The union says that although they tried to find middle ground, they have been met by a brick wall.
Black women at Safran’s aircraft engine plant in Mississippi have not had a pay increase since 2018, are not entitled to sick days and have had to work throughout the pandemic. Yet Safran is refusing to bargain in good faith with IndustriALL affiliate Workers United, the global union claims.
Workers United has bargained with Safran since September for a new agreement. Negotiations broke down when the employer refused to accept pay increases for the coming three years and insisted that they would be able to use any criteria to lay-off or recall workers. Safran already has the right to lay-off and recall employees in tiers of most efficient workers and least efficient workers. Safron Engine did not immediately respond to a request for comment or clarification.
The union said today that “We are prepared to meet Safran, a multi-billion-dollar company, in the middle to find a way forward to come up with a reasonable contract that will benefit the success of the plant and the workers. How is it fair for Safran to ask for the women, who are already low-wage workers, to continue to sacrifice?” IndustriALL and Safran signed a global framework agreement in 2017 on working conditions, corporate social responsibility and sustainable development.
The union says that although they tried to find middle ground, they have been met by a brick wall. “In the spirit of our joint global framework agreement, I urge you to intervene immediately to ensure that Safran in Mississippi extends the union contract and engages in genuine bargaining with Workers United,” said IndustriALL general secretary Valter Sanches.
About Ken Zino
Ken Zino, publisher (kzhw@aol.com), is a versatile auto industry participant with global experience spanning decades in print and broadcast journalism, as well as social media. He has automobile testing, marketing, public relations and communications experience. He is past president of The International Motor Press Assn, the Detroit Press Club, founding member and first President of the Automotive Press Assn. He is a member of APA, IMPA and the Midwest Automotive Press Assn.
Zino is at home on test tracks, knows his way around U.S. Congressional hearing rooms, auto company headquarters, plant floors, as well as industry research and development labs where the real mobility work is done. He can quote from court decisions, refer to instrumented road tests, analyze financial results, and profile executive personalities and corporate cultures.
He also brings an historical perspective while citing their contemporary relevance of the work of legendary auto writers such as Ken Purdy, Jim Dunne or Jerry Flint, or writers such as Red Smith, Mark Twain, Thomas Jefferson – all to bring perspective to a chaotic automotive universe.
Above all, decades after he first drove a car, Zino still revels in the sound of the exhaust as the throttle is blipped and the driver’s rush that occurs when the entry, apex and exit points of a turn are smoothly and swiftly crossed. It’s the beginning of a perfect lap.
AutoInformed has an editorial philosophy that loves transportation machines of all kinds while promoting critical thinking about the future use of cars and trucks.
Zino builds AutoInformed from his background in automotive journalism starting at Hearst Publishing in New York City on Motor and MotorTech Magazines and car testing where he reviewed hundreds of vehicles in his decade-long stint as the Detroit Bureau Chief of Road & Track magazine. Zino has also worked in Europe, and Asia – now the largest automotive market in the world with China at its center.
Safran Won’t Deal with Black Women in Mississippi
The union says that although they tried to find middle ground, they have been met by a brick wall.
Black women at Safran’s aircraft engine plant in Mississippi have not had a pay increase since 2018, are not entitled to sick days and have had to work throughout the pandemic. Yet Safran is refusing to bargain in good faith with IndustriALL affiliate Workers United, the global union claims.
Workers United has bargained with Safran since September for a new agreement. Negotiations broke down when the employer refused to accept pay increases for the coming three years and insisted that they would be able to use any criteria to lay-off or recall workers. Safran already has the right to lay-off and recall employees in tiers of most efficient workers and least efficient workers. Safron Engine did not immediately respond to a request for comment or clarification.
The union said today that “We are prepared to meet Safran, a multi-billion-dollar company, in the middle to find a way forward to come up with a reasonable contract that will benefit the success of the plant and the workers. How is it fair for Safran to ask for the women, who are already low-wage workers, to continue to sacrifice?” IndustriALL and Safran signed a global framework agreement in 2017 on working conditions, corporate social responsibility and sustainable development.
The union says that although they tried to find middle ground, they have been met by a brick wall. “In the spirit of our joint global framework agreement, I urge you to intervene immediately to ensure that Safran in Mississippi extends the union contract and engages in genuine bargaining with Workers United,” said IndustriALL general secretary Valter Sanches.
About Ken Zino
Ken Zino, publisher (kzhw@aol.com), is a versatile auto industry participant with global experience spanning decades in print and broadcast journalism, as well as social media. He has automobile testing, marketing, public relations and communications experience. He is past president of The International Motor Press Assn, the Detroit Press Club, founding member and first President of the Automotive Press Assn. He is a member of APA, IMPA and the Midwest Automotive Press Assn. Zino is at home on test tracks, knows his way around U.S. Congressional hearing rooms, auto company headquarters, plant floors, as well as industry research and development labs where the real mobility work is done. He can quote from court decisions, refer to instrumented road tests, analyze financial results, and profile executive personalities and corporate cultures. He also brings an historical perspective while citing their contemporary relevance of the work of legendary auto writers such as Ken Purdy, Jim Dunne or Jerry Flint, or writers such as Red Smith, Mark Twain, Thomas Jefferson – all to bring perspective to a chaotic automotive universe. Above all, decades after he first drove a car, Zino still revels in the sound of the exhaust as the throttle is blipped and the driver’s rush that occurs when the entry, apex and exit points of a turn are smoothly and swiftly crossed. It’s the beginning of a perfect lap. AutoInformed has an editorial philosophy that loves transportation machines of all kinds while promoting critical thinking about the future use of cars and trucks. Zino builds AutoInformed from his background in automotive journalism starting at Hearst Publishing in New York City on Motor and MotorTech Magazines and car testing where he reviewed hundreds of vehicles in his decade-long stint as the Detroit Bureau Chief of Road & Track magazine. Zino has also worked in Europe, and Asia – now the largest automotive market in the world with China at its center.