Crown Cork & Seal shuts
Portland can-making plant
Union workers at Crown Cork &
Seal in North Portland — members of
Machinists Lodges 63, 1432 and Team-
stes Local 206 — were notified on Vet-
erans Day that the plant was shutting
down, effective immediately.
The can manufacturer is owned by
Crown Holdings Inc., a publicly-traded
company based in Philadelphia. Last
year it had sales of $7.94 billion.
The Machinists represent 18 work-
ers at the plant, and the Teamsters have
10 members. Most were on layoff
when the announcement was made.
“Only four of our people were work-
ing when the meeting was called. The
rest got a notification letter in the mail,”
said Scott Lucy, a business representa-
tive at Machinist District W24.
Lucy said four employees will be
maintained for a short while to decom-
mission the plant located at 10200 N.
Lombard St. in St. Johns. Three Team-
sters also will stay on to help close, ac-
cording to Local 206 Business Agent
Dan O’Keefe.
In March, the Machinists had rati-
fied a new three-year national agree-
ment with the company. The union rep-
resents approximately 300 workers at
Crown Holdings can manufacturing
plants in Olympia, Washington; La
Crosse, Wisconsin; Mankato, Min-
nesota; and Omaha, Nebraska.
Lucy said that during bargaining the
possibility of plant closures was never
discussed.
O’Keefe said the Teamsters have
been trying to get the company to the
bargaining table since their last contract
expired in April of this year. The con-
tract had been extended when the clo-
sure was announced.
Both unions have severance lan-
guage in their contracts. The Machin-
ists Union has made a request for im-
pact-and-effects bargaining to improve
the deal for the stunned employees.
O’Keefe told the Labor Press that the
company had indicated to him that it
wouldn’t do more than what the con-
tract calls for.
Most of the workers are longtime
employees in their 50s. One Teamster
had over 40 years at the plant. Pay was
in the $20- to $27-an-hour range, with
health insurance and pensions.
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