Employees, Riverbend Foods at odds over contract negotiations

PITTSBURGH — Employees at Riverbend Foods, also known as the old Heinz Plant, are prepared to walk off the job after several contract negotiation meetings.

Employees say they want a fair contract and retirees want benefits they’ve worked decades for and are in jeopardy of losing.

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"I was totally shocked. I thought we were locked in for the duration until I passed away,” said retiree Robert Byrnes.

Retirees got a letter in the mail notifying them of an “urgent matter that could negatively affect” them.

The United Food & Commercial Workers Local 23 told Channel 11 they’ve had at least a dozen bargaining sessions with Riverbend Foods.

However, the two haven’t been able to agree on wages, retiree benefits, or retiree medical and pension plans.

"What we did to compensate the companies we worked for was basically instead of taking pay raises all through the contracts, we didn't take big raises, we took a cost of living and gave all the rest of the money to put into health care and retirement," Byrnes said.

Byrnes spent 38 years working at the plant, looking forward to the benefits.

With 450 people working in the plant now, and 340 retirees, union members have made it clear they aren’t backing down.

Tom Lavan, CEO of Riverbend, issued a statement regarding the labor negotiations.

“Despite what you may have heard from the UFCW Leadership, Riverbend Foods is not taking anybody’s pension away as that would be illegal. One hundred percent of the money in the pensions will remain,” Lavan said. “In our proposal, employee pensions will be frozen and active employees will no longer accrue additional service time. As always, retirees do not accrue additional service time and therefore there is no change and they will continue to receive the same monthly payments they have enjoyed in the past.

“For current employees, Riverbend proposes to replace the pension plan with a 401(k) that includes a 50 percent company match on the first six percent an employee invests. If the company decides to close out the pension program itself, all retiree and vested current employee money would be provided via an annuity or in a lump sum cash payment. Those that want to learn more about pensions can go to the ERISA government web site.”

Riverbend Foods officials told Channel 11 they're in the middle of ongoing labor negotiations. They'll be meeting with the union again Thursday morning.

Cox Media Group