On the Dash:
- UAW Local 405 plans to strike Triumph Engine Control Systems beginning Nov. 2, after its contract expires and negotiations stall.
- The dispute centers on job security, successorship protections, cost-of-living adjustments, aerospace-sector wages and health care costs.
- The strike involves workers who build and overhaul fuel systems for U.S. military aircraft, including the Chinook, Apache and Black Hawk.
Members of UAW Local 405 planned to begin an unfair labor practice strike at Triumph Engine Control Systems at 5 a.m. today. According to the union, the company committed multiple unfair labor practices and refused to present a fair economic proposal that meets members’ needs.
The local represents about 175 workers who build and overhaul fuel systems for U.S. military aircraft, including the Chinook, Apache and Black Hawk. Their contract expired at midnight Oct. 31, with members voting 148-1 to authorize a strike, with 86% participation.
Notably, negotiations began on Sept. 22, and the union presented its economic proposals on Oct. 15. However, Triumph didn’t submit an economic proposal until Oct. 23, eight days before the contract expired. According to the union, talks broke down Thursday after the company acknowledged the union’s major movement, then presented a “last, best and final” offer and refused further discussion of the union’s core issues, which include:
- Job security
- Successorship
- Cost-of-living protection
- Aerospace-sector standard wages
- Health care costs
Local 405 President Ben Wilcox said the union was always ready to negotiate, yet the company offered nothing and handed members a take-it-or-leave-it proposal that ignored their priorities.
Union cites successorship concerns
Meanwhile, private equity firms Warburg Pincus and Berkshire Partners purchased Triumph last year for about $3 billion. The union says the company told it that it intends to sell the business again and has refused to agree to standard successorship language that would require a future buyer to recognize the union and the contract. UAW Region 9A Director Brandon Mancilla said the plant’s workers, not Wall Street, will remain central to its future, noting that Wall Street “didn’t build this plant.”
Additionally, the union says Triumph overhauled its health plan during the 2021-2026 contract and shifted tens of thousands of dollars in deductibles and out-of-pocket costs onto members. According to the union, workers with chronic conditions, those facing major medical expenses and families with children who have genetic disorders have been hit hardest. Ultimately, Local 405 is seeking changes to health care costs, along with job security and wage protections.