Kaydon Ring & Seal Remains on Strike

Kaydon Corporation's (USA) Ring & Seal division plant in Baltimore, Maryland, remains on strike, despite negotiations restarting today. The plant is located in the Carroll Camden Industrial Park. Approximately 250 workers represented by the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM) Local 1784 went out on strike December 5, 2004, when the three-year contract expired and workers rejected the company's latest contract proposal. Although Kaydon reportedly offered a pay package including a 5% raise the first year and nothing the second or third years, negotiations have apparently stalled on the benefits package. Kaydon is reportedly asking employees to pay 15% more for their health care the first year of the new contract, then pay 20% of the total health care package from the second year on. Kaydon's health care is self-insured, so employees are being asked to contribute 20% of the total cost. Changes to the prescription plan, deductibles and retiree health care contribution were also rejected by workers. In addition, Kaydon's offer cuts the company pension plan contribution by half. Workers also say Kaydon is threatening to outsource the Baltimore production to other facilities. Kaydon's Baltimore Ring & Seal division plant is a vertically integrated manufacturing facility, producing high-performance sealing rings, piston rings, and bearing compartment seals, primarily for the aerospace and turbomachinery markets. Ring & Seal also offers certified seal repair. While the facility produces rings and seals for a variety of applications and customers, the most important have been Hamilton Sundstrand, General Electric, Honeywell and Rolls-Royce. Reportedly, the plant's largest customer today is Pratt & Whitney. Kaydon describes its Ring and Seal business: Kaydon is a leading supplier of seals and sealing rings used in turbine engines, actuators, auxiliary power units, environmental control units and high temperature valve applications for both military and commercial platforms. Decades of engineering, application and manufacturing expertise are behind every product shipped, and result in Kaydon being a "go to" supplier for not only today's program needs but also the newest engine programs including the Joint Strike Fighter and GP7000. The Baltimore plant's products are: Sealing Rings Kaydon designs and manufactures sealing rings, applied as bearing damper rings, used in hydraulic systems, valve and actuator assemblies, and other critical sealing applications. A variety of materials are utilized depending on the application and service conditions. Some materials are poured in Kaydon's in-house foundry using proprietary materials. Patented joint configurations are available for applications requiring specific types of leakage control and for blind assembly applications. Various coatings are used based on the application. Bearing Compartment Seals Kaydon manufactures main shaft bearing compartment seals. Carbon face seals, carbon circumferential seals and specialized labyrinth designs are the most common designs. Shaft seal runners, spacers and support structures are often used simplify the supply of associated seal components and assure the proper interface fitup. Founded in 1941, Kaydon now manufactures standard and custom-engineered bearings, hydraulic cylinders, slip rings and filters, supplying a broad and diverse group of industrial, aerospace, medical and electronic equipment, and aftermarket customers. In the bearing industry, Kaydon is a key manufacturer of slip-ring and specialty bearing products sold to security, military and industrial markets for industrial and aerospace applications. The company also includes Cooper Roller Bearing (UK), a leading manufacturer of split roller bearings, thrust bearings and other custom bearings. Kaydon's Friction and Motion Control division is home to the bearing operations. Seals and slip rings are also carried by the company's three other divisions, Velocity Control Products, Sealing Products, Power and Data Transmission Products, and Other.