About 365 workers at Polar Tank Trailer LLC began returning to their jobs Monday, the same day they approved a new contract and ended a three-week strike at the plant 25 miles northwest of St. Cloud.
Spokesmen for Polar and International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers, District Lodge 165, Local 623 declined to provide details on the vote tally. The workers had gone on strike Dec. 1 after rejecting an earlier contract offer by a wide margin.
Colleen Murphy-Cooney, business representative for the union, said the company agreed to reword proposals on subcontracting work and restructuring job classifications. She said earlier proposals could have made it easier to lay off workers or reduce their pay. "Getting rid of that [proposed] subcontracting language was a big plus for our members," she said.
Murphy-Cooney said the new contract provides for a raise of 15 cents an hour this year, moving up to 35 cents an hour in the last year of the contract. Those increases will be partially offset by higher payments for health insurance. The union initially sought pay increases of 40 cents an hour in each year of a three-year contract, she said.
The Polar plant near Holdingford is the largest of three Polar Tank Trailer manufacturing facilities, Kelly said. During the strike it continued to run at a reduced rate using replacement workers, some non-union employees and some workers who crossed picket lines, he said.
Polar Tank Trailer makes aluminum and steel tank trailers used to transport a variety of commodities, including oil, chemicals and food products. It is one three divisions of Polar Corp., a privately held company based in St. Cloud.
Susan Feyder • 612-673-1723
