McDonnell, Machinists Reach Tentative Deal
McDonnell Douglas Corp. and its Machinists union Friday reached a tentative agreement to end a 3-month-old strike by 6,700 workers at the aerospace company’s St. Louis plant.
After bargaining for 30 straight hours Thursday and Friday, negotiators emerged with an agreement that union officials said will be submitted for ratification to the International Assn. of Machinists District 837 as early as next week.
“I expect it will be as early as we can find suitable facilities to assemble our membership,” said Jerry Oulson, president of the local. “I hope we can have it by Wednesday or Thursday.”
Details of the agreement were not released, but one of the biggest issues that led the machinists to walk out June 5 was job security, as McDonnell Douglas continues to expand its export market and use subcontractors.
Labor Secretary Robert B. Reich praised the deal, saying it shows that “even in an era of economic transition, labor and management can resolve tough issues like job security if they are willing to work together.”
House Minority Leader Richard A. Gephardt (D-Mo.), who brought the sides together in his Washington office, agreed the deal was good for both sides, as well as for the Missouri economy. McDonnell Douglas is the state’s largest private employer and one of the nation’s top defense contractors.
But Gephardt said job security was only one of the issues settled by the proposed deal.
“There was a whole range of issues. This is a very long and complicated and important set of issues,” he said. “There were legitimate interests on both sides. That’s what makes this hard.”
Vince DeBlaze, McDonnell Douglas vice president and general manager for aerospace, would not comment on the details of the proposed contract but said the company is pleased with the result.
“It’s been a long day, but I think it’s had a good ending,” he said.
The news was greeted happily on the picket lines in St. Louis, where workers said they were ready to get back on the job.
“You bet, we’re tickled to death,” said Albert Heaton, 60, a 12-year veteran. “If we got anything decent at all, we’re going back. I guarantee it. Almost everyone is really sick of the strike.”
The St. Louis plant is involved in many key military contracts, including the Navy’s F/A-18 fighter and the C-17 cargo plane. Both of those aircraft have large stakes in the defense authorization spending bill that remains before Congress, and the strike was seen as an unwanted complication.
The Machinists and the company broke off negotiations Aug. 16 in St. Louis, resuming last week in Washington after federal mediators and Gephardt suggested using the congressman’s Capitol offices. They met once last week, and talks intensified on Wednesday.
