Days After Overwhelmingly Authorizing a Strike at Triumph Group, UAW Local 405 to Rally with Community and Elected Allies

WEST HARTFORD, CT – After voting 99% in favor of authorizing a strike ahead of their contract expiring at midnight on October 31, UAW Local 405 members at Triumph Group are rallying on Wednesday afternoon alongside community and elected allies. UAW Local 405 represents 174 members at Triumph Group in West Hartford, CT, where they perform highly skilled manufacturing, machining, assembly, and technical work supporting the aerospace industry.

WHO: UAW Local 405 members, UAW Region 9A Director Brandon Mancilla, Senator Richard Blumenthal, Lieutenant Governor Susan Bysiewicz, Attorney General William Tong, State Representative Kate Farrar, Congressional candidate Luke Bronin, among other community and political allies in Connecticut

WHAT: Rally for Triumph workers ahead of their contract expiration 

WHERE: 1 Charter Oak Blvd, West Hartford, CT 06110 (Street parking on Flatbush Ave. and Price Blvd.)

WHEN: 11:30 A.M.

On Saturday, October 24, after a two-day vote, UAW Local 405 members at Triumph Group who make engine controls and other components for U.S. military aircrafts voted 99% (148-1 with 86% turning out) in favor of authorizing a strike for any time after the current union contract expires at midnight on October 31. Core demands include sectoral standard wages, job security, cost-of-living protection, affordable healthcare and no concessions, among other priority issues the company has not even attempted to meet the bargaining committee on.

In addition to $687 million in profits over the same five-year duration as the term of the current union contract, Triumph’s CEO was paid $31.7 million—for a total of $61.6 million total paid to the CEO in the last decade.

Right now, new hires at Triumph are paid $25.25 per hour. The average wage for a Triumph worker is $39.34, with no cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) to protect against historic inflation. Meanwhile, the production and assembly rates for UAW members at Rolls Royce and GE Aerospace are $43.70 and $43.79, respectively, and they have cost-of-living protections.

UAW Local 405 members contribute to the production, repair, and overhaul of critical U.S. military aircraft components and systems, meeting the highest standards of quality, safety, and reliability.

# # #

DH:ak
opeiu494afl-cio