Air Products reaches agreement with striking employees of the cryogenics division

BETHLEHEM, Pa. – Striking employees at a division of Air Products returned to work Thursday after negotiating a settlement that secured them pay raises and improved health care benefits, a union official said Friday.

Dennis Hower, president of Teamsters Local 773, said the 184-member union at Gardner Cryogenics approved a new contract Wednesday morning with 83 percent approval. Under the agreement, union members will receive a 10 percent raise in the first year of the contract and a 4 percent raise in the second and third years. The initial raise will be higher for some workers because some positions will be categorized differently, he said.

In addition, the company will lower the percentage employees must contribute to health insurance, and employees will receive a stipend to help cover their medical costs, Hower said. Employees will also receive more sick days and better paternity leave.

“It was a great victory, and all because the members stuck together,” he said.

The union representing workers in Gardner’s manufacturing, maintenance and shipping departments has been on strike since June 10. Negotiations broke down during the first week of the strike, but both sides agreed this week to meet with a federal negotiator to resolve the matter, Hower said.

Gardner Cryogenics makes specialized tankers for transporting liquid helium and liquid hydrogen. On its website, the company claims it is the world’s leading supplier of large liquid helium storage vessels. Air Products, a Fortune 500 company and one of the region’s largest employers, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.