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Union members said they had not been able to convince the company to negotiate an acceptable deal in the near term.
Union workers from the former GE Transportation Group in the Township of Lawrence Park took the picket line.
Workers at the plant, now owned by Westinghouse Airbrakes Technologies Corp., began their strike early Tuesday morning after EU Locals 506 and 618 declared they were unable to convince the company to negotiate a "deal". Acceptable short-term preserving and working conditions of GE / Wabtec employees ", according to a statement.
"We are extremely disappointed that society has not found a way to agree to maintain the conditions in which we have been working for decades. Their refusal leaves us with no choice but to go on strike to protect our future and that of our children, "said Scott Slawson, President of Local 506 of the EU.
Karlene Torrance, from Local 618 of the EU, said: "We are pleased with the support we have received from our friends, neighbors and the Erie community.We will need their support now more than ever."
The GE / Wabtec merger ended on Monday, as the company and union representatives returned to the bargaining table to try to reach a settlement. Local members voted Saturday to authorize a strike if necessary if an agreement is not reached on a new contract. It was the first time since 1969 that locals allowed a strike at the Lawrence Park plant if no settlement was reached.
Under the contract proposed by Wabtec, current employees would continue to be paid at the usual hourly rate, an average of $ 35 per hour. But new employees, including employees recalled from their layoffs, would be getting between $ 16.75 and $ 25 an hour, a Wabtec official said. The proposed second level salaries do not reflect the skills and knowledge required for Wabtec's jobs or resources, and a reduction in term wages would devastate the local economy, Slawson said.
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