Catherwood LibraryILR School

Seven months after Wendt Corp.’s manufacturing plant workers in Cheetowaga, New York voted in favor of being represented by the Iron Workers Shopmen Local 576, they are still struggling to settle the terms of their first contract. Members have drawn attention to their negotiation standstill with lunch-break rallies outside of the plant, even attracting the attendance of political leaders. Earlier this month, ten workers at the plant were placed on temporary layoff that can last anywhere from 6-8 weeks. James Wagner, one of the union’s negotiators working on the case, said that pro-union workers were targeted for layoffs. Wagner claims that the company has used various intimidation tactics to dampen morale and drag out the negotiation process, but Wendt Corp. denies any intimidation and said the layoffs were a result of slowdowns in production that are typical of this time of year. Neither side was able to predict when they will finally be able to settle negotiations.