Solar Strikers Vote to Return Without Pact

Striking machinists at Solar Turbines Inc. voted overwhelmingly Saturday to return to work without a contract.

The vote to return Monday came during a strategy planning meeting with union members.

“At this point, we have not accepted a contract,” said Matt McKinnon, business agent for Lodge 685 of the International Assn. of Machinists and Aerospace Workers. “Machinists are just returning to work, to draw the line on the permanent replacement issue. We felt it important to limit the company’s ability to hire permanent replacements for the strikers.”

Union officials intend to meet with company representatives Monday to present a counterproposal they’ve been attempting to propose for the past few days, McKinnon said.

Solar company officials, unprepared for Saturday’s meeting, said that the union has made them an offer but that they will not have a response to the offer until today, spokeswoman Val DeWitt-Ruiz said Saturday.

“We have hired permanent replacements during the strike, so we don’t know how many jobs are available, and that’s what we have to determine,” DeWitt-Ruiz said.

Primary issues to be discussed include job security and seniority, but some discussion of wages and pension is planned.

“We have nearly 750 union members who have held strong throughout the strike,” McKinnon said. “We are very resolved that we will negotiate a contract that provides decent job security and seniority for our members.”