Fri, Nov 16, 2007
State Has Lowest Unionization In Country
Hoping for better wages and benefits, workers at a Vought
Aircraft Industries plant in South Carolina have taken the
relatively unusual step of unionizing.
The Associated Press reports just over half the 127 workers at
Vought's North Charleston plant chose to be represented by
International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers in a
vote taken last month.
According to the IAM website, workers at the North Charleston
plant earn $15 per hour, while workers at other Vought and Boeing
plants across the nation make between $22 and $32 an hour.
"The people in Charleston are hard workers, and they deserve to
be compensated fairly," said union spokesman Bob Wood. "That's what
we're about."
"Vought intends to negotiate in good faith with the IAM," Vought
said in a prepared statement. "We will strive to reach a collective
bargaining agreement that will allow us to continue to meet the
needs of our employees, our customers and the company."
Unions represent just 3.3 percent of workers in South Carolina,
the lowest rate in the nation according to the state Commerce
Department.
The North Charleston facility produces components for the Boeing
787 Dreamliner. While supplier problems have resulted in a
six-month delay to the important Boeing program, Vought CEO Elmer
Doty told analysts recently there isn't a quality problem in North
Charleston.
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