Constellium Rolled Products, an aluminum rolling plant in Ravenswood, in Jackson County, employs about 1,000 people. Nearly 700 of them are represented by the union. The United Steel Workers Local 5668 voted Thursday and Friday to reject a new contract that will impact the next five years of their lives. Constellium's offers included wage adjustments, annual pay increases, and an immediate $4,000 ratification bonus totaling more than $26,000 per person on average, plus additional economic incentives, like an increase in life insurance amounts and sickness and accident benefits. The offer also introduced a new healthcare plan, in which hourly employees would begin contributing to premiums in 2014, at rates about half the national average.
