United Auto Workers Local 883, which represents about 2,000 employees of Kohler Corp., approved a new five year contract yesterday. Vote totals were:
- Approve – 1,152
- Deny – 717
The contract freezes wages for union workers, expands their contributions to health care plans and creates a two-tiered salary structure. It also expands Kohler’s use of temporary workers in its manufacturing operations.
Kohler officials said previously that they need to freeze wages because of the reduced demand for the company’s plumbing fixtures during the recession and because of the high wages that factory workers are earning now.