Nearly 200 aerospace workers in Cheshire went on strike last Monday to fight for fair wages and affordable health insurance.
These workers are members of IAM Local 62A. Their president, Mary White, explains the strike in one simple sentence:
"We have to decide between health insurance and our health, and bills and bread."
This is what’s at stake for the machinists at the UTC Aerospace Systems (UTAS) plant who are now facing their first week without a paycheck. Workers are facing rising healthcare costs and tiny pay raises.
Already the lowest paid union members at UTC, management offered an abysmal raise. What’s worse, many workers would actually see a reduction in their net pay because management also proposed a health insurance plan that has higher premiums and deductibles as high as $19,000 for a family. In other words, don’t get sick.
These shameful proposals come from UTC which made $2.4 billion in profits just last year.
But you can help these workers right now:
- Join the picket line. The plant is located at 250 Knotter Drive in Cheshire. The best times to join are 5:30 AM - 7:30 AM, and 2:00 PM, but the strike is 24/7 so come anytime. There is no parking at the site. Please call Mary White at 203-510-3153 or Jeff Santini at 860-670-4951 to arrange shuttle transport.
- Support the strike fund. Send a check to help these workers through what will be a hard time. You can mail a check to P.O. Box 87, Marion, CT 06444. Make the check payable to IAM Local 62A and in the MEMO write “Strike Fund”. Checks can also be delivered in person to President Mary White.
