Water bottler, workers agree to extend contract

POLAND SPRING – Union and Poland Spring Bottling Corp. officials have agreed to extend a contract for 280 western Maine workers into Friday, averting a potential New Year’s Day strike.

On Monday, the company agreed to the extension sought by Local 1445 of the United Food and Commercial Workers International.

Union members on Sunday rejected a contract offer by the water bottler after talks continued until late Saturday night.

The two sides were at odds over language to make full-time employees work different schedules.

A spokeswoman of the Perrier Group of America, which owns Poland Spring, said she believes an agreement can be reached with more talks.

“We’re very glad,” Jane Lazgin said.

Negotiations set for today and Thursday will center on the company’s desire to move full-time employees into a different pattern of work schedules.

Lazgin said that at other Perrier plants, two teams of workers are created. One team works four 10-hour days followed by three days off, which are covered by the other team, which works 12-hour shifts. The teams then swap schedules.

Dennis Norton, the local’s business agent, said both sides have agreed to invite a federal mediator into the remaining negotiations.

Norton said local members may stage a work stoppage if no agreement is reached by Friday.

Workers would have gone on strike Tuesday without a contract extension, Norton said. He said an overwhelming majority voted to reject the contract and authorize a strike as a bargaining tool, but he would not release the figures.