NEW YORK--23 May 2011-- GE today began negotiations on a new national contract with the International Union of Electronic Workers/Communications Workers of America (IUE-CWA). Negotiations with the United Electrical, Radio and Machine Workers of America (UE) will begin tomorrow, May 24, 2011 and contracts with other unions will be negotiated at the local plant level. GE holds separate talks with each union. The current four-year contracts with the unions expire at midnight on June 19, 2011.
"Our goal is to negotiate a competitive and fair contract that will provide employees with good wages and excellent benefits," said Mike DeSantis, GE's chief negotiator. "The contract must also be based on current and projected economic realities with provisions that will keep our businesses competitive going forward."
There are approximately 15,200 union-represented employees covered by the negotiations. The IUE/CWA represents about 7,900 GE employees and its labor agreement covers GE locations including Louisville, Ky. (GE Appliances); Lynn, Mass. (GE Aviation); and Schenectady, N.Y. (GE Energy). The UE represents about 3,100 employees and its labor agreement includes Erie, PA (GE Transportation) and Fort Edward, NY (GE Energy). The contracts negotiated with other unions at the local plant level represent the remaining 4,000+ unionized employees.
GE employs 133,000 people in the U.S. and has announced the creation of more than 6,500 manufacturing-related jobs since 2009. About one-third of these new jobs are unionized.
For more information, visit www.ge.com/negotiations.
About GE
GE (NYSE: GE) is a diversified infrastructure and finance company taking on the world's toughest challenges. From aviation and power generation to financial services, healthcare solutions, oil and gas and rail, GE operates in more than 100 countries and employs about 300,000 people worldwide. For more information, visit the company's website at www.ge.com.
Susan Bishop
GE Corporate Director - Employee Marketing
[email protected]
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