It’s one week into the strike at Eaton Corporation-Cobham Mission Systems with no apparent contract breakthroughs on the horizon. Union members continued to strike and picket against the Davenport company on Friday, Feb. 25, after rejecting a new contract on Thursday, Feb. 17. The next contract negotiations meeting between company and union representatives is Tuesday, […]
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It’s one week into the strike at Eaton Corporation-Cobham Mission Systems with no apparent contract breakthroughs on the horizon.
Union members continued to strike and picket against the Davenport company on Friday, Feb. 25, after rejecting a new contract on Thursday, Feb. 17.
The next contract negotiations meeting between company and union representatives is
Tuesday, March 1, according to John Herrig, the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace (IAM) District 6 union business representative.
Mr. Herrig told the Quad Cities Regional Business Journal on Friday that the main unresolved issues continue to be what he calls substandard wages, reduced health care benefits and decreased 401(k) retirement matching contributions.
“These are clear take-aways from the (union) membership,” he said. “We don’t negotiate a move backwards.”
Shortly after the strike began, company officials said they were close to a deal with the union workers.
“We are very surprised that some of our employees have decided to strike, especially since Eaton and the union were so close to a deal at the time the union chose to strike. The parties reached tentative agreements to provide more vacation, greater scheduling certainty and flexibility, additional leave and an agreement on retirement and health care plans,” according to a statement released Friday, Feb. 18, by Katie Kennedy, senior manager of communications and marketing communications for Eaton-Cobham.
Mr. Herrig called that a “misleading statement” on Friday. “We’re not that close to an agreement,” he added.
More than 400 workers from IAM Local 388 and IAM Local 1191, based in Moline, are on strike after rejecting the proposed three-year contract. The strike against Eaton-Cobham, located at 2734 Hickory Grove Road, began at 12:01 a.m. Feb. 18.
A Feb. 17 union news release said IAM members “voted almost unanimously to strike after management made a contract offer with substandard wages, reduced health care benefits and decreased 401(K) retirement matching contributions.”
As union workers continued to walk the picket lines Friday morning, Mr. Herrig said they were still in an “upbeat” mood and “morale is equally as high.”
Company officials did not respond to a request for comment on Friday.
An earlier company statement emailed by Ms. Kennedy said: “Eaton met with the union on (Feb. 18) to seek resolution on the items the parties did not previously reach a tentative agreement on. We have not yet come to an agreement but will continue negotiations.”
Eaton Corporation acquired the former Cobham Mission Systems last year. The company manufactures air-to-air refueling systems, environment systems and actuation, primarily for defense markets, according to its website. Eaton-Cobham Mission Systems has about 950 employees in the Quad Cities. Not all of those employees are in the union.
