United Electrical, Radio, and Machine Workers of America locals 506 and 618 voted on final contract terms with Wabtec that keeps the former GE Transportation locomotive plant in Lawrence Park, Pa., flush with Wabtec work.
Union members voted to approve a the four-year deal with Wabtec after nearly 128 days of negotiations and a strike that brought production to a standstill shortly after Wabtec took over GE earlier this year.
While both sides allowed for a few revisions to the contract to get it approved, one part of the contract that will not happen for now is the hot issue of the two-tier wages proposal which was a significant dividing line between the parties.
The unions also originally wanted 400 additional employees. In the approved contract they will only be getting 100. Most everything agreed on however will keep production of new and modernized locomotives at the plant for at least the next 4 years. With current projects and several new ones coming to both Erie and Fort Worth, Texas, this will not only benefit the Erie facility but proves that it will be essential to Wabtec in the short term.
“Now, we can move forward together to position the site for stability and deliver for our customers,” a Wabtec official said in a statement.
