Dive Brief:
- The production and supply workers at Bayer's Berkeley facilitiy are the only unionized biotech manufacturing workforce in the U.S.
- The workers have settled a four-year contract with Bayer that includes annual raises of at least 3.2%.
- Currently, the workers are building a $100 million testing facility in Berkeley. This is the location where Bayer currently manufactures and tests the blood-clotting drug Kogenate FS, used to treat patients with hemophilia A.
Dive Insight:
The tradition of a unionized workforce at Bayer's Berkeley facility, which is overseen by Joerg Heidrich, dates back to the mid-1970's when Bayer bought Cutter Laboratories. Between Berkeley and San Francisco, there are roughly 1,500 employees at Bayer, including the ILWU Local 6 workers who just negotiated a solid contract, with built-in raises.
Currently, the average pay of ILWU Local 6 workers at the Berkeley location is $67,000. Their work not only supports the manufacturing of Kogenate FS, Berkeley's second-largest selling drug, but may eventually support the manufacturing of Kovalry, a new drug for hemophilia A which is currently being reviewed by the FDA.