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Union Workers At PPG Ratify Contract

After five months of striking, union workers at PPG Industries ratified their contract Wednesday, and while they said they're ready to get back to work, many union workers told NEWS9 they're not happy with the agreement.

"It's a shame, shame on PPG the corporation," said Traci Mullins, a union worker at PPG for more than 22 years. "They have money. It should have been the best contract I saw, and it's the worst I've seen."

"I don't think there's any of us that aren't grateful for the fact that we're gonna get back to work, but there's still a lot of sadness involved," said Larry Ritz, a union worker at PPG for the past 22 years.

After seven hours of casting their ballots Wednesday at the Lincoln Theater in New Martinsville, union members accepted the new contract from PPG Industries.

Most of the members NEWS9 spoke to after the results came in said they are angry because the two-tier wage system they were fighting to get rid of is still in place. This means newer employees have a lower pay scale.

"The people coming in are not gonna ever get up to the wage that we're making," said Jerry Richardson, a union worker at PPG for 23 years. "How would you feel if you were doing the same work, but not making the same money?"

Union President Mel Montes said he too is upset the two-tier system didn't go, but said PPG just wasn't going to budge. "The committee's opinion was that they were not going to move, and more time spent on the road would simply not be fair to the members."

However, Montes said he and his union won't give up the fight in the future. "This two-tier system is a cancer that this union will work however we can to get out of our contract."

Montes said union members will head back to work between Feb. 22 and March 4.

Natalie Pasquarella, NEWS9

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