<b>G-P Workers Reject Contract</b>

Union workers at one of the Kalamazoo area's last large paper plants voted to reject a six-year contract deal, a move that could put them on strike by Wednesday.

The 217 union employees at the Georgia-Pacific Epic plant in Parchment wanted a shorter contract, improvements to health care, a less stringent employee drug-abuse policy that allowed for treatment and strong language ensuring the union's future if the facility is sold, said Dan Ferson, a representative for the Paper Allied-Industrial Chemical and Energy Workers International Union.

Ferson and Ron Warner, the president of Local 06-293, said the union was still willing to meet with the company, but has advised plant officials a strike could begin at 12:01 a.m. Wednesday.

Georgia-Pacific spokeswoman Robin Keegan said the company was willing to negotiate and resolve the dispute, but stood ready to continue shipping products to its customers with on-hand inventory, if necessary.

Warner said the union just wants a fair shake.

"The people have been suffering for the last five years under this agreement that we have and then they want us to come back with another six-year agreement with no relief or help in sight," Warner said Friday night. "They're not asking for the whole pie. They just want a fair share of it. We just want a fair and decent wage for the people that work at the plant."

Wages for union employees start at about $9.50 an hour, plus benefits, and go up to $18 an hour, Warner said. The proposed contract provided 2.5 percent wage increases per year, he said.

The Epic facility was taken over by Atlanta-based paper giant Georgia-Pacific when it bought Fort James Corp. in December. The facility makes food wraps for restaurants and wholesalers.

The Epic plant was not affected by G-P's December closure of its paper mill on King Highway in Kalamazoo Township, which recycled paper to make book-grade papers. Warner said there are rumors that the Epic plant's future could be tied to the pending negotiations by American Tissue to buy the former Crown Vantage mills in Parchment and the old G-P mill in Kalamazoo Township.

Keegan said rumors of a sale are unfounded and Georgia-Pacific's current plan is to retain the facility because it fits with the company's strategy of making consumer-oriented, non-commodity paper products.

Warner said the other closed mills in the area do lead some to worry about the future of the Epic plant, but that doesn't mean the union will accept an unfair deal.

"I think anytime you take an action like this, it's a very serious situation," he said. "I have no doubt in that, but the contract was overwhelmingly rejected and the strike authorization was unanimous."

Meanwhile, employees at another PACE local at Bunting Bearing in Kalamazoo remain locked out after rejecting a contract offer on May 4. About 30 members of Local 06-293 were asked to leave the plant by Bunting despite indicating their willingness to work during further negotiations.

They have been picketing the site at 4252 E. Kilgore since the lockout began. Bunting has not responded to inquiries about the lockout. Kalamazoo Gazette