Business Manager for International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers Local 1363, Bob Towslee, joined America’s Work Force Union Podcast to talk about the strike at Valley Ford and the threat workers face on their pensions.
Valley Ford Truck is a truck dealership and repair center in Valley View, Ohio. The repair center serves as home to the 24 Local 1363 vehicle mechanics currently on strike after negotiations stalled with the employer.
Valley Ford has met with Local 1363 over a dozen times to try to agree to a new contract since the end of May 2023. Workers are primarily fighting to protect their retirement benefits and pension contributions. Towslee explained the efforts Valley Ford is making to improve wages at the cost of pension contributions. The employer would allow workers access to the 401k plan to compensate for the loss of pension contributions.
During the contract negotiations in 2019, they added wording in the contract that allowed the employer to choose to withdraw pension contributions. At the time, the bargaining unit lost workers over this clause, but the rest of the contract was deemed too good not to approve. Towslee is returning to the table to try and find a resolution.
Negotiations continue today, Jan. 25, and Towslee is hopeful it will go better than their last meeting on Jan. 12. There are 24 workers on strike at Valley Ford, and have shut down repair operations. There have not been any replacement workers brought in according to Towslee, and with the addition of a federal mediator involved, there’s hope of a resolution soon.
Learn more about Local 1363’s strike at Valley Ford by listening to the show above.