Better hours, better pay? Workers at Fayetteville’s Chemours factory holding a union vote
Workers at the Chemours Co. chemical plant near Fayetteville are scheduled to vote Thursday and Friday whether to unionize.
The vote involves 230 employees, says a news release from the Laborers’ International Union of North America (LIUNA). Voting will be by secret ballot and it concludes at 8 p.m. Friday, says a Notice of Election document from the National Labor Relations Board.
The vote is for full-time and regular part-time chemical laboratory operators, operators, technicians, and maintenance employees, the Labor Relations Board notice says.
The workers are unhappy about job security, working conditions and wages, the LIUNA news release says.
The Chemours Fayetteville Works plant is about 20 to 25 minutes south of Fayetteville off N.C. 87 in Bladen County. It has been in the news over the past several years because PFAS chemicals from the plant have contaminated the Cape Fear River — where much of Southeast North Carolina gets its drinking water — and residential drinking water wells around the plant.
Learn more: One year later, Cumberland County tainted water lawsuit against Chemours still unresolved
Workers seeking the union say Chemours is not treating them fairly or well, said Edsel McDonald, the business manager for LIUNA Local 919.
Among the complaints, McDonald said, are suspensions from work for minor infractions, and this contributes to job insecurity. Employees have 12-hour workdays that get extended longer with little notice, he said, and they get called in on days off and they believe they will suffer retaliation if they say “no.” The lengthy hours tire the workers and make it hard for them to balance their work lives and their personal lives, he said.
The employees also feel their share of their health insurance expenses is too high, McDonald said, citing an instance of an employee paying $500 for a doctor visit.
“Chemours is basically telling us that the customers’ needs matter and their employees' needs do not, but we are the reason that they are able to meet the customers’ needs,” Wayne Dennis, an operator and mechanic, said in the news release. “We matter, too.”
The workers earn $34 to $37 an hour, plus get overtime pay, McDonald said. They work three weeks of 12-hour workdays followed by one week off, he said.
The union accuses Chemours of trying to dissuade the workers from unionizing, via emails and recent employee meetings.
In emailed statements, Chemours did not respond to specific issues raised by the union.
“Chemours is proud of its strong history of collaboration between leaders and employees at its Fayetteville Works site,” the company said. “Collaboration makes continual improvement possible in safety and production, as well as in the employee experience — as evidenced by significant year-over-year improvements in the site’s Great Place To Work score.”
Great Place to Work is an organization that evaluates workplace experiences.
“We are passionate about educating our employees and are encouraging them to vote for the best choice for themselves and their families,” Chemours said.
Senior North Carolina reporter Paul Woolverton can be reached at 910-261-4710 and pwoolverton@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on The Fayetteville Observer: Union vote set for 230 workers at Chemours’ Fayetteville Works plant
