Members of the Machinists Union at Textron Aviation voted to ratify a four-year contract offer from the company on Saturday, making null the outcome of a vote to strike.
Some workers previously said they would have gone on strike if the new health insurance plan didn’t offer lower deductibles, adding that current prices were unaffordable. Members told The Eagle Saturday they thought the new offer was the best they would receive during a recession and pandemic.
The Machinists Union represents about 4,500 employees at Textron Aviation, down slightly from earlier in the year because of layoffs.
Joe Guinn, a mechanic at Textron Aviation and longtime union member, said the contract vote was important to more than just Textron Aviation employees. If workers at one of the city’s largest employers do well, that feeds into the local economy, he said.
The new contract will take effect Monday. The union had hoped for a three-year contract, after the previous agreement lasted six years.
Cornell Beard, president and directing business representative for the Machinists Union District Lodge 70, previously said he thought members were likely to walk away from a contract if they didn’t receive a stronger health care option and a shorter contract length. The 2014 contract was a loss for workers’ health care, he added.
The union referenced a willingness to strike since negotiations began Aug. 17. Members have not been able to strike for a decade, since the last contract focused on folding two unions together for the 2014 Beechcraft and Cessna merger.
Throughout contract negotiations, Textron Aviation said it sought flexibility from workers to help make it through the recession.
“Textron Aviation’s goal was to support our people and find mutually beneficial ways for a sustainable future, seeking stability in an otherwise uncertain environment,” a company spokesperson said in a statement Saturday. “Through this collaborative effort, we were able to reach an agreement that allows us to weather this challenging economy, take care of our employees and eventually return to growing our business.”
Company officials are pleased that union members ratified the contract, the spokesperson added.
“Textron Aviation is proud to call Wichita home for nine decades,” Ron Draper, president, said in a statement. “Our future continues to be strengthened by the dedication of our world-class workforce.”
The vote took place Saturday at the Century II Bob Brown Expo Hall downtown, a setting union leaders planned to allow for social distancing.
Tevin Hines, who went out to vote Saturday, said he thought the company’s final contract offer was as good as it would get during a recession. He didn’t want to strike given the economic landscape in the pandemic. Hines has been a union member at Textron Aviation for 30 years, previously at Beechcraft.
Tim Youngers said he thought members would accept the contract while voting Saturday.
“The health insurance is never that great, but it’s better than nothing,” he said. “At least we have a union.”
Union leaders, members talked strike for weeks
Members of the Machinists Union Local 774 had discussed a strike throughout negotiations.
In recent messages, the union advised members to vote yes on the strike question on Saturday’s ballot. If members had voted to reject the contract but did not vote to approve a strike, the contract would have been accepted regardless.
Because members ratified the contract, the strike vote did not make a difference.
The company, much like the union, turned to virtual communications during negotiations, posting updates to a web page.
In June, Textron Aviation asked the Machinists Union to open contract talks early.
Union members voted to reject that request. The same day, they voted 96% in favor of a strike sanction vote. Although it was not a vote to actually strike, it was a way for workers to show Textron Aviation they were willing to strike. It also authorized the international Machinists Union, the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers, to provide funds and benefits to workers in the event of a strike.
Shortly after the June votes, Textron Aviation announced it would lay off about 800 workers in Wichita, including union employees. The company cited the need to “adjust to the evolving global economic uncertainty” amid the coronavirus pandemic.
Angela Garner, a union steward, was recently laid off but attended last week’s solidarity rally to show her support for the negotiating committee. She said she was raised around the union when her dad worked for Beechcraft. It was important to her that workers get a better insurance plan, despite her layoff.
Kathy Calisay agreed. She said workers want to have good insurance to support their families and the next generation of aircraft workers in Wichita.
“We fight for the generations coming in,” Calisay said. “This is the Air Capital of the World, we have skilled labor right here.”
One decade since union had ability to strike
Although the expiring contract dates back to 2014, union members did not have the ability to strike at that time, said Scott Gardner, Machinists Union District Lodge 70 communicator. The 2014 contract focused on the Beechcraft and Cessna merger, which folded multiple union locals into one.
Before that, the contract dated back to 2009, just over a decade ago, Gardner said. Members then rejected the contract but did not vote in favor of a strike. The 2009 contract was ratified by members despite their opposition to it, Gardner said.
At the solidarity rally on Sept. 10, many members pointed to the 25-day Hawker Beechcraft strike in 2008 as the last time they had strike leverage, some saying they took part in that stoppage.
Heather Stone, who has worked for Textron Aviation for 24 years, said before the vote that she was prepared to strike, having saved some money just in case.
“They need us as much as we need them,” Stone said of Textron Aviation and its workers.
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