Strike Ends at Gulf War Shell Manufacturer

Workers voted overwhelmingly Sunday to accept a wage increase and end a weeklong strike at a plant that makes 25-millimeter shells considered critical for the Persian Gulf ground war.

Production and maintenance workers at Alliant Techsystems Inc. voted 937 to 116 to accept the 32-month pact, according to Teamsters Local 1145.

About 1,300 workers at 10 Alliant plants in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area were to return to their jobs Sunday, the union said.

Alliant presented its latest offer to the union negotiating team Thursday after two sessions with a federal mediator. It called for wage increases of 4% on Oct. 1, 1991, and Oct. 1, 1992, plus a one-time cash payment in March.

The hourly-wage increases range from 40 cents to 75 cents in the first step and 42 cents to 78 cents in the second step, the Minnetonka-based company said. It said the pact includes increases in pension and other benefits.

Salaries under the previous contract, which expired Feb. 1, averaged $12.40 an hour, the union said.

The workers went on strike last Sunday to protest a company offer that consisted of an eight-month contract extension with no wage increase but lump-sum bonuses ranging from $800 to $1,600.

The Army, concerned about the walkout, said it was keeping a close watch on negotiations.

The Army’s Armament, Munitions and Chemical Command at Rock Island, Ill., said the 25-millimeter shells would be needed in a ground war because they are fired by two types of armored vehicles used by Marines and Army troops.

Alliant, however, was ahead of schedule in delivering ammunition under its $20-million contract, the Army added.

Alliant also makes 120-millimeter ammunition for the Army’s M1A1 Abrams tank used in Operation Desert Storm, parts for other projectiles and mines and information storage systems.