Caterpillar announced April 16 it has made its final offer on a new labor contract with the United Auto Workers. Neither the company nor the union commented on the terms of the proposal. The union’s bargaining committee is evaluating the offer and plans to schedule a vote in the “near future,” according to a statement. Chris Glynn, chief Caterpillar negotiator, said the offer would allow the company and employees to remain competitive and succeed over the long run. The new contract would affect about 8,000 union workers and 23,000 retirees or surviving spouses at plants in Illinois, Colorado, Pennsylvania and Tennessee. The former six-year contract expired April 1.
