GE's union workers were upset long before rejecting contract

SCHENECTADY — From the outside, it may have been a shock that union workers at General Electric Co. rejected the company's four-year contract offer in a nationwide vote last week.

But to the union members, the 'no' vote was no surprise. It came after years of disappointment over previous contracts and layoffs as GE's power plant business began experiencing financial problems.

"When this (contract) proposal came out, I was shocked at how many people were upset and said they had finally had enough," said Jd Downing, a union worker with GE Power in Schenectady. "The company had a workforce in Schenectady that was very upset even before we voted. And an unhappy workforce doesn't like to see more bad things."

Downing is a member of IUE-CWA Local 301, which represents workers in Schenectady and at GE Global Research in Niskayuna.

Read more: https://www.timesunion.com/business/article/GE-s-union-workers-were-upset-long-before-14096604.php
(Albany Times Union)