Machinists Union begins Spirit strike in southwest Wichita
WICHITA, Kan. (KSNW) — A strike by the Machinists Union over contract disputes with Spirit AeroSystems began at midnight on Saturday.
Spirit put up mesh fencing around its southeast Wichita campus near the intersection of MacArthur and Oliver in preparation on Friday. The Machinists Union set up its strike headquarters not far from the campus, near the intersection of K-15 and MacArthur.
The strike comes after a Wednesday vote on a new contract between the Machinists Union and Spirit at Hartman Arena. The previous contract expired at 11:59 p.m. on Friday night.
According to Union Leader Cornell Beard, 79% of union employees voted “no” to the proposed contract, and 85% voted to strike.
Beard said a federal mediator will be meeting with Spirit AeroSystems and Contract Negotiation Committee at 10 a.m. on Saturday.
After the vote Wednesday, Spirit sent out two statements in response to the votes.
We are disappointed that our employees represented by the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers in Wichita have rejected our four-year contract offer and have voted to strike. We believe that our fair and competitive offer recognizes the contributions of our employees and ensures we can successfully meet increasing demand for aircraft from our customers. We know that no one wins in a work stoppage; however, we respect the rights of our represented employees. Despite this setback, we are not distracted from the task at hand. We look forward to continued meetings with IAM leadership.” Spirit AeroSystems
Following the vote, Spirit sent out a statement saying it will suspend factory production prior to the expiration of the contract. Spirit said it will pay workers for their scheduled hours through Thursday and Friday.
Contract negotiations between the Local Lodge 839 of the International Association of Machinists & Aerospace Workers (IAM) and Spirit AeroSystems began on May 1.
To find more information from Local Lodge 839, visit their website or follow them on Facebook.
To read the Spirit contract negotiations, click here.
Source: KSN-TV
