More than 100 people stood across the street from the Hilton Garden Inn in Chesterton Thursday, an hour before a likely lockout by NIPSCO would start, to show solidarity for the contract negotiations.
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“They are frustrated with the company,” said Local 12775 vice president Vernon Beck of the showing of support.
When asked if members are prepared for a lockout, Vernon said, “I have never seen this much solidarity in years.”
“I am very pleased with the way they are responding,” Beck said. “They are fed up with corporate greed, and they know that we have to take a stand.”
NIPSCO spokesman Eric Hardgrove said in an email that the company respects some employees’ decision to demonstrate.
“We value our employees and the work they do. We continue to engage in good-faith negotiations to achieve a contract that supports our employees, customers and communities we serve,” Hardgrove said.
NIPSCO gave both unions, Local 12775 located in Porter and Local 13796 located in Wanatah, its fourth, last, best and final offer at 4:22 a.m. Wednesday, after 21 hours of negotiating, according to a statement from the unions.
“The union was unanimous in their decision that the company’s offer would not work for their union members. The union felt they made substantial movement in the company’s direction, trying to reach a fair agreement and was very disappointed in the company’s final offer,” according to the unions’ statement.
NIPSCO said in a statement that the company extended the unions’ current contract through 4 p.m. Thursday as negotiations continue. If an agreement isn’t reached by then, NIPSCO said it would initiate a lockout that “will continue until the union accepts our final offer and we have an agreement as part of the collective bargaining process.”
“We will continue negotiating in good faith toward an outcome that demonstrates our commitment to our customers, communities and employees and best positions us to continue delivering safe, reliable and affordable energy,” NIPSCO said in a statement.
The current proposal includes increased wages for lineworkers and senior building mechanics, a ratification bonus of up to $5,000 for both physical and clerical workers by April 10, enhancements for benefits and quality of life, and investments in safety, staffing and career growth, according to the company.
The remaining issues on the table are a stepped approach toward limiting continuous hours of work for gas and electric and overtime, the company said.
Currently, employees can work up to 32 continuous hours, but the stepped approach would shift toward 24 hours and eventually 16 hours, according to the company. For overtime, the company said, “We are working toward a more consistent and equitable approach to overtime so we can respond effectively, especially during high-demand or emergency situations.”
“We recognize that there are differing perspectives on these final points. At the same time, the overall proposal represents significant progress and meaningful value. We maintain our commitment to being fully transparent throughout this process and keeping employees informed,” according to the company.
The union opposes the cut to continuous hours because if crews are responding to a project, but reach their hour mark, they don’t want to have to stop work in the middle of the job, Beck said outside the solidarity event.
Beck said Thursday that the company cut back on staffing and “then says that they are not working enough.”
“They caused the problem and then say we’re the problem,” Beck said.
Savana Kolodziej said her husband works for NIPSCO, so she came to the solidarity event to show him and the company support.
“What the company is doing to them is completely unfair,” Kolodziej said. “Hopefully, this can change their mind a little bit.”
In the event of a lockout, Kolodziej said her family will be impacted because they will miss out on her husband’s paycheck. Kolodziej said she’s thankful she works, but she’s concerned about the other employees struggling to support their families.
“It’s a sad situation. A lot of the community is behind these unions,” Kolodziej said.
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Kris Enstrom, a locked-out BP worker, said he came Thursday to show solidarity with the fellow USW union.
“We went through it two weeks ago, we’re still going through it, so anything I can do to help,” Enstrom said.
Enstrom, who held a sign that said “honk for a fair contract,” said that Northwest Indiana “is under attack by corporate greed.”
“I hope they all put us back to work with a fair deal,” Enstrom said.
Indiana Democratic Party Chairwoman Karen Tallian said she came to show solidarity because “these are our people.”
“It’s always hard on workers when the corporations are locking them out. How can we stand for that? But this is what unions are about. This is what they do,” Tallian said.
Sen. Rodney Pol Jr., D-Chesterton, attended the show of solidarity Thursday and called on Gov. Mike Braun to stand up for the workers, especially with unemployment in the event of a lockout.
“These guys want to go back to work. They want to work throughout the negotiations. Ultimately, they might be denied unemployment because they are not technically fired,” Pol said. “To deny them unemployment while not allowing them to come to work is egregious.”
Indiana Senate Democratic caucus chair Pol and leader Sen. Shelli Yoder, D-Bloomington, issued a statement Thursday supporting the unions’ efforts.
“These workers are not just a part of the workforce. They are part of our community. They are the ones our families count on in emergencies and the ones who take pride in doing the job right, every single time,” Pol said.
Pol said, “This is personal in Northwest Indiana.”
“You do not replace that kind of experience. You do not replace that kind of commitment,” Pol said. “Our communities are strongest when we stand with the people who have always stood with us.”
Yoder said the NIPSCO and the union negotiations are “about whether we value the people who carry our communities through the hardest days.”
“We stand with the workers who keep the state of Indiana working,” Yoder said. “When the power goes out, when a storm hits, when families need help, these are the people who show up. Not because it is easy, but because it matters. That is what Hoosiers do.”
The unions are focused on addressing safety and training concerns “that make our extremely knowledgeable workforce stronger and protect the communities that we live and work in,” according to the statement.
“While the offer includes items our members appreciate, this agreement is about more than wages, and other economic matters,” according to the unions’ statement. “Our dedicated members are always on the job in times of need and strive to put in the hours to ensure service, emergency response and minimize outages.”
The unions’ goal during negotiations remains to bargain for a fair contract “that provides dignity for workers and protects and expands good jobs that provide value, reliability and safety in our communities across northern Indiana,” according to the unions’ statement.
The membership of USW Local 12775 voted over the weekend with more than 98% approval to give the committee authority to call a strike amid contract negotiations over the weekend, according to a letter from the union.
For its part, Local 12775 doesn’t want to come to a strike, its vice president Vernon Beck said Monday afternoon. Having gone through a strike in the 1980s, that’s the last thing anyone wants, he said.
The current contract has been updated over decades “and some of its rules no longer reflect how a modern utility must operate to serve customers safely, reliably and responsibly,” according to the company.
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The utility company has been focused on affordability, better service, reliability and safety amid contract negotiations. The company has been working toward improving safety, strengthening storm and emergency response and improving reliability, according to its website.
“We recognize that many customers are feeling real pressure from their energy bills. Modernizing NIPSCO means improving how we operate with greater operational flexibility, while responsibly managing the costs we control so customers can count on safe, reliable service,” according to the company’s website.
NIPSCO employees’ work allows the company to service customers every day, according to the company.
“We remain committed to recognizing that contribution and rewarding their work fairly. We approach negotiations with respect and a commitment to reaching a fair agreement. Our focus is on maintaining the right balance, supporting our people with continuing to deliver dependable, affordable service for customers,” according to the company.
[email protected]; freelance reporter Michelle L. Quinn contributed.