By Kevin Lavery, KWMU
St. Louis, MO – Union workers at a major supplier for Boeing voted Sunday to authorize a strike.
The vote by members of the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers District 837 was 577-9 in favor of authorizing a strike if contract talks with employer GKN Aerospace break down.
Those voting made up about two-thirds of all union members at GKN.
GKN makes metal and composite aircraft parts, and is a supplier to Boeing.
The two sides are still discussing non-economic issues, including sick days and overtime pay. But union president Rick Smith says they're also very concerned about job security language, calling it "our most important non-economic issue. "I told the members we can negotiate them a $5 per hour raise, but if they have no job, it means nothing."
"In a week or so when they pass their economic package across to us, we want it to be a legitimate, respectable proposal rather than start out way out in the sky like they did with their non-economic portion of the process."
GKN officials could not be reached for comment.
The two sides will begin negotiations on pay and benefits in one to weeks. The union's contract expires January 8, and no strike would happen before then.