UAW Local 997 on Strike at Maytag Plant in Newton, Iowa NEWTON, Iowa, June 10 /PRNewswire/ -- UAW Local 997 members at the Maytag appliance plant in Newton, Iowa, went on strike at 4:00 p.m. (CDST) today, after an eight-day extension expired without union and company negotiators reaching tentative agreement on a new contract. The previous UAW-Maytag contract, which covers 1,525 active workers, 700 laid-off workers and 2,000 retirees, expired on June 1, but the parties agreed to extend the contract to 10:00 p.m., June 9, and continue negotiations. "We went the extra mile and more to reach a new agreement without a strike. We agreed to a contract extension, and even after that extension expired last night, we stayed at the bargaining table and tried to resolve our differences on health care and retirement issues," said UAW Region 4 Director Dennis Williams. "The situation at Maytag is yet one more example of how the United States' broken health care system is placing enormous strains on the collective bargaining process -- and hurting both companies and working families," said Williams. "The simple fact is that we can't solve the health care cost crisis at the bargaining table; it's a national problem that demands a national solution." "We understand the importance of Maytag to the entire Newton community, and we are ready and willing to resume negotiations at any time. No one ever wants a strike, and we're prepared to work around the clock to negotiate a fair and equitable new contract for the hard-working men and women who've built Maytag's outstanding reputation for quality and dependability," Williams said. DATASOURCE: UAW CONTACT: Paul Krell for UAW, +1-313-926-5291 Web site: http://www.uaw.org/

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