A contract vote for employees at MonoSol LLC's La Porte, Ind., plant is being delayed due to the expectation of inclement weather.
A total of 192 workers at the facility have been locked out since Nov. 30 when a previous contract expired. They had previously been scheduled to consider a new contract proposal Friday, Dec. 23. But that vote now has been pushed back to Monday, Dec. 26, the company said.
A blizzard warning has been issued for La Porte and the area is expected to receive 6 to 12 inches of snow through Dec. 24.
Plans are to restart the plant Tuesday if the employees approve a contract proposal created by a federal mediator. MonoSol already has agreed to the terms, the company said.
"The mediator proposed an agreement in which MonoSol will increase the signing bonus, add to fourth year wages and guarantee no mandatory overtime for two years with the option to extend to a third year," a company spokesman has previously said.
MonoSol, a unit of Kuraray Group, makes water-soluble films in La Porte facility that are then used to make laundry pods.
Production has stopped in La Porte but continues at two other MonoSol plants in nearby Portage, Ind., as well as plant in Lebanon, Ind., near Indianapolis. The company, which also has manufacturing locations in the United Kingdom, Japan and Poland, indicated there is enough capacity elsewhere cover the lost production in La Porte.
A key sticking point in the dispute has been the amount of time workers are on the job. Union officials are complaining about mandatory overtime. MonoSol indicated the vast majority of overtime — 97 percent — is voluntary.