Merit — like the cigarette, he says — is a 30-year employee of GE Transportation, and now Wabtec Freight. He’s one of hundreds of workers, who, instead of building locomotives, now picket against one of the largest rail supply companies in the world.
Merit says he is one of eight in his family to work for GE Transportation, the rest of whom are now retired. While it may sound unique, his story is similar to many of the names and faces that have worked in the Erie plant and are like a family, and are out of work until further negotiation takes place between the union and Wabtec. Like those in the lines around him they have seen their share of hardships.
“My first layoff here was when I was 25. And it has been up and down since,” Merit says.
Merit remains optimistic that that things will return to normal again but he says it will be a long process.
“We are hurting them in several ways right now, even the Fort Worth (Texas) plant has relied on us for parts and they can’t send them any,” he tells Trains.
Wabtec officials have said that work will be sent to its Boise, Idaho, locomotive plant and has brought in temporary workers to the Erie plant to continue production.
It’s a move that Merit dismisses.
“You can’t just bring in people off the street to do what we do,” he says.
The unions involved have been getting a lot of support locally and even nationally. Merit was impressed with that large turnout of union supporters that joined the picket line on Saturday, March 2.
Merit says that former presidential candidate Bernie Sanders is scheduled to make an appearance soon. Scott Slawson president of United Electrical, Radio and Machine Workers of America Local No. 506 spoke at a Sanders’ rally Sunday evening in New York City.
Locomotives began to get shipped for the first time since the strike began and testing resumed on the test track again for the first time in over a week on Monday, March 4.
Gerald, Charles knows exactly what he’s talking about. I guess you think it ok that companies pay new workers on a different, lower scale than their peers. The problem with that is the new pay scale is lower from the bottom to the top. And the benefits are always cut for new hires. This is one of the reasons the middle class is shrinking and many Americans are having to work two jobs to get by. You really seem to have a deep problem with workers getting fare wages and benefits in the U.S. As Gerald said Wabtec is going to messing up a great company.
Hope this hurts them badly so EMD can pick up new locomotive orders that have been stolen from them in the past.Why should one company get everything in sight & the very worthy competition gets nothing if lucky?
Wabtec should close-up the whole place and move the operation to Texas. Those current employees who want to relocate (should be a no brainer) should be able to and the rest are on their own.
The WABTEC/GE sale/merger was first proposed in May of last year, confirmed in Nov., scheduled for closing in Q1, 2019 a for a year for a year nd finalized for Feb. 25 in Jan. UE 506 proposed a memo of understanding to extend the existing contract
Charles, you are not the brightest person around…making comments when you have no clue what you’re even talking about. Current workers wouldn’t be harmed by the new offer, it would be NEW hires that would get paid less money, just like in almost every other job in America…and that includes a lot of what I would consider significantly more important jobs, like police, fire fighters and other first responders. You need to pay your dues before you get your money, otherwise we’ll just ship it off the some lower cost country.
Congratulations, Wabtec. You’ve taken one of America’s best industrial enterprises and fouled it up on DAY ONE. Wabtec you couldn’t even get the first day right.
For the love of God, America builds the world’s best locomotives. Locomotives is what we have left, little else. Why not dump that so we can rename our country North Honduras.