Tuesday, December 6, 2022 1:30 pm
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BAILEYVILLE, Maine (From news reports) -- Workers at the Woodland Pulp mill in Baileyville started voting Monday on whether to accept a contract offer or go on strike.
Members of United Steelworkers Local 27 have been negotiating with the company for months on a new contract.
Union representatives say they're looking for regular wage increases, as well as a cost-of-living adjustment, in the face of high inflation. The members say they've stayed on the job, even in the midst of the worst of the pandemic.
The union will vote on the company's contract offer Monday and Tuesday.
The Maine AFL-CIO said in a release that if the contract is rejected, the union would give the company 10 days' notice and go on strike later in December.
A Woodland Pulp spokesperson said in November that the company was optimistic for an "equitable and logical" conclusion to negotiations with the union.
The company declined to comment further in advance of the vote.