UAW Members at Triumph Group Vote 99% to Authorize Strike
After a two-day vote, UAW Local 405 members at Triumph Group who make engine controls and other components for U.S. military aircrafts voted 99% (148-1 with 86% turning out) in favor of authorizing a strike for any time after the current union contract expires at midnight on October 31. Core demands include sectoral standard wages, job security, cost-of-living protection, affordable healthcare and no concessions, among other priority issues the company has not even attempted to meet the bargaining committee on.
“This vote should send a clear message to Triumph Group that UAW Local 405 members are not settling for their abysmal proposals,” said UAW Region 9A Director Brandon Mancilla. “During the life of our last contract, Triumph Group made $680 million off the work of these members. Our members in West Hartford are no different than UAW aerospace workers across the country. Triumph can afford to do better and this vote is a sign that they must put a better offer forward.”
In addition to $687 million in profits over the same five-year duration as the term of the current union contract, Triumph’s CEO was paid $31.7 million – for a total of $61.6 million total paid to the CEO in the last decade.
Right now, new hires at Triumph are paid $25.25 per hour. The average wage for a Triumph worker is $39.34, with no cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) to protect against historic inflation. Meanwhile, the production and assembly rates for UAW members at Rolls Royce and GE Aerospace are $43.70 and $43.79, respectively, and they have cost-of-living protections.
“It was just hours before our strike vote that the company finally gave us an economic proposal – 8 days before our contract expiration,” said UAW Local 405 President Benjamin Wilcox. “Frankly, the company is still not taking our membership seriously. Here’s hoping the results of this strike vote helps convince them just how different we are doing things this year.”
UAW Local 405 represents 174 members at Triumph Group in West Hartford, CT, where they perform highly skilled manufacturing, machining, assembly, and technical work supporting the aerospace industry. These UAW members contribute to the production, repair, and overhaul of critical U.S. military aircraft components and systems, meeting the highest standards of quality, safety, and reliability.
