Schenectady Daily Gazette
June 5, 2010
by Kathy Bowen

Momentive Performance Materials workers were joined by the Green Party candidate for governor on an informational picket in front of the company's Waterford plant Friday, three days before contract talks are to begin.Momentive makes silicone products and products from quartz and specialty ceramics.

There are about 1,000 full-time employees at the Waterford operation on routes 4 and 32 and the company has about 5,000 employees worldwide. Momentive cut the base pay for 400 jobs last year while increasing the pay for 20 employees by 9 percent. Some 200 employees saw no change in pay, according to the company.

The union has filed charges against Momentive with the National Labor Relations Board over the pay cuts. Howie Hawkins is a gubernatorial candidate and a member of the Teamsters Local 317 in Syracuse who said he is supporting workers at Momentive in their fight to regain wages.

Company spokesman John! Scharf said union leaders and Momentive officials will open their dialogue after the weekend.

"We certainly respect the union's right to demonstrate," Scharf said Friday. "Our official union contract negotiations begin Monday on a new three-year deal." He said the current contract expires on June 20 and in the past contract negotiations have lasted for about two weeks. He said workers received a cost-of-living increase in April but cuts made last year have not been rescinded.

"The union pay reductions were permanent," Scharf said, adding that non-union employees who had pay cuts of 7.5 percent or 10 percent last year have since had their salaries restored.

Hawkins and local labor leaders questioned the validity of any contract signed between the union and company.

"What good is a negotiated contract if it is allowed to be broken?" Hawkins asked. "This only means millions of dollars in losses and lowering the standard of living for workers and the community. Meanwhile, the wealthy owne! rs and u pper management are left untouched while the workers struggle to pay their bills."

When the pay cuts were made, company officials said they were realigning wages to local labor market rates and creating a wider range of pay levels at the site.

The wage adjustments changed the base annual pay range for hourly production from $50,000-$65,000 to $30,000-$70,000 and were designed to make the Waterford facility more competitive.

Reach Gazette reporter Kathy Bowen at 885-6705 or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

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