GE Aerospace’s unionised workers near Cincinnati have ratified a five-year employment contract and are set to return to work on 21 September, ending a three-week strike, the aerospace manufacturer said on 19 September.
The United Auto Workers (UAW) Local 647, which represents roughly 600 GE workers at two facilities, could not immediately be reached for comment.
“The UAW-represented GE Aerospace workers at our Evendale and Erlanger… facilities earlier today overwhelmingly approved a new five-year contact. We anticipate workers will return to work per their usual schedules beginning Sunday evening and Monday morning,” GE says.
The company’s Evendale location in Ohio performs work related to “aero-derivative” engines used for marine and industrial applications, while the Erlanger site in Kentucky (adjacent to Cincinnati & Northern Kentucky International airport) ships new and spare aircraft engine parts.
The unionised workers walked off the job on 28 August after union leaders rejected a previous contract proposal from GE that would have provided workers with a 12% general pay increase over three years.
GE and the UAW’s leaders on 12 September tentatively agreed to a new deal, setting the stage for the vote.
The new agreement provides workers with annual raises over five years that come to a cumulative and compounded 21% increase, according to the UAW.
Also, GE agreed under the deal to add at least 50 unionised jobs at Evendale and 32 at Erlanger, union documents say.
“GE Aerospace is pleased to have agreements that recognise our commitment to our employees and their families in the greater Cincinnati area. With these contracts in place, we look forward to our UAW-represented employees returning to work and resuming normal operations,” says GE.
