DELTA, British Columbia — The bosses at Avcorp Industries Inc. locked out 300 members of the International Association of Machinists Local Lodge 11 Sept. 16 here. For several weeks the workers had carried out rotating strikes against the concessions bosses demanded.
“The two main issues are contracting out and seniority retention,” said a union news release. “In many cases, when IAM members at Avcorp are laid off, their recall rights expire and they must start again as new employees losing all wage levels and accrued benefits.”
An agreement was reached Sept. 25 with workers returning to their jobs the following day.
“We showed the company that we became united,” Doug Smith, a 22-year mechanic at Avcorp, told the Militant. “We got what we wanted on contracting out language.”
Workers at Avcorp assemble aircraft structural parts for Boeing, Bombardier, Lockheed Martin and BAE Systems.