By Marilyn Odendahl, Truth Staff
ELKHART -- For the third time since Vincent Bach workers went on strike, the union and Conn-Selmer are scheduled to sit down today to negotiate a contract.
The talks come on the eve of the strike's three-month anniversary and the same day that Conn-Selmer, Vincent Bach's parent company, is supposed to mail the workers their vacation checks.
"I think we both are at a point where we know we need to come to a resolution," said Jerry Stayton, president of the United Auto Workers Local 364 which represents Vincent Bach. "I think a majority of the people are ready to go back to work with a decent contract."
The company had no comment regarding the resumption of talks, according to Julie Theriault, spokeswoman for Steinway Musical Instruments, parent company of Conn-Selmer.
For this meeting, the union bargaining committee has prepared a proposal to present to the company. Robert Allen, vice president of the Local and a member of the bargaining committee, declined to outline the content of the union's written proposal.
However, several workers sitting around him on the picket line said they were willing to go back to work for the same wages, benefits and shop rules contained in the contract that expired April 1.
"We're not asking for anything," Allen said. "We just don't want anything taken from us."
Union members remain determined to stay on strike until they get a fair contract. Some say they anticipated the work stoppage would last several months while others say they expected to be back building trumpets and trombones long before now.
"I figured they (Conn-Selmer) would come to their senses," said Dave Williams, a color buffer at Vincent Bach. "I figured we'd be out three to four weeks and they'd realize we were going to stay out. They called our bluff and we called theirs."
In a few days, all 230 striking workers are expecting a financial boost in the form of the annual vacation pay the company doles out. The vacation checks are calculated as a percentage of the individual's annual pay and length of time with the company. The amounts of the checks could range from a couple of hundred dollars to a couple of thousand dollars.
It will be an infusion of cash for the workers who now receive $200 a week from the union.
Since the strike began, meetings between the union and Conn-Selmer have been brief and, according to union members, included little negotiating. Still, Stayton is optimistic a settlement can be reached.
"I think they thought we would cave by now," Stayton said of Conn-Selmer. "I think they're surprised. There's no doubt the membership is behind the committee. (The workers) do want a decent contract and are willing to hold on."