The clock is about to strike midnight for DynCorp.
Despite months of talks, management at the military base contractor continues to drag its feet in negotiations with over 900 IAM Local 4 members at Patuxent River Naval Air Station in Southern Maryland. The company’s contract with the IAM expires Friday, August 30, 2013.
The DynCorp employees, who maintain and fix fighter jets and other aircraft at the base, have been protesting unpredictable and rising health insurance costs, as well as potential restrictions on how they use vacation time. Local 4 members, who joined the IAM in 2007, have been picketing the base to let the community know about the dispute.
If DynCorp and the IAM don’t reach an agreement by or on August 30, Local 4 members will decide on whether or not to strike.
“We’re fighting for our families. We’re fighting for our community,” Local 4 President Scott McCauley told a reporter for SoMdNews.com. “We’re optimistic about finding a good resolution.”
McCauley said health care costs for DynCorp employees at the base rose 45 percent in 2010, followed by 6 to 9 percent increases in subsequent years. He had to move his family of four onto a cheaper, but less desirable, plan until his wife got a job that could provide coverage.
DynCorp is the county’s third-largest employer outside of state and local government.
