AIRWAY HEIGHTS, Wash. — Some 400 Machinists went on strike Wednesday at the Triumph Composite Systems factory in the Spokane suburb of Airway Heights.
The strike at the aircraft parts maker began right after midnight, following weeks of contract negotiations that failed to resolve disagreements regarding money, retirement plans, health care and job security.
“This is about the future, about our community and its ability to have our kids make a decent living,” striker Susie Bellino told The Spokesman-Review.
It’s the first time in seven years the Machinists have walked off the job to strike the Pennsylvania-based company that bought the factory in 2003 from Boeing Co.
It has become a profitable parts supplier that sells air duct systems, floor panels and other equipment to Airbus, Bombardier and other companies.
Union officials contend Triumph executives are trying to pit employees against each other with unbalanced pay and benefits policies. They also accuse the company of abusing state tax incentive programs tailored for aerospace companies by moving local jobs to Mexico.
Triumph officials counter that the company is offering at least a 2 percent wage increase for all employees, and lump-sum payments totaling $4,000 during the three-year contract offer. An employee with about seven years of experience at Triumph earns about $21 an hour, according to numbers included in a contract statement.
In a prepared statement, the company said it is “disappointed by this decision, which is not in the best interest of the employees, the company or the community.”
In response to the strike, Triumph has employed a company that has been advertising for replacement workers to cross the picket lines and work with managers to keep production on schedule.
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