IAM Contract with Triumph Includes Job Security
June 8, 2010
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| Members of Local 86 cast ballots to ratify new contract with Triumph Composite Systems in Spokane, WA |
The pursuit of contractual job security is difficult in the best of times, but in the midst of the worst recession in decades, it would seem an impossible task.
Undaunted, the 335 members of Local 86 who work at Triumph Composite Systems in Spokane, WA, overcame all obstacles and recently ratified an agreement that guarantees 40 hours employment per week for the life of the agreement.
The three-year contract goes a step further to address outsourcing with language to protect employees from work transfers to Mexico, or other Triumph facilities.
IAM members at the plant build and assemble floor panels, ducts and flight deck interiors and components for all Boeing aircraft (including the 787), as well as after-market floor panels for Airbus planes.
“In this environment, the job guarantee language is unprecedented ,” said Aerospace Coordinator Mark Blondin, who helped guide the talks to a successful conclusion. “By the time Triumph presented their best and final offer, the Local 86 Bargaining Committee secured gains in job security, $8,300 in lump sum payments, increased pension amounts and COLA. We also held the line on health care and got language to protect the employee’s portion from rampant inflation.”
Blondin credited a sophisticated and united membership for the outcome, along with support from the IAM Strategic Resources Department and District 751 and Local 86 representatives. “At every level, this was a team effort, from keeping the members informed, to crafting language that would survive the battle at the bargaining table. The members at Local 86 can be rightfully proud of what they accomplished.”
