Union moves to stop 'double breasting'.

the Sheet Metal Workers union's executive council approved a plan to halt the spread of "double-breasted" contractors who operate both union and nonunion shops in the sheet metal and other parts of the construction industry. Under the plan, double-breasted contractors will be barred from participating in the union's 3-year-old program to aid unionized firms that are having difficulty competing with nonunion firms. The aid is in the form of cuts in wages and benefits and changes in work rules.

The new policy requires employers to sign an "integrity clause" before negotiating and receiving contract concessions, and defines a "bad faith employer" as one who operates or permits operation on a double-breasted basis. Sheet Metal Workers' President Edward J. Carlough said that to grant the concessionary contract provisions to employers who then hire nonunion employees would violate the very purpose of the program.

The Sheet Metal Workers also announced two actions to improve the financial conditions of its retirees. One action was the establishment of a cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) trust fund that will provide annual lump-sum payments to 14,000 retirees, supplementing their regular monthly pension payments. The payment will be financed by employers at the rate of 5 cents for each hour worked by active employees covered by the union's national pension plan. The annual lump-sum payment will equal 3 percent of the retiree's regular annual pension for each year of service, up to 15 years.

The other new program will reimburse retirees and their spouses for most of the deductible and coinsurance costs not covered by Medicare Parts A and B. It will be financed by the union's national pension trust, with retirees contributing $13 a month if single, and $26 if married.