Published: August 27, 2008 03:07 pm            

EDITORIAL: Credit union deal good for area

While we don’t know the terms of the new contract that put Cornerstone Community Federal Credit Union employees back to work Wednesday, we do know the end of the 10-day strike is good news for the community.

Strikes are never pretty. This is a highly unionized area of Western New York and all of us know all too well what work stoppages can do to the community. They are never good.

Sometimes the fights are for good causes, other times we think the union needs to understand management’s take and how people who aren’t in a union struggle a lot more than them.

Health insurance was at the center of all of this. It’s at the center of the struggles for all businesses — unionized or not, big and small. We’re sure to see this type of debate again around town. It’s an issue that is central to the presidential election and won’t be solved here in Lockport. It’s a national issue.

Cornerstone is a big part of this community — and WNY as a whole — and its board, workers and members want what’s best for the credit union. We’re glad to see they figured out what’s best for all and got back to work.

“We appreciate the support and patience of our members during the strike, and we remain committed to providing first-rate service while maintaining the fiscal responsibility that we owe to our members,” said Ann Brittin, president and chief executive officer of Cornerstone.

Cornerstone has more than 43,000 credit union members, hearing that those people were first and foremost in getting a deal done is good news for all of us.

        

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