Spirit AeroSystems workers dig in for first day of strike as contract talks resume
Some of the 6,000 Machinists union members at Spirit AeroSystems began picketing at Wichita’s largest employer Saturday, seeking improvements in the contract proposal they rejected earlier in the week.
Contract negotiations resumed at 10 a.m. Saturday. The previous contract lapsed at the end of Friday.
Workers say a couple thousand people showed up for the kickoff of the strike, causing a backup of traffic late Friday night around K-15 and MacArthur. Hundreds were there Saturday morning with people coming and going, manning 28 gates along the massive industrial property until the strike ends.
Spirit has suspended production at the plant.
Those manning the picket lines had different levels of experience with strikes and varied concerns about the contract. But they all said they were in it for the long haul.
Workers said they have been saving up in case a strike did happen.
“69 days,” one striker said, referring to the length of time the strike lasted in 1995, in which he also voted to strike. “90 days or more. There is no reason we can’t.”
The International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM) District 70, Local 839 has roughly 6,000 members, but Spirit has several thousand other workers in Wichita.
The contract Spirit had proposed, which the company called its “best and final offer,” to IAM was rejected with 79% of the vote on Wednesday.
Workers mentioned five top concerns in the contract Spirit proposed:
Better cost of living increases
Better pension
Better wage increases
Less or no forced overtime
Better healthcare option
“We’re not building toasters. We’re building airplanes,” Brandon Kettleman said. “If something goes wrong with something we build, a lot of people can get hurt and killed, but they want to pay us barely more than some fast food workers start at.”
He added: “I’d like the overtime language to be a little more clear where they can’t force us to be out here six days a week ... You could burn up all your vacation time in about two months just to have two-day weekends with your kids.”
Many workers asked not to be named, saying they feared retaliation.
The worker who voted in 1995 and last week also voted in favor of the 1989 strike, which lasted nearly 50 days. He is a machine maintenance mechanic, with the company for more than 35 years.
“The momentum and excitement is there,” he said, comparing it to the other strikes. “There was just as much fervor as there was in ‘95.”
He said the proposed contract wasn’t great.
“The contract was mediocre,” he said.
Health insurance is a big concern in the contract Spirit offered. Workers say the proposed contract raised copays and dropped pages of medicines from their coverage.
Another worker, who had just gotten dropped back off at the headquarters after roughly three hours of picketing, worried most about the insurance. He had with him his 5-year-old son, who was in pajamas after they had spent the night fishing and camping.
He is the only income in his house of six, including four children. Everyone is on his insurance. He said they have been trying to get 90-day subscriptions, but couldn’t for two of his children who have ADHD. He said the medicine only comes in a 30-day supply.
“It’s not cheap with insurance,” he said, adding he was more fortunate since he can get federal insurance as he is retired military.
He said he had been saving in case of the strike. If the strike goes on, they will receive some strike pay, but not enough to cover the loss of income.
“I’m in it for the long haul,” he said. “I will be out here.”
Contributing: Matthew Kelly with The Eagle
