UE Local 279 members ratified a new four-year agreement with their employer, Weir Valve & Controls USA Inc., on November 13, 2017. UE 279 members manufacture nuclear valves at the company’s Ipswich, MA production facility.
Foreign competition has decimated the bargaining unit in recent years, with only two dozen members remaining in a workforce that at one time exceeded a hundred. Given Weir’s financial struggles, Local 279’s primary goals during contract negotiations were to anticipate and beat back the company’s concessionary proposals and to secure fair wage increases that balanced the needs of workers with those of an employer that has been operating at a loss.
Based on the bargaining history between Local 279 and Weir, the bargaining committee correctly predicted that the company would attack seniority rights, demand higher employee contributions for health insurance, and try to combine the two largest job classifications into one (thereby opening the door for additional layoffs due to greater flexibility in the ability to assign work). The committee came to the table with proposals demanding improvements in these areas which allowed them to effectively bargain the company’s proposals back to the status quo.
The local was also able to leverage the bargaining clout they had earned during their last contract negotiations, which included a three-week strike. While Local 279 members were unable to secure all of their demands in the contract settlement that ended the 2014-15 negotiations, that action paid dividends during the 2017 negotiations. The unspoken threat of another work stoppage loomed large throughout bargaining. Local 279 members provided the company with a timely reminder of this prior to the final week of negotiations when Weir was forced to cancel Saturday overtime after no UE member answered the call for extra hours.
Members were updated on the progress of negotiations every day with pre-shift morning visits by Local President Mark L’Italien and real-time Facebook updates from Chief Steward Jason Gallant. When concessionary proposals hit the table, the members on the shop floor expressed their dissatisfaction and willingness to take action. Their responses would quickly filter through management to the company’s bargaining committee and kept the company motivated to reach agreement.
These strategies proved successful. In addition to 2% annual wage increases, Local 279 improved the vacation schedule with the third week now available after five years instead of eight; increased the company 401(k) match from 4% to 5%; implemented automatic payment of missed overtime pay when Weir fails to request overtime by seniority; and secured the ability to carry over up to 40 hours of paid time off by employee election. The anti-discrimination clause of the contract was also expanded to include gender identity, genetic information, and all forms of disability.
The Local 279 bargaining committee consisted of President Mark L’Italien, Chief Steward Jason Gallant, and Grievance Committee Member Dave Turner. They were assisted by Field Organizer Zachary Knipe.