UAW Local 411 members were determined to wrest higher wages, improved pension benefits, and controls on health care costs from Terex bosses, rejecting three contract offers by overwhelming margins. "We've done real well," said striker Charles Murray. "We had a lot of solidarity. The strike brought us workers closer together."
The new pact includes wage increases of at least 70 cents per hour in each year of the five-year contract. The unionists won a "30 and out" pension plan, where workers will now be able to retire at age 55 with 30 years of service. Monthly pension benefits will jump to $30 per year of service and increase to $37 by the end of the agreement.
Earlier company demands to change work rules to allow bosses to move workers from their regular jobs merely for missing time from work was dropped by Terex in face of firm opposition by union members.
Ron Rudebeck is an assembler with 27 years at Terex who also farms corn and soybeans with his brother. While he thought the union could have gotten even more by staying out longer, he is pleased with the contract. He expects a new speedup drive by Terex bosses once strikers return to work.
"We found out what solidarity can do," Rudebeck said. "The company knows they can only go so far. Our first day back should be very, very interesting."
Ray Parsons is a member of United Steelworkers of America Local 310 in Des Moines.
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