CINCINNATI — Dozens of United Auto Workers rallied Tuesday at the Hard Rock Casino, sending a clear message to their employer GE Aerospace ahead of a Wednesday deadline for contract negotiations.
The UAW represents more than 600 workers in Evendale and Erlanger, and union leaders said GE's current proposals aren't cutting it. Workers are threatening to strike against a proposed nearly 40% health care cost increase while demanding better job security and time off.
"How much more are you going to give to these companies to make more money?" UAW regional director David Green said. "Because I'm tired of giving and giving and giving."
Brian Strunk is president of UAW Local 647.
"It's unsustainable, really, for our members," Strunk said.
Workers like Jake McElroy, a GE Aerospace production assembly mechanic, said they're more than willing to strike. McElroy has worked for GE in Evendale for over a decade and said the company's policies don't consider the human impact.
"They don't want to hear the human side of what their policies do," McElroy said. "They just want to know the facts and the figures. I've had three sick days every year for 13 years."
Despite having a few weeks of vacation time, McElroy said it's a battle to make ends meet while still caring for his sick daughter.
"When I explained to them that I was at the hospital with my child, it didn't matter," McElroy said. "They still told me that if I don't cover my time, they would write me up. When I told them I needed to leave to take my child to the hospital, it didn't matter."
Watch as UAW rally at the Hard Rock Casino below:
UAW President Shawn Fain joined GE Aerospace workers on Tuesday, encouraging them to stay in the fight.
"The wealthy divide the working class and get us to turn against each other so the elites can continue to rob us blind. And they'll do that at a single place like GE in a heartbeat, so we need to stick together," Fain said.
McElroy said he hopes the company will eventually come to the negotiation table in fairness.
"I hope the company is reasonable with us," McElroy said. "What we're asking for, it's a rounding error to these people. They could pay every single member's healthcare, and it would be less than two weeks of the CEO's pay."
In a statement to WCPO, a GE Aerospace spokesperson said the company is still working to negotiate an agreement.
“We continue to engage in good-faith negotiations with the UAW to reach an agreement," the statement reads. "At the same time, we have a detailed contingency plan in place to maintain safe, high-quality operations and meet our commitments without interruption.”
The contract expires at 11:59 p.m. Wednesday. UAW members in Evendale and Erlanger have voted to authorize a strike, which could begin as early as August 28.
