VENTURA : 100 Valex Workers Strike Over Contract

About 100 employees at Valex Corp., Ventura’s second-largest manufacturing company, went on strike Friday after negotiations broke down over a labor contract.

The contract, which covered machinists, welders and other blue-collar workers, expired at midnight Thursday and employees began picketing the building on Leland Street Friday morning. Valex manufactures stainless steel components for the semiconductor industry and employs about 180 workers.

“We’ll be out here as long as it takes,” said Augustine Alfaro, a union representative for AFL-CIO Local 67. “The company is making a lot of money and the company is offering us 3%. It’s really a slap in the face.”

The union is negotiating for a new three-year contract that would include a 401K savings plan, two additional holidays and a 10% raise the first year, a 7% raise the second year and a 5% raise the third, Alfaro said.

Valex executives have offered a 3% raise for each year and the 401K plan but have rejected the holiday requests, said Valex President Dan Mangan.

Mangan declined to discuss the strike in detail or whether it has halted the company’s operations.

“We feel that we made a very fair offer, particularly considering the inflation rate and the overall economy in Southern California,” he said.

Alfaro said the employees not on strike at Valex are office workers, who are not represented by the AFL-CIO. The last time Valex employees went on strike was seven years ago over similar issues, including salaries and benefits.

Valex Corp. is a subsidiary of Los Angeles-based Reliance Steel & Aluminum Co.