Over 800 workers for Woodward MPC in Niles, Illinois, will take a strike authorization vote after the company has illegally refused to bargain for months, signaling a potential work stoppage at a key producer of defense and aerospace equipment in the Chicagoland area.
“I’ve got a message for the company: Woodward, the clock is running out,” said UAW President Shawn Fain, rallying today with Woodward MPC workers. “We will be holding a strike authorization vote. Woodward has a choice to make: This company can either negotiate a fair contract for the workers who make this place run. Or the workers will shut shit down, with the full backing of the UAW International Union.”
“We’ve got a company that has been given billions in taxpayer dollars through federal contracts and state subsidies, while the workers who pay the taxes can’t get a damn raise,” said UAW Region 4 Director Brandon Campbell. “Is that justice? Hell no. What we are asking for at Woodward is really simple. When you make billions off of your workers, pay them what they’re worth. Let them have basic time off. Make the progression fair, and get back to the negotiating table.”
“Woodward is offering our members a thirteen cent raise at a time when the company is making record profits,” said Jose Tapia, Woodward worker and President of UAW Local 5101. “That is what they offered, and then they refused to bargain. So, before this company decided to break the law and walk away from the table altogether, they told us what they think of us. Because they think they can offer us nothing. Break the law. And we’ll take it. We are here to show them exactly how wrong they are.”
Woodward workers voted to affiliate with the UAW last fall. Since then, the company has committed over three dozen unfair labor practices, including total refusal to negotiate with the union. Workers are fighting for industry-leading wages, fair progression, time off, and job security.
Woodward has made over $1.7 billion in profits since 2020, and has paid its CEO over $30 million in that timeframe, while workers struggle to make ends meet. The over 800 workers are members of UAW Local 5101.
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