HAYESVILLE — A week after Custom Hoists union workers went on strike, the company has yet to begin negotiations, said Brian Wright, public relations for Custom Hoists.
The approximately 70 workers, represented by United Steelworkers Local 7008, have not contacted the company to relay their demands, Wright said Monday.
Union president Chris Hines has not responded to requests to comment on strike progress since June 16, at which point Hines said the dates for further negotiations were undetermined.
The union’s main reasons for striking remain achieving better working conditions, insurance and higher wages, specifically evening out the two-tier pay system to receive equal pay for equal work, according to several workers on strike outside the Hayesville facility.
The two-tier structure went into effect roughly a decade ago as part of an agreement with labor to help ensure the company could remain competitive, Wright said.
Those who started working with the company before it implemented the two-tier system receive higher wages than those who started after, with base wages ranging from $16-25 per hour and opportunities for overtime, one of the union workers, Mike Curry, said.
Custom Hoists negotiates a new contract with its workers every three years, and the most recent contract Custom Hoists offered included pay raises for workers in both tiers, Wright said.
“Our employees are important to us,” Wright said. “Many have been with us for decades, and it’s why we pay above market wages. When we made our offer it included significant raises for our employees.
“For instance for tier one, it included a 2% wage increase annually for each year of the three-year contract and a 4% for tier two employees.”
Curry said although the contract Custom Hoists offered included a pay raise, the insurance premiums also increased.
“The insurance premiums absorb the pay raise they had offered,” Curry said.
Worker Matt Lefever described the working conditions inside the Custom Hoists shop.
“When it gets really hot, we actually have oil and debris drop off the ceilings,” he said.
Lefever said the conditions in the shop were made even clearer during the COVID-19 pandemic because the workers had to wear masks. After a few hours, his mask was covered with dirt and debris, he said.
“After eight hours, that mask was black,” Lefever said. “And that makes you think, before COVID we were just running around in here with no masks. All that gets breathed in.”
Workers are not allowed to bring phones or cameras into the shop, Lefever said. In May 2020, the National Labor Relations Board decided prohibiting employees from possessing or using their cell phones on the manufacturing floor or at their workstations was legal.
Wright said the Bureau of Workers Compensation completes air quality and noise level testing every two years, and that Custom Hoists has met the requirements.
“This (complaint) actually comes as a bit of a surprise to us since we have always taken pride in providing safe, clean working conditions for all of our employees,” Wright said.
In addition to the union’s main demands, Chris Hines said the union recently proposed creating a minority apprenticeship program to make jobs more accessible and increase the number of minority employees in the company.
Hines said Custom Hoists rejected the union’s proposal, but Wright said Custom Hoists was unaware of the proposal.
“We embrace diversity among all of our employees and our hiring practices have always provided equal opportunities for any qualified hire,” Wright said.
Lefever said the union workers were not involved with negotiations and directed questions regarding progress to Hines.
Lefever said the workers on strike have received support from the community throughout the week in the form of food and water donations and car honking. Community members and local restaurants have dropped off items, Lefever said.
The workers’ set up outside the facility has grown since the strike began. The workers are now gathered underneath tents, listening to music and sitting around tables lined with food donations. Corn hole boards were also set up nearby.
Security officers are positioned in vehicles outside the facility, as they were in the early days of the strike.
