Media Contact:
David Gault
Lead Negotiator/IAMAW Local 2018 Business Representative
(317) 797-7176
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Machinists Union Workers at Regal Beloit On Strike in Valparaiso, Indiana
Valparaiso, Indiana, June 28, 2019 – More than 130 members of Machinists Union Local 2018 employed at Regal Beloit Manufacturing in Valparaiso, Indiana have overwhelmingly voted to strike after rejecting the company’s contract offer Friday. The strike will take effect Sunday, June 30, 2019.
The skilled trade members of the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAMAW) are striking for affordable health care, better wages, clear break times, and no changes to their current probationary period.
“The main concern is health insurance,” said lead negotiator and IAMAW Local 2018 Business Representative David Gault. “The raises our members have received the past two contracts don’t even begin to cover the costs of their premiums. The workers and their families are not moving forward – they’re moving backwards. And they’re simply tired of it.”
“IAMAW Local 2018 members at Regal are not asking for more than what they deserve,” continued Gault, “and that’s fairness and the ability to keep their heads above water. They, along with their families, deserve better than the agreement Regal has put before them.”
Regal Beloit is a leading manufacturer of electric motors, electrical motion controls, power generation and power transmission products serving markets throughout the world.
IAMAW Local 2018 members employed at Regal’s Valparaiso facility manufacture part bearings for the aerospace industry.
About the IAMAW
The International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAMAW) is among the largest industrial trade unions in North America and represents nearly 600,000 active and retired members in manufacturing, aerospace, transportation, shipbuilding, woodworking and other industries. For more information, visit www.GoIAM.org.
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