Local 8 affiliate’s solidarity wins improvements in new agreement with Ash Grove Cement

Local 8 successfully renegotiated its Ash Grove Cement Collective Bargaining Agreement for 15 affiliated members that work at the facility full time. The facility, located on the Columbia River, processes aggregate lime received by truck, barge, and rail into a usable product for local distribution.

New ownership of the facility posed a new set of challenges, which Local 8 negotiators turned into an opportunity for change. “The new owners flew some representatives over from Europe who weren’t familiar with the ILWU and thought they could push us around,” said ILWU Local 8 President Stuart Strader. “They quickly learned we had solidarity in our ranks and that we weren’t afraid to fight for our members.

Ash Grove Cement is one of the largest cement producers in North America, and the company was acquired in 2018 for $3.5B by CRH plc, a global building materials business headquartered in Ireland. Strader said that despite a rocky start to negotiations, the two sideseventually settled into cordial bargaining and “took care of a lot of issues.”

On April 26, the unit ratified a new 3-year agreement with significant gains, including:

• A 6% wage increase in the first year, 5% in the second year, and 4% in the final year.
• A one-time $250 COVID-19 dedication payment for each member.
• Defined benefit pension was increased $2.50 over the life of the agreement.
• Initial vacation entitlement was moved from starting in the third year of employment to the second year.
• Training pay rates were eliminated.
• Substandard seasonal workers’ rate was eliminated.
• Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.’s Birthday is now recognized as a paid holiday.

Strader said that in addition to the economic gains, the unit finished negotiations feeling empowered and appreciated.

“The workers negotiated regularly scheduled Member/Management meetings to keep open communication, giving a voice to influence working conditions and exercise democracy in their workplace,” said Strader.

“The company also wrote them an appreciation letter for their hard work and dedication during the Covid epidemic, thanking our members for their efforts to keep the facility running and profitable, which was an important acknowledgment,” said Strader. “If a company marginalizes their people, they get what they get, Strader continued. “If a company invests and engages their workforce as partners, they reap back their investment. When labor stands together, they gain respect and move forward to win a fair contract.”