Machinists vote with mixed feelings on new Spirit contract

After a month and a half of negotiations between Spirit AeroSystems and the Machinists union, IAM Lodge 839 members are voting on whether to accept or reject a four-year contract proposal.

Voting at Hartman Arena in Park City began shortly after 9 a.m. Wednesday, and polls close at 4 p.m.

“We feel like this contract is a solid contract for our membership,” said Rickey Wallace, IAM general vice president of the southern territory.”

“Many improvements, and I think it’s something that both sides can be proud of all the work we put in.”

The proposal, which union negotiators unanimously recommended, includes a guaranteed 16% pay increase over the course of the contract with 2% annual bonuses and cost of living adjustments that could bring compounded wage increases as high as 34%.

It also includes a one-time $7,500 ratification bonus for workers if the contract is approved on an initial vote.

Wallace said when members come in to vote, they will fill out two ballots. The first vote on ratification requires a simple majority for the contract to be approved.

If the contract receives less than 50% approval, votes will have to be tallied on the second question asking if members want to go on strike. Anything less than a two-thirds supermajority in favor of a strike would result in the renegotiated contract being enacted by default and members losing out on the ratification bonus.

“This is a fair and competitive contract that recognizes important contributions of the company’s factory employees and ensures that Spirit can successfully meet increasing demand for aircraft from customers,” Spirit said in a statement last week.

Not all union members, however, are happy with the new deal.

At 9 a.m., the group was addressed by union negotiators as they read out the new deal. Several topics were met with jeers from the crowd, as well as whistles, air horns and police sirens.

“I can’t see that it’s gonna pass,” said Steven Espinosa, who voted against the contract and in favor of the strike. “That front page of that contract, everybody, when I first read it, I thought, ‘Yeah, that looks good,’ but then when I started dissecting it all and putting the numbers together, it got really bad really quick.”

At one point, the voters began chanting the word “medical.” At another point, they simply chanted “strike.”

“They changed our Core benefits. It used to be you didn’t have to pay a copay to go to the doctor. Now, you pay the copay, everything is doubled in price. It used to be like $100 for emergency visits; now it’s $250,” said Carol Mitchell, who voted against the contract and in favor of a strike. “I don’t like the six-day workweeks. We need time with our families. We’re burnt out, and to make it mandatory six days a week? No.”

Several voters cited the contract’s changes in the Core health plan as a weak spot of the deal. Though the offer highlights minimal copay increases and reduced out-of-pocket maximums, multiple individuals who voted against the contract said the new deal would put their household’s medications in jeopardy.

“They kept Core, but the Core is in name only. A lot of the medicines that my kids are on are no longer going to be approved,” said Russell Gardenhire, who voted against the contract and in favor of a strike. “They’re targeting the most populous group with a pay raise, an $1.12 an hour pay raise, and neglecting the rest of them.”

“Every single medication I take for diabetes is off the list. Now, I have to find all these medications, and it took a while to get those medications right,” Espinosa said. “If this contract is accepted, I’m gonna have to start all over.”

Union members also critiqued changes in the workweek as being a drawback for the new offer.

As the address went on, union members made their offer papers into paper airplanes and crumpled balls, and threw them on the voting floor. Eventually, the whole packets were thrown in the air.

“It’s wrong, what they’re doing with the insurance. A lot of people need their medication,” said Donyail Smith, who voted against the contract and in favor of a strike. “The main thing is it’s not all about money, you know? People have families.”

By the time the address was over, large sections of the floor were covered in the documents detailing Spirit’s offer.

The current contract, which has been in effect for 13 years, is set to expire at 11:59 p.m. Friday, June 23.

This story was originally published June 21, 2023 at 5:47 AM.