Timken Workers Vote for Second Time

CANTON, Ohio (AP) - Workers at Timken Co. voted Thursday for the second time on a contract that would save half the jobs at three plants the company said it would close. The planned closings became a hot political topic during last year's presidential campaign because the steel and bearings maker is run by prominent President Bush backer William Robert "Tim" Timken Jr., who is resigning to become the U.S. ambassador to Germany. The four-year contract covers 2,700 workers in northeast Ohio. Some union members criticized the proposed deal for raising health care costs and not improving pension benefits. The proposed contract was rejected in June, in a 1,129-895 vote. It would have required workers to annually pay a share of health care benefits of $1,000 for an individual and $2,000 for a family. Those figures were reduced to $500 and $1,000 in the latest proposal. Currently, workers pay nothing for health care. The contract also would guarantee a minimum of 500 jobs be retained at three plants in the company's bearings division where about 1,000 are currently employed. The proposal includes raises of 3 percent a year on average pay of $18.50 an hour and promises from Timken to invest millions of dollars in Ohio operations and job security. Timken spokeswoman Denise Bowler declined comment until after the vote. If the contract is rejected a second time, workers said they didn't anticipate a strike. The current five-year contract expires Sept. 25. Timken employs about 26,000 people and has operations in 27 countries.