Nearly 400 union machinists at the Eaton B-Line plant in Troy, Illinois voted to reject the company’s latest contract offer and walked off the job on Monday, October 21.
The workers are members of the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM) Unit 660. They rejected an offer of an immediate 3% raise, followed by 3% increases in January and next October. The union reports the vote to reject the offer was 266-22.
Eaton did send the following comment to several media outlets:
We are disappointed and surprised at the decision to strike, given the unanimous tentative agreement that was reached between Eaton and the Union’s bargaining committee. Still, we remain committed to getting our employees back to work. Eaton’s proposed contract is equitable and consistent with nationwide market trends and with our goal of attracting and retaining skilled workers. Eaton’s proposal represents a significant investment in this workforce and in the Highland and Troy, IL communities. Our goal remains to work with the Union to achieve a mutually beneficial agreement that reflects today’s business, economic and competitive landscape.