United Steelworkers (USW) union members have voted to approve a new four-year contract with Arconic.
The new contract – which increases pay by about 22% over four years – received a 60% total voter approval from union members voting at four sites across the nation Wednesday, June 1. Union officials on Thursday morning, June 2, did not have a breakdown of specific voting results from the individual sites, which includes Arconic Davenport Works.
“I think it was the fairest contract we could bring back at the time,” Patrick Stock, USW Local 105 president, told the QCBJ today. “We brought back the information and people had their say on it.”
The union members from the Davenport Works as well as Arconic plants in Lafayette, Indiana; Massena, New York; and Alcoa, Tennessee, voted on the proposed contract for much of Wednesday, June 1. Local 105 in Bettendorf voted from 5 a.m. to 7 p.m. at the Quad Cities Waterfront Convention Center, Bettendorf.
Mr. Stock added that he thought the voting process went smoothly. He said he spoke with the union presidents at the other three sites across the nation and was told the process went fine.
After Wednesday’s vote, USW officials praised the unity union members showed during the contract negotiations.
“The unity of our membership across all of the Arconic locations put us in position to negotiate more secure jobs with improved wages and excellent benefits,” USW District 11 Director Emil Ramirez said in a statement issued Wednesday. “When union workers stand together in the name of fairness and justice, there are no limits to what we can accomplish.”
Mr. Ramirez, who chaired the contract negotiations, added that local union representatives’ “strong voices in negotiations were crucial in making sure the issues most important to the membership were addressed.”
Officials with Arconic also were pleased by the outcome.
“We are pleased that our USW represented employees at Arconic’s master contract locations ratified the agreement (Wednesday night). The new collective bargaining agreement covers about 3,400 employees and runs through May 15, 2026,” John Riches, communications and public affairs manager for Arconic Davenport Works, said in a statement to the QCBJ.
According to Local 105’s Facebook page, the new contract will:
- Increase wages by 22%. Pay raises will include 7% in the first year and 4.5% in each of the next three years.
- Include a signing bonus of $4,000 – $2,000 upon signing, and $2,000 in January 2023.
- Maintain the current health care coverage with no premium increases.
- Improve pensions.
- Add Martin Luther King Jr. Day as a paid holiday.
The Arconic Davenport Works plant has about 2,400 workers including 1,800 who are members of Local 105.
The last time the union went on strike was in 1986 when the local plant then was Alcoa Davenport Works.
