UE Local 610 ratified a three-year agreement on May 6 after a unanimous strike authorization vote from the rank and file and rallies at the plant during break times leading up to contract expiration convinced their employer, Wabtec, to agree to an acceptable contract.
The contract includes general wage increases of $.90/hour in the first year, $1.00/hour in the second year, and $.90/hour in the third year. Domestic partner, aunt, uncle, and great-grandparent will be added to the bereavement provision. The local also won new language preventing the company from forcing workers to exhaust the remaining 50 percent of their yearly vacation balance while on an approved leave, such as FMLA.
“I am proud of the win to secure language that will allow us to save vacation time while we are out on leave,” said UE Local 610 President Rob Mickinak Jr. “This is something we have been fighting to get for many years. Nobody should be forced to use up all their vacation when they’re out on leave and come back with nothing left in their bank for the rest of the year.”
Members of the Local 610 bargaining committee. Left to right: Casey Knott, Tom Lucas, Rob Mickinak Sr, Rob Mickinak.
While unsuccessful in keeping their current medical plans for the contract’s duration, the local significantly improved the new contract’s insurance benefit compared with the company’s initial offers.
Employee premiums and existing medical plans in effect at the time of ratification will remain the same through December 31, 2025, but Local 610 members will be transferred onto the company’s corporate insurance plans by January 1, 2026. The company plans have deductibles that are significantly higher than comparable current medical plans — $400 more for the individual plan and $800 more for family plans.
To help offset costs, the local was able to significantly reduce employee monthly premiums compared with the current plans. For example, current employee premiums on individual plans of $100/month will be reduced to an average of $47/month under the new plan beginning in 2026, and current employee premiums on family plans of $161/month will be reduced to an average of $100/month.
This stands in stark contrast to the company’s initial proposals on insurance, which would have caused employee monthly premiums to skyrocket. Under the employer’s first proposals, monthly contributions for family PPO plans would have increased to $516/month by the third year — an increase of over 200 percent. The contract will guarantee no increased out-of-pocket costs once workers move onto the new plans in 2026, and the new plans will not include a costly $100 monthly spousal coverage surcharge that is part of the general corporate plan.
In addition to staving off the worst of the company’s proposals on health care, the local successfully fought back company demands that would have eliminated a daily break and made workers on disability ineligible for vacation. They were also successful in keeping the company from adding punitive work rules to the contract that could have been used to unfairly discipline union members.
Members of the Local 610 bargaining committee. Left to right: Mike Kane, Ian Glasgow, Troy Mack.
“While we did not achieve all of our goals around health insurance, I am very proud of our members for the fight we did put up,” said UE Local 610 Chief Steward Ian Glasgow. “The company’s initial insurance proposals were outrageously expensive. We would not have been able to come to this agreement without the power of our membership.”
“We had a lot of new members step up in leadership roles from the Rubber Plant in Greensburg,” added UE Local 610 Business Agent Mike Kane. “I am looking forward to this experience and campaign as something we can work to build from and make our union even stronger moving forward.”
“We can hold our heads up high knowing we stuck together and got the best agreement we could at the time,” concluded UE Local 610 Rubber Plant Divisional Steward Troy Mack. “Once again, our members showed management they were clearly ready and organized to do whatever necessary to achieve a fair contract.”
The UE Local 610 Bargaining Committee consisted of President Rob Mickinak, Vice President Rob Mickinak Sr., Chief Steward Ian Glasgow, Business Agent Mike Kane, Recording Secretary Casey Knott, Rubber Plant Divisional Steward Troy Mack, Salary Divisional Steward Tom Lucas, and Assistant Chief Steward Stephen Budny. They were assisted by UE International Representative Ben Wilson.
UE Research Director Karl Zimmerman and Staff Coordinator John Thompson made contributions to the campaign. UE Eastern Regional President George Waksmunski and UE General Secretary-Treasurer Andrew Dinkelaker attended bargaining sessions in support of the local. Former Eastern Region Office Manager Pat McCaughtry provided valuable historical information in support of the local’s efforts.