Contract offer rejected as strike at Independence ammo plant nears four weeks
.jpeg "Union workers at Olin Winchester’s Lake City Army Ammunition Plant in Independence have been on strike since April 4 at midnight. Leaders say they are fighting for a “fair contract” with higher wages and a better work-life balance where employees are not required to work excessive mandatory overtime in some areas of the plant.")
After more than three weeks on the picket line, members of a local machinists union don’t appear to be ending their strike at an Independence ammunition plant any time soon.
Workers with IAM — International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers — Local 778 voted to reject Olin Winchester’s latest contract offer. That means the strike that began on April 4 at midnight will continue.
“The IAM Union stands in full solidarity with our members who have spoken again — the conditions of Olin’s offer are unacceptable,” said IAM International President Brian Bryant in an emailed news release. “Our members are determined to stand strong on the picket line until Olin Winchester returns with a proposal that respects their contribution, and their union supports them fully in their fight for fairness.”
Union workers at Lake City Army Ammunition Plant are fighting for higher wages, more benefits and a better work-life balance where they’re not required to work mandatory overtime in some areas of the plant. Entry-level wages range from $20.60 an hour to $21.75, and some workers must work 60 hours a week, they say.
The Star has left several messages for the administration office at Olin Winchester; those calls have not been returned.
According to the union’s news release, Olin Winchester’s recent contract offer provided “only minimal changes” from the previous one.
“It includes a slight increase to the total, cumulative compensation amount of the four year-contract for each employee by year four of the agreement,” the release said. “But that increase still fails to keep up with the cost-of-living. The offer provides only minor relief from the company’s brutal mandatory overtime practices.”
The 1,350 workers with IAM Local 778 joined the picket line April 4 after voting to reject a new contract that leaders said the company described as their “last, best and final offer.”
The facility in Independence produces ammunition for military and personal rifles, according to online descriptions of the plant.
Union leaders have said that the Lake City plant supplies the majority of rounds used by the Army, Air Force, and Marine Corps, as well as ammunition for NATO allies and partner nations.
“Throughout the strike, IAM Local 778 members have continued to highlight the importance of their work in supporting national defense,” the release said, “while demanding fair compensation and humane scheduling practices.”
Union workers are taking “long overdue action to remedy Olin Winchester’s bad business practice,” said IAM Local 778 Directing Business Representative Scott Brown.
“Olin has an extremely high turnover rate, and we reiterate how overworked our members are,” Brown said in the release. “Now, when loyal workers stand up … for the betterment of everyone, they are met with disrespect.”
