UAW offer to end CNH strike rejected

BURLINGTON, Iowa -- CNH Global late Monday rejected a United Auto Workers union offer to return to work at four of the company's plants in the Midwest, saying it would not best serve the interests of the company, its customers and dealers.

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"We do not think it is appropriate at this time to allow striking employees to return to work while the parties remain so far apart in the negotiation process," CNH chief negotiator Tom Graham said.

About 225 workers at the Burlington plant, which makes backhoes, forklifts and loader/landscapers, and workers at the other Midwest plants walked off the job Nov. 3.

The union earlier Monday said it was ending its strike and advising all union workers to report for their next regularly scheduled shift.

The UAW represents about 650 workers at the plants in Burlington, Iowa; Racine, Wis.; St. Paul, Minn.; and Burr Ridge, Ill.

"We remain determined to negotiate a new collective bargaining agreement that is fair to both workers and CNH America," Cal Rapson, a UAW vice president who directs the UAW's Agricultural Implement Department, said in a statement. "We are ready and willing to meet with management to continue negotiations."

But CNH late Monday rejected the move.

No one answered the telephone at union offices in Detroit late Monday. A telephone recording at UAW Local 807 in Burlington said the union had called a recess to the strike. It advised workers to report to their jobs on Tuesday.

The previous contract expired May 2, but both sides had been meeting since April.

In May, workers held ratification votes, but failed to approve what CNH said would be its final offer. Union officials called the offer substandard, pointing to concessions in health benefits and lower wages for new hires.

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On the Net: CNH Global: http://www.cnh.com/

UAW: http://www.uaw.org/