By Rachel Lippmann, KWMU
St. Louis, MO – A local machinists union has voted to authorize a strike against Hazelwood's GKN Aerospace.
The vote does not send members to the picket lines immediately. It allows Machinists District 837 president Gordon King to give the company a seven-day notice for a strike. Members want a sweetener for workers who could retire immediately but have seen their pension take a hit in the economy. They are also upset about provisions that authorize overtime only after 40 hours of work and remove retiree health care for employees hired after 2001.
King says he's not sure what more the union can pull from GKN with the strike threat. "I don't have a crystal ball, I wish I did,' he said. "With the economy the way it is right now, I don't know if there's anything else there."
Beverly Hubbard, who's worked at the plant for 21 years, said she started saving a little extra money from each paycheck when a strike looked likely. She doesn't think it will be a long strike, and calls the contract a slap in the face to workers who helped GKN make record profits.
"We made this company what it is today, and they made good money, they made over $300 billion," she said. "They can give us a better contract."
Officials with GKN did not return phone calls for comment. The company makes parts for companies like Boeing.