Jeff Barron

Reporter

LANCASTER - Anchor Hocking workers Thursday approved a three-year labor contract which calls for a 3.5 percent raise the first year and 35-cent hourly raises the following two years, United Steelworkers staff representative Ken Lefever said.

EveryWare Global general counsel and senior vice president Erika Schoenberger confirmed the news. EveryWare Global is the Anchor Hocking's parent company.

Lefever said the contract also calls for lower insurance premiums for the workers. He said he looks forward to labor peace for the next three years as did CEO Patrick Lockwood-Taylor.

"We are pleased with the ratification of a new three-year agreement with the United Steelworkers, which is the result of commitment on both sides to a stronger working relationship for the future of our company and our people," Lockwood-Taylor said in a statement. "The new contract serves as a foundation for achieving a more sustainable and successful partnership to provide the high quality products and service our customers expect. Our people are essential for long-term business growth and our company’s continued place in the community."

The labor peace comes two years after a tumultuous time at the plant. It shut down for about a month in 2014 amid financial instability, and EveryWare Global later declared bankruptcy. The company emerged from Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2015, saying it reduced its debt by about 84 percent.

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