Cummins Strike in Scarborough in Second Week, Workers Call for End to Union Busting
Workers at Cummins Northeast in Scarborough continue to stand strong as they enter the second week of their strike for a fair contract. IAM Local 447 members are on strike at Cummins locations in Maine, Concord, N.H. and Dedham, Mass. At issue is the corporation’s attempt to ram through a so-called “merit-based” wage system that is a union busting ploy to undermine a fair, equal union contract and seniority, a cornerstone of a good contract. The multinational corporation specializes in diesel and alternative fuel engines and generators, employing 58,000 workers with nearly $20 billion in annual revenue, according to its website.
“Our members are trying to do the right thing and fight for a contract that will make life better for their families and they are a huge part of Cummins’ success," said IAM District 15 Assistant Directing Business Representative Mike Vartabedian in a statement. "They risked the health of themselves and their families by working through a pandemic to service generators that helped keep our senior citizens in nursing homes safe and supporting our frontline workers throughout New England to save lives. We hope that they will present us with an offer that values the hard work of our members.”
Under the company’s contract proposal, Cummins would determine who gets raises, what wage step workers fall into and how much of a pay increase they will receive no matter how many years of seniority they have. It would also allow the company to cancel the merit increases all together at any time if it is not profitable.
Merit pay systems often lead to favoritism by managers in the workplace at the expense of veteran employees who have devoted their lives to the company. Machinists Union members at Cummins voted almost unanimously to reject the company’s offer to extend the contract and voted 100 percent to strike on February 11 after Cummins management insisted on a contract that includes this inconsistent and subjective pay for performance policy. The workers have presented a counter offer based on contracts the company has ratified with unions in the Bronx and Rocky Hill, Connecticut that preserve the seniority system, but they still have not heard back from Cummins.
For Scarborough strike captain and 40-year service technician Tom Campobasso, this amounts to an effort by the corporation to provoke the workers into a strike in order to break the union.
“This is a union busting tactic,” said Campobasso from the picket line Wednesday. “We’ve come back to them with a contract proposal that they’ve already signed in the Bronx and Rocky Hill. Supposedly, they’re just holding us hostage out here thinking we’re going to break when they’ve already signed that contract with two other branches. But we’ve got three branches on strike and we’re not going to budge.”
The picket will continue every weekday from 7am to 3pm until the company comes back with a fair and equitable offer. So far, workers from IAM Local 6, IAM District 4, IATSE 114, IBEW 1837, Teamsters 340, the Southern Labor Council and other unions as well as students with the Bowdoin Labor Alliance have come out to stand in solidarity on the picket line. Can you come out to the picket line and support them? Stop by and visit IAM 447 members at 10 Gibson Road in Scarborough!