Members of Local 14177 of the Communications Workers of America voted 99 to 73 this week against ratifying a contract that would end the 11-month strike against New Era Cap Company's Derby, N.Y., plant.
The main point of contention in Monday's vote was the fate of 26 workers who would be laid off under the new contract--an issue that could be resolved before the next vote, scheduled for today.
New Era, which supplies licensed apparel to hundreds of universities nationwide--including Duke at one time--negotiated the new contract with the CWA at the beginning of the month.
Executive Vice President Tallman Trask and Director of Duke Stores Jim Wilkerson have said the University will not reconsider a contract with New Era until the union contract is ratified.
Kathy Ketterer, vice president of Local 14177, said the vote reflected only a minor glitch in efforts to end the strike, which went into effect last July.
"We will be meeting to discuss everything again," Ketterer said. "Hopefully everything will be resolved on Thursday when we can have another vote."
The local union will work with its international body--which consists of some 1,200 local CWA unions across the United States, Canada and Puerto Rico--to sort out the details concerning the 26 workers who could lose their jobs.
"Many more people will lose their jobs, but the focus is now just on 26 people because the rest were mainly scabs or new hires," Ketterer said.
Because the strike has lasted nearly a year, strikers' unemployment funds are running out, Ketterer explained.
"Technically the 26 will still be laid off, but the [union's international body] will give them strike funds for the next 12 weeks," Ketterer said. "We've been working all along to find ways to solve the strike, but unfortunately we got the calls saying the international would give funds too late [Monday], after people had already started voting." New Era officials could not be reached for comment.
In negotiating the contract, the company met the union's demands--allowing for input for a fair and consistent pay scale, union participation in creating a healthy work environment, seniority-based return to work and shift selection and a severance package for workers who have voluntarily ended employment with the company, according to a CWA release.
New Era representatives have denied that external pressure had an effect on negotiations with the union, but Local 14177 credited their success in part to universities dropping the label. Duke, which allowed its licensing contract with New Era to expire last November, was among 12 major universities to do so.
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