UAW, Navistar reach tentative agreement, payouts still won’t happen Thursday

UAW membership in Springfield will vote Saturday on a tentative local agreement with Navistar that has been the center of an unusual dispute. JEFF GUERINI/STAFF

UAW membership in Springfield will vote Saturday on a tentative local agreement with Navistar that has been the center of an unusual dispute. JEFF GUERINI/STAFF

The United Auto Workers Springfield local has come to a tentative agreement with Navistar.

The contract negotiations have been the center of an unusual dispute over the last several months. Every other UAW local had ratified both their local and national contracts. Springfield only ratified the national deal.

But last night after a story from the Springfield News Sun was sent to print, the UAW national spokesman Brian Rothenberg said the Springfield Local 402 had come to a tentative agreement with Navistar with a ratification vote to come Saturday.

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“The UAW expects Navistar to honor all local and national agreements covering all six locations,” Rothenberg said.

That national agreement includes several lump sum payouts that UAW workers at all Navistar locations expect to come Thursday. Since 83 percent of members had approved the main contract, Rothenberg said the national contract has been binding since the vote in December.

But Navistar has said all parts of all contracts must be ratified before any changes will take effect. UAW members will not receive payouts on Thursday, even now that the local contract is nearing its close, said Navistar spokeswoman Lyndi McMillan.

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“Back in December when we were originally going to ratify the contracts, it was put in there that if the contract was ratified that day in December, we would pay out no later than Jan. 17,” McMillan said.

Instead, the lump sum payout dates will be moved back based on when all parts of the contract are ratified.

This news organization has reached out the UAW Local and Navistar for more information.

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