BAILEYVILLE, Maine — Workers in Baileyville voted to strike after rejecting the Woodland Pulp mill's contract offer on Wednesday.
According to a news release issued by the Maine AFL-CIO, Woodland Pulp "refused to budge on members’ demands for wage adjustments to reflect the increasing cost of living."
A total of 85 percent of workers participated in the vote scheduled for Wednesday and Thursday, the release stated.
The union is now able to provide a 10-day notice to the company for a strike to begin during the week of Dec. 19, according to the release.
“We understand that the company has offered good general wage increases for the paper industry and in a normal year, our members would take it,” Mike Higgins, United Steelworkers labor representative, said in the release. “But inflation is really eating into their paychecks, and we know the company is adjusting its prices for inflation. Local 27 members just want to make sure they don’t fall behind.”