FAIRFIELD, Conn., Dec. 30 — The General Electric Company's union workers are planning their first national strike in more than 30 years as the company prepares to raise health care co-payments on Jan. 1. þþThe unions will set a strike date once the company raises the medical costs, said Lauren Asplen, spokeswoman for the International Union of Electrical-Communications Workers of America. About 17,500 workers at General Electric are preparing for a walkout as the unions set picket assignments and prepare strike materials and headquarters, she said. þþGeneral Electric still plans to impose the co-payment increase that was announced in August, a company spokesman, Gary F. Sheffer, said. Employees on average will pay about $200 a year more for health care, he said. The union had asked General Electric to cancel its plans and discuss the issue when negotiations for a new contract begin in May.þþÿThere is no reason for them to force an increase through at this point in time,ÿ Ms. Asplen said. ÿWhen you have a company making close to $16 billion of net income, they can maintain health care benefits.ÿ þþGeneral Electric's health care costs have risen 45 percent, to $1.4 billion, this year from $965 million in 1999, Mr. Sheffer said. þþÿWe, like a lot of companies, are seeing our health care costs increase dramatically,ÿ Mr. Sheffer said. ÿThat's the reason we've asked employees to contribute more in 2003.ÿ þþThe union would be joined in the strike by the United Electrical, Radio and Machine Workers of America, Ms. Asplen said. Active workers from those two unions represent about 6 percent of the company's work force, Mr. Sheffer said. They have the only contracts that are negotiated on a national basis, he said. Other contracts are negotiated by local plants.þþþ
Source: NY Times
