Fine Coated Paper Company: Union Negotiations

A leading manufacturer of fine coated paper in North America was deep in negotiations with the United Steelworkers Union for renewal of contracts at all four of its North American mills, located in Maine, Michigan and Minnesota. The union had delayed putting new contracts in place so that contracts at all the mills would be open at the same time, making the company exceptionally vulnerable. The union’s objective was to achieve strikes at multiple, potentially all, mills concurrently, which would have been financially devastating to the company.

The paper company brought in Morrissey & Company to help manage the crisis. Through a variety of communications strategies – dedicated Web sites, media training for company spokespeople at the mills, customer and supplier communications, press releases and extensive employee communications, among other tactics – Morrissey & Company educated critical audiences, most importantly employees. We worked to consistently communicate the company’s efforts to put a new contract in place, its commitment to employees and the union’s selective representation of facts.

Results

Thanks to these efforts, employees came to see that the union did not have their best interests at heart, and the company was able to put new contracts in place with no mill closures or stoppages and no business disruptions.