Economy

Union Signs New Contract at PTC Alliance

September 26, 2018

PTC Alliance has reached a new four-year labor agreement with union workers at its Alliance, Ohio, plant. PTC Alliance manufactures welded and cold drawn mechanical steel tubing. The company employs about 220 workers covered by the Steelworkers contract, signed Sept. 23. Terms of the pact were not disclosed.

The company’s relations with the union have not always been amicable. In August 2017, striking workers walked off the job for two and a half months. More recently, PTC’s parent company filed a notice with the state of its intent to temporarily lay off 94 employees in November in anticipation of a fourth-quarter decline in welded tube orders. How the new contract affects those layoff plans is unclear.

“We are gratified that we’ve been able to reach an agreement with our workers that sets us on a course for increased productivity and growth over the next four years,” said Brian Drennan, vice president of operations. “We are grateful to the members of the union bargaining committee for their efforts during negotiations that helped both parties achieve this mutually beneficial agreement.”

“This new labor contract has laid the foundation that will enable PTC Alliance to continue to provide our customers with the level of quality products and service that they have come to expect and rely on,” added PTC Alliance President Cary Hart. “We have reached an agreement that ensures our employees continue to earn some of the best wages in the region and in the steel industry nationally.”

Major customers of PTC Alliance include steel service centers, automotive and truck manufacturers, and construction and agricultural equipment OEMs. The company’s other plants are in Darlington and Beaver Falls, Pa.; Fairbury and Chicago Heights, Ill.; Richmond, Ind.; and Hannibal, Mo.