OAK HARBOR — Members of Machinists Union District Lodge 751 who work as technicians maintaining P-3 Orion simulators at Whidbey Island Naval Air Station have ratified their first collective bargaining agreement.
The Machinist voted by 91 percent on Aug. 23 to approve the contract with Delaware Resources Group.
They had voted unanimously to join the Machinists Union on May 4.
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Under the three-year contract, the workers will receive:
- Wage increases each year;
- A new health care plan for workers who want it, and 4 percent annual increases in payments for those who take the cash-in-lieu-of-benefits option;
- Overtime pay and shift differentials for all full-time workers; and
- New grievance and arbitration procedures.
The contract covers 16 technicians at the base.
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The agreement “lays a good foundation for the future and is something we can build on over time,” said District 751 Business Rep Jon Holden.
“I appreciate IAM District 751 going to bat for us,” said David Bartlett, a DRG worker who served on the negotiating committee. “We could not have done this alone.”
Originally formed in 1935 to represent hourly workers at the Boeing Co., District Lodge 751 of the International Association of Machinists & Aerospace Workers now represents some 33,000 working men and women at 49 employers across Washington, Oregon and California.
To learn more about District 751, follow the Machinists News.