WATERFORD, N.Y. (AP) - Hundreds of union workers at a Hudson Valley chemical plant are still on strike heading into Christmas.
The strike by some 700 members of an IUE-CWA local is in its eighth week at Momentive Performance Materials in the Saratoga County town of Waterford, just north of Albany.
The workers walked off the job Nov. 2 when negotiations failed to reach agreement on a labor contract. The union rejected an offer that would cut vacation time and reduce health and retiree benefits.
Supervisors and newly hired, non-union replacement workers are operating the plant, which makes industrial sealants, adhesives and water repellents.
Striking workers have picketed outside the plant in wintry conditions. On Thursday, several Albany-area religious leaders held a prayer service near the plant to show support for the strikers.
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