Wabtec strike is over: The union and the company say they're ready to turn the page

The language got tough and emotions ran high on both sides during the 70 days that the United Electrical, Radio and Machine Workers of America was on strike at Erie's Wabtec plant.

Words were exchanged. Tempers ran hot. Striking workers clashed with the company as salaried employees and replacement workers tried to come and go from the locomotive plant in Lawrence Park Township.

Frequent clashes led Pittsburgh-based Wabtec to seek an injunction in Erie County Common Pleas Court to regulate the behavior of striking workers.

At the request of Judge Erin Connelly Marucci, the two sides emerged with an agreement: The union agreed to limit the number of workers who could march in front of the gate at one time and that strikers would not block traffic.

For its part, Wabtec agreed to refrain from "any and all acts or threats of violence, intimidation, coercion, molestation, libel or slander against the Defendants (the UE) engaged in the labor dispute."

Clashes at the gate improved. Delays for busloads of replacement entering the plant grew shorter.

But the two parties remained at odds.

A few days after that court settlement, UE 506 posted this message on its website: "It is becoming increasingly obvious that the company does not want to be held accountable for its actions. If the company would have adhered to its contract over the last four years, and respected its employees, we wouldn't be in this position."

In an article published Aug. 17 in the Erie Times-News, Wabtec spokesman Tim Bader reminded the workforce what was at stake.

"In this current climate, the Company is being forced to consider difficult decisions to continue supporting its customers and deliver on its commitments," Bader wrote. "To be successful in the long term, the Erie site must be cost competitive, efficient, and provide labor stability."

Looking at the contract

The contract the union ratified last week was not all that the union had hoped for. Among other things, the company would not budge from its position on a progressive wage scale that starts new employees at a lower wage, gradually raising their pay over 10 years.

The union did, however, manage to spread those wage increases out more evenly than in the past. Wabtec also agreed to a formula for cost-of-living pay hikes and approved a single lump-sum payment of $1,500 and general wage raises in all four years of the contract.

Even as union workers began returning to their jobs on Tuesday, Scott Slawson, president of UE 506, was cautious in his assessment.

"We put the (tentative agreement) in the member's hands," he said. "They made the determination that was a contract they could live with for the next four years. But you always want better or more at the end of the day."

Turning the page

Slawson said Wednesday that he's ready to see the union and the company set aside their differences and work together on common goals.

"We are hoping that the relationship between us and Wabtec improves," he said.

There has been room for improvement since the beginning of the relationship. Nearly 1,700 UE workers began a nine-day strike on Feb. 19, 2019, the same day that Wabtec completed the purchase of GE Transportation.

If the two parties have a difficult history, they also have compelling reasons to work together. Both the company and the union have frequently cited their shared interest in the development of so-called green locomotives.

The FLXdrive, a battery-electric zero-emissions locomotive was designed by engineers in Erie and early editions have been built by union workers at the Erie plant.

The locomotive figures to be a big part of the company's future as Wabtec works toward a goal of reducing emissions by 50% by 2030. The union helped draft a bill that would have provided incentives for railroads to purchase green locomotives.

In a series of website posts, Wabtec has stressed that the decision to build at one plant or another isn't a random choice.

According to Wabtec, "While getting new orders from customers is good for the company overall, the plants that complete the work benefit the most. To bring in work for Erie, we need to stay efficient, flexible and competitive."

Wabtec isn't saying if that goal has been met by the newly ratified contract. But the company has signaled it's ready to move past a contentious summer.

“We are pleased to welcome our hourly employees back to work," Bader said in a statement. "As we move forward, it is important that we have unity of purpose, and focus on delivering on our commitments to customers in order to help fuel their success. Now, with the collective bargaining behind us, it’s time to also sit with our union employees to co-create programs that build trust and engagement to rebuild our customers’ confidence in our Erie operations.”

Slawson said the union is ready to turn the page.

"Hopefully things will smooth out and we will have a better relationship," he said.

Contact Jim Martin at jmartin@timesnews.com.

This article originally appeared on Erie Times-News: UE leader in Erie, PA, hopes to mend relationship with Wabtec