Maytag union workers are on strike today in Newton, a work stoppage that began Thursday afternoon after talks on a new contract with the appliance-maker broke down. Lynne Dragomier is a spokeswoman for Maytag and says there have been no talks since the work stoppage began and none are scheduled. The last contract expired May 31 and the negotiators for Maytag and the United Auto Workers Union local 997 agreed to extend the deadline to Wednesday evening, but no agreement had been reached 18 hours after that deadline. Dragomier says neither side is giving details, but benefits are the remaining issue. It’s up to the negotiating teams to decide when talks will restart. The contract covers workers at Maytag’s flagship plant in Newton but not at the Maytag-owned plants in Amana or elsewhere around the country. One week ago Maytag announced plans to trim costs by cutting 11-hundred workers.
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