Ventra contract gets 'thumbs up'

Just weeks after the Register reported about the frustrations some Ventra Sandusky workers shared about stalled contract negotiations, there's a contract approved by 85% of the workforce who voted last Thursday and Friday. Employees at the plant must be mostly happy with the new four-year deal, which includes small raises in each year of the contract and extends the first raise back to September. The Register fielded numerous calls last month from hourly workers complaining about the stalled talks. By that time the expired contract had been expired for six months, and some employees feared there might never be a new deal. Some said they felt they were left in the dark by union leadership, and others later complained the Register should not be reporting about the contract, what employees wanted or what the company was willing to give, at all. But that is what a newspaper does and that is what we did. The union president — in the midst of the negotiations — wasn't talking to the media. That's his right, of course, and it was likely the right course of action for him and for the union. But Brett Whyde, the United Auto Workers Local 1216 president, appears to have done his best to keep union members informed as much as he could through newsletters and other communications made available. After the "yes" vote last week, however, Whyde was glad to share the good news with the Register. "I am very proud of the membership and bargaining team," Whyde said. "The agreement's ratification was the highest percentage 'yes' vote since Flex N Gate's acquisition of the facility. We also gained the highest economic package ever negotiated on behalf of the UAW against Ventra." We're glad, too, that the about 2,200 employees in Sandusky, and at Ventra in Bellevue, have a new contract. We're glad they got raises. We're glad they had an overwhelming "thumbs up" vote. What's good for Local 1216 is good for our community.