Leaders with the United Steelworkers (USW) and Arconic are scheduled to begin contract negotiations on today, April 26, in Pittsburgh.
The union includes workers with USW Local 105, Bettendorf, who are employed at Arconic Davenport Works in Riverdale. Arconic is one of the largest employers in the Quad Cities region.
There are about 1,750 Local 105 union workers at the Davenport Works, according to information from the union.
Local 105 also officials confirmed that contract talks started Tuesday.
“We are just bargaining for a fair contract in this process,” Lee Shaffer, a guide officer with Local 105, told the QCBJ this morning.
Those talks are expected to focus on wages and benefits for union members who work at four Arconic locations — Davenport Works; Lafayette, Indiana; Massena, New York; and Alcoa, Tennessee.
The current three-year contract with the USW was approved in 2019 and expires on Sunday, May 15.
According to a recent news report, United Steelworkers national officials met recently with Arconic for a company update.
“Good news: all 5 markets Arconic (are) operating are expecting continued growth. As essential workers, we understand the business projections and expect a fair contract. All (union) participants also had internal discussions to prepare for our upcoming bargaining which is set to begin April 26 in Pittsburgh,” according to the union’s Facebook message.
Arconic employs a total of about 2,500 workers at the Davenport Works plant, which has an estimated local economic impact of more than $4 million a day, according to Arconic’s Facebook page.
Arconic, with headquarters in Pittsburgh, is a global supplier of aluminum sheet, plate and extruded products for the aerospace, automotive, commercial transportation, defense, industrial, and building and construction industries.
