Posted on 05/01/2014 6:46:21 PM PDT by same old song
Almost 3,000 members of the Machinists Union Local Lodge 2003 are off their jobs today after rejecting a contract offer from L3 Army Fleet Support at Fort Rucker.
The strike began Monday due to what union spokesperson Bob Wood said were issues over working conditions, eroding seniority rights and overtime procedures. Union members overwhelmingly voted against the latest contract proposal Sunday night.
"The IAM is communicating with our membership and in contact with the company and Federal Mediation in order to build a path forward to resuming negotiations and solving the problems and returning our members to the mission at Ft. Rucker" said Union spokesperson Bob Wood.
Army Fleet Support provides maintenance and logistics support to the U.S. Army Aviation Center of Excellence and the U.S. Air Force. Union members have been picketing at the gates of Fort Rucker but installation officials said there are no current plans to change access procedures.
However, as AFS provides maintenance support for Fort Rucker's entire fleet of helicopters, the strike is limiting training operations.
"Fort Rucker is not a party to the current labor dispute. The dispute is a matter between AFS and its employees. However, this dispute is impacting our ability to train aviators," Fort Rucker officials said in a written statement.
In its own written statement, L-3 said a commissioner from the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service will be arriving to help with negotiations.
"L-3 is working closely with our customer to ensure we provide the best possible aviation logistical support to the U.S. Army and the U.S. Air Force institutional training on Fort Rucker during this period," the company said.
AFS received its most recent Army contract in 2012. It is worth $1.98 billion and covers work on more than 600 helicopters through 2017.
Also, this union endorsed Obama in 2012, and they are now upset about the rising health care costs. Hmm..... you get what you vote for?
Well, cancel the contract and get somebody else, Mother Rucker.
‘Bama is rtw.
Wonder how many of the 3000 are actually paying dues?
3,000 machinists jobs available at Fort Rucker (Alabama)
There. Corrected headline.
Interesting. Writer used to work for the Decatur Daily. Owned by a BIG Democrat family. It’s called “The Duhly”’
It’s an Army fort. Answer to the strike is simple. Shoot them.
I’ve walked a union sanctioned picket line many years ago, but the unions today are out of control and too often led by crooks and thugs.
Lots of unemployed machinists/mechanics looking for good jobs. After the smoke clears, they might have them.
It would be a better use for all that ammunition that the pentagon wants to destroy. Eliminating useless union types would be a great productive use and object lesson to union parasites. If only........
This is a big drawback with contractors (strikes).
If these guys were regular DOD employees, it would be illegal for them to strike.
In this day and age when so many are out of work, I think if you walk off a job, you should find someone else working that job.
Unions used to be able the little man, now they are only about “all I can get man”.
It sticks in my craw.
Plenty of un/underemployed people who are qualified to do the job who would love to have one. Simply hire them and tell the union guys, “sorry, you walked off the job. That means you quit and your services are in longer needed. Also, you are now trespassing on our property. Get off or you will be arrested.”
Just another reason I hate unions
Wonder how many of the 3000 are actually paying dues?
Don't care! It's time to free these guys from JOB LOCK! Give them their FREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEDOOOOOOOOOOOMMMMMMMMMMM!
Take a tip from the Gipper.
Send them home for the rest of their lives and hire replacements.
Yep, put up a “help wanted” sign. Right now is NOT a seller’s market for labor!
My mother has a 1st cousin who retired from Ft. Rucker. He is around 80 now. Got his certification in airframe or power plant somesuch at the tech school in Ozark. He worked there during Vietnam going on test flights all the time on the UH-1s. Naturally he was union - don’t remember which 1. Met him for the 1st time ~15 years ago at a family reunion. One of the most disagreeable assholes I have ever met - and a virulent Democrat.
I’m new to the area, I had my ideas about what Alabama was like. Being so pro-union with all the backing they have from local businesses was NOT what I was expecting.
They are getting a kick out of the military hurting from their strike.
What they forget is, without the Army here, they’re just another town without any decent industry.
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