have raised wages 2 percent in each
of the next three years. It would cut pay for workers who choose to move into a
“lower labor grade job,” something that rarely happens, Timm said.
It would freeze pensions beginning Dec. 31, something already
announced for salaried workers. The company is “enhancing” its 401(k) match
starting in January, Timm said.
Other parts of the rejected contract include a slight increase
in mandatory Saturday workdays, aligning health and benefits programs with
salaried employees’ benefits, and better life and accidental death benefits,
Timm said.
The company offered a $500 ratification bonus for each employee.
Wauwatosa-based Briggs manufactures small engines and outdoor
power equipment. Last week it reported
a wider fourth-quarter net loss on weak sales and higher costs, including
for continued restructuring actions at plants
worldwide.
Jeff Engel www.bizjournals.com
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