Maple City Ice strikers misled?

Update, 5:05 p.m.NORWALK — There may not be a happy ending for the striking Maple City Ice workers.On Sept. 1, eight union drivers went on strike amid concerns about the future of their pensions. These employees are responsible for delivering alcohol products throughout the region.A union rep told the Register the Norwalk-based distributor wants to take away their pensions, but reality is a little more complicated. "These men earned their benefits," said Mark Schmiehausen, a trustee for the Teamsters Union. "Their pensions are going to be hit hard."Company president Pat Hipp offered a more detailed explanation."The Maple City ice Company has not taken away the pensions of the eight Norwalk Teamster drivers," Hipp said in a statement released on Monday. "Their pension benefits incurred to date are vested in the Central States Pension Fund. The only way they will not receive their benefits is when the fund goes bankrupt in 2025, as projected by the trustees of the fund."Indeed, the future of that pension looks bleak, said Mark Johnson, founder of ERISA Benefits Consulting, a company advising parties who are disputing matters related to the Employee Retirement Income Security Act."It wouldn't surprise me if the Central States Pension Fund is bankrupt before 2025," Johnson said. "It's been in a death spiral for many years now."Johnson said this particular fund is one of several designed to provide a retirement plan for people employed by multiple companies during their careers. For the fund to work, there needs to be enough employers paying into it.Therein lies the problem, Johnson said, because when a company shutters its doors, there isn't always a replacement. This creates an unstable, and, ultimately, doomed system.The dispute between Maple City Ice and the union doesn't surprise Johnson."There's no good guy and there's no bad guy," he said. "In many multi-platform plans, there's just no good news because these plans are inherently flawed."What Maple City Ice is doing — trying to pull out of this pension plan to — makes sense to Johnson."It's not fair to blame the company," Johnson said. "Companies make contributions to these plans and do their part. They could continue to pay into it, but that wouldn't be wise. That wouldn't be good for their employees given the state of the plan."Striking workers and company vice president John Hipp spoke to the Register on Saturday. They said both sides of this disagreement negotiated for eight hours on Friday, and that another meeting is scheduled for Tuesday.Schmiehausen, the union rep, said he's fighting to get the eight employees a buyout, but said company executives "aren't coming to the table with enough money."Actuaries would set the fee for pulling out of the plan, Johnson said. Hipp requested a mediator from the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service for Tuesday's negotiations.*Update, 2:15 p.m.NORWALK — A union rep for eight striking Maple City Ice workers claimed the company is misleading the public."These men earned their benefits," said Mark Schmiehausen, a trustee for the Teamsters Union. "Their pensions are going to be hit hard."Schmiehausen said the distributor wants to withdraw from the Central States Pension Fund. If this occurs, the employees will lose two-thirds of their pension, he said."The company is not willing to stay with the pension fund or give these men a buyout," Schmiehausen said.Pat Hipp, company president, said the pension fund is going bankrupt and continuing contributions to it are not going to benefit the employees. *Original post, 12:52 p.m.NORWALK — It appears a union rep for eight striking Maple City Ice employees provided inaccurate information about their pensions.On Sept. 1, eight union drivers went on strike amid concerns the company planned to take away their pensions, a union representative told the Register.But that's incorrect, company co-president Pat Hipp said."The Maple City Ice Company has not taken away the pensions of the eight Norwalk Teamster drivers," Hipp said in a statement released on Monday. "Their pension benefits incurred to date are vested in the Central States Pension Fund. The only way they will not receive their benefits is when the fund goes bankrupt in 2025, as projected by the trustees of the fund."The eight strikers have worked for the distributor for at least 25 years and are responsible for delivering alcohol products throughout the region.Last week, seven Lorain County Beverage Employees, who also work for the distributor, went on strike to support their co-workers. Two of those men have since returned to work."The union coerced these drivers to engage in an unlawful strike last Monday," Hipp said.The Register contacted union representative Chuck Collinson for comment, who referred a reporter to another representative, Mark Schmiehausen.Schmiehausen has not returned those messages."Much of the information published in the Norwalk and Sandusky newspapers regarding the strike in recent days has been inaccurate or misleading," Hipp said. "The newspapers primarily rely on comments from the Teamsters' business representative, Mark Schmiehausen."The Register visited Maple City Ice on Sept 1., and again on Saturday.Striking workers and co-president John Hipp both told a reporter each side negotiated to end the strike for eight hours last Friday.The company requested a mediator from the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service be present during another round of negotiations set for Tuesday.Reach reporter Patrick Pfanner at pfanner@sanduskyregister.com, follow him on Twitter @PatPfanner and follow the Register at Facebook.com/SanduskyRegisterUnion employees of Maple City Ice Co. strike outside the Norwalk company's building on Friday. The dispute revolves around management wanting to take away their pensions, according to a union representative.Delivery drivers for Maple City Ice Co., located in Norwalk, went on strike Friday after a dispute regarding pensions couldn't be resolved with management.