Union workers are returning to Wabtec’s Erie plant this week after a 10-week strike.
About 1,400 members of UE Locals 506 and 618 ratified a new collective bargaining agreement with the Pittsburgh-based locomotive manufacturer last week.
“This contract represents a substantial improvement over what Wabtec had on the table in June,” said Local 506 President Scott Slawson. “We are proud of the resolve of the membership over 70 days on the picket line. As a result of the action taken by our members, we made both economic and non-economic gains. The membership has voted to ratify this agreement. It’s time to get back to work.”
Among the provisions, the agreement calls for wage increases for all job categories: 3.65% upon ratification and a $1,500 lump sum payment and increases of at least 3% in the following three years
Wabtec (the former Westinghouse Airbrakes Technologies Corp.) acquired the Erie plant from GE Transportation in 2019.
Strikes, and the threats of them, have been rising throughout the country.
In June, hundreds of journalists at two dozen local newspapers across the U.S. walked off the job temporarily to demand an end to cost-cutting measures and a change of leadership at Gannett, the country’s biggest newspaper chain. The United Auto Workers union has clashed with General Motors, Stellantis and Ford as its contract nears its Sept. 14 expiration. SAG-AFTRA in July joined members of the Writers Guild of America in their strike against the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers, which represents Hollywood’s major studios. Teamsters representing 340,000 workers avoided a strike when they reached a deal with UPS in August.
