STRIKE IS OVER! Eaton, union, have contract

UPDATE: On Wednesday, Eaton has issued a statement about the end of the strike:

“We are pleased to have reached a mutually satisfactory agreement, and we look forward to having the employees who were on strike return to work to continue serving our customers and our community,” the statement says.

“We also want to extend our appreciation to the Davenport employees who went above and beyond to ensure we were able to continue to operate safely and deliver quality product to meet our customer commitments while a significant portion of the workforce was on strike the past 33 days.”

EARLIER UPDATE: The International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM) on Tuesday released this statement about the end of the strike for Machinists Union Locals 388 and 1191 Members at Eaton Mission Systems Division of Davenport:

“A strike has ended for more than 400 Machinists Union Local 388 and Local 1191 (District 6) members who work at Eaton Mission Systems Division of Davenport,” the statement says. “The new contract includes improved wages and other items that will positively affect our members, their families and the community.”

“We are proud of our members for standing strong and fighting for a contract to improve their lives. Our members build world-class products at Eaton Mission Systems,” the statement says. “They look forward to getting back to work beginning tomorrow. We want to thank the Quad Cities community for their commitment and support during this process.”

The International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers is one of the largest and most diverse industrial trade unions in North America, representing approximately 600,000 active and retired members in the aerospace, defense, airlines, railroad, transit, healthcare, automotive, and other industries, the statement says.

EARLIER: After numerous days of silence, Eaton Corporation and the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAMAW) resumed contract talks Tuesday afternoon in an attempt to reach a new deal as union members continue to strike.

Tuesday marked day 33 of the strike for the IAMAW union members working at Eaton’s Davenport facility. More than 300 of those union members walked off the job on February 18 when they overwhelmingly rejected a three-year contract offer from Eaton, with 98 percent of the workers turning down the deal. They say the offer fell short on wage increases, as well as health and retirement benefits.

Since union members voted down the original contract offer, the two sides have tried reaching a new deal only once, when 97 percent of union members turned down a different contract offer on March 4. The weeks since the original offer got voted down have also had their share of tense moments, with union members putting up an inflatable union rat on the picket lines on March 15, and with Eaton Corporation attempting to hire replacement workers during the strike.

Now, more than a month into the strike, many union members say they want to get back to work. However, many say they’ll do so only if the two sides reach a tentative agreement they view as fair.

“We are ready to go back to work right now,” one striking union member said Tuesday. “We can give you work right now, as long as you meet us with a fair contract and give us what we need to get back to work for you.”

“We just want a fair shake,” said another striking union member. “We want a fair contract. I mean, if they’re going to cut our health insurance because they’re trying to put us on the same plan they say they have everybody else on, then it would only be fair to compensate us from that in wages.”

For some strikers, the thought has crept in that Eaton Corporation never planned on giving them a fair deal in the first place. However, others think that’s not the case.

“For a lot of people, there’s been sentiment that this was planned, that they never really were going to try and give us a fair shake,” said one striking union member. “I don’t think [that] is the truth. I think they can give us a fair shake. But I think they need to realize that we are all very, very good at what we do.”

At the end of the day, most striking union members can agree that they want to get back to doing the work that they’ve grown to love.

“There’s no question that everybody out here is passionate about the work that they do,” said one union member. “And not only passionate, they’re very skilled in the work that they do.”

“We are ready to provide you profit,” said another member. “We are ready to provide you work. We are ready to provide you what we have done in the past, prior to the 22nd.”

The results of the latest round of negotiations have not yet been made available. Once the results are available, we will bring them to Local 4 News and .