Union workers locked out of Collins Aerospace in Troy return to work Friday

297 union workers locked out since Feb. 20 after rejection of contract
UAW employees of Collins Aerospace in Troy walk the picket line Wednesday February 23, 2022 after being locked out of the company.

Credit: Marshall Gorby

Credit: Marshall Gorby

UAW employees of Collins Aerospace in Troy walk the picket line Wednesday February 23, 2022 after being locked out of the company.

More than 290 unionized workers at Collins Aerospace’s Troy plant will return to work on Friday after being locked out by the company since Feb. 20 when a contract offer was rejected by the union.

Members of the United Auto Workers (UAW) Local 128 on Sunday voted 212 to 67 in favor of a new contract offer from the company.

“We made some big gains in the new contract that gives us back cost of living, new incentives and a transition for new hires,” Joe Konicki, president of United Auto Workers (UAW) Local 128, said Thursday.

It was the first lockout at the plant at 101 Waco St. since 1960s, Konicki said. The company agreed to pay workers starting Monday, Konicki said.

A spokesman for the Charlotte, N.C.-based company said the plant operated during the lockout. A phone call was left with the company.

During the lockout, company spokesman Al Killeffer said, “Collins Aerospace is prepared to continue negotiating in good faith with UAW Local 128 and seeks to reach an agreement that recognizes and rewards our employees’ contributions while allowing us to remain competitive.”

Collins’ wheels and brakes division is located in Troy, a facility that dates back to what had been a Goodrich plant when United Technologies acquired it in 2012.

The plant joined Collins Aerospace in 2018 after United Technologies split into three independent companies.

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