UTC strike continues as deal rejected
Liese Klein
Strikers outside the UTC plant in Cheshire.
The strike at the UTC Aerospace Systems plant in Cheshire continued into a second day as unionized workers rejected another offer from the company, a subsidiary of United Technologies.
“We hope they’ll be willing to sit back at the table with us and come up with something reasonable,” said Mary White, president of Local 62A of the International Association of Machinists union, which represents 188 out of a total of about 300 employees at the plant. A dozen or so workers picketed on Tuesday morning in front of the facility, part of the sprawling industrial park complex on Knotter Drive.
“Following several weeks of negotiations, the company presented a fair and equitable contract that is competitive within the region and the industry including wage and retirement plan increases, and improvement in other working conditions,” according to a UTC statement on the action. UTC Aerospace Systems will remain open and operate as normal throughout the work stoppage. “We have robust contingency plans in place and do not expect the strike to affect our customers or suppliers, and are continuing to assess next steps,” UTC said.
The issues at stake include pay rates as well as insurance expenses, a burden to the mostly female workforce, White said. The Cheshire workers start at $19.95 an hour as production associates, she said, while plants with mostly male workforces have a $40 an hour start rate. Increased insurance costs mean some employees will see their paychecks shrink under the company’s most recent proposal, she added. Positions covered by the union include production associates, testers, troubleshooters and CNC operators.
As White and the other strikers prepared for another day on the picket lines, trucks and the occasional minivan honked their support. Workers are taking four-hour shifts to ensure 24-hour coverage as Cheshire police guarded the picketers and fenced off the swale along both sides of Knotter Drive.
“We’re just tired of losing,” White said. “We come in here and do our jobs, so give us something to show us you appreciate what we do.”
Contact Liese Klein at lklein@newhavenbiz.com
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