Celanese, Union Reach Pact

Celanese Acetate reached a tentative agreement on a new three-year contract with its union workers Wednesday, five weeks after the previous contract had expired, a company official said.

The proposed pact must now be voted upon by members of the Union of Needle Trades, Industrial and Textile Employees. The union and the company started negotiating for a new contract four months ago.

John McQuail, the Narrows plant’s director of human resources, said he is optimistic union members will ratify the proposed contract, which he called a “fair, competitive offer.”

“We’re looking forward to the vote and hope the vote is positive so that we can move forward,” he said.

However, details of the proposal, or a date for the vote weren’t available Thursday.