Workers end strike at Amphenol Aerospace in Sidney

SIDNEY, N.Y. — About 700 employees at Amphenol Aerospace in Sidney on Wednesday approved a new contract deal with the manufacturer and ended a strike that began Oct. 15.

Amphenol employs about 1,000 people at the 307,000-square-foot facility on Delaware Avenue, where it designs and manufactures electrical and electronic connectors for the military and aerospace industries, according to the company’s website.

The workers, members of the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM) Local 1529 (District 15), last weekend voted unanimously to strike after rejecting a contract offer they believed included inadequate paid sick leave, medical cost increases, and the lack of essential pay for working during the pandemic, according to a press release from the union. The union noted the contract offer also failed to eliminate a two-tier wage system so that every worker would receive the same wage for the same job classification.

The company called the union back to the bargaining table on Tuesday and forged a tentative agreement, says Kevin Weidman, business representative for Local 1529. The union called its members for a meeting and a vote on Wednesday.

“61 percent voted to pass the contract,” Weidman says. He says issues concerning sick leave, especially in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, were addressed.

While it was not completely removed, changes made to the two-tier wage system addressed many of the concerns, he noted. Under the old system, two employees doing the same job could be paid different amounts. “The members believe two people doing the same job should receive the same pay,” Weidman says. Under the new contract, new hires will receive a different wage, but only for a set amount of time.

Other concerns regarding retirement and general wage increases were also addressed in the new contract, Weidman says. Once members approved the pact, the strike ended, and workers returned to their jobs later in the day.

A response from Amphenol regarding the end of the strike was not immediately available.

When the strike first began, the company issued the following statement:

“At Amphenol, we take seriously our century-long commitment to being one of the best employers in New York’s Southern Tier and to providing our team members with compensation and benefits that are well above local averages. That is why, after weeks of discussions and intensive negotiations, we were pleased to have jointly reached a generous, comprehensive agreement with the bargaining committee for the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers Local 1529 that would provide our union employees with significant increases in pay and pension benefits, as well as continued access to excellent health care benefits. While we were surprised and disappointed that union members voted against the recommendation of their bargaining committee, we are committed to immediately working to negotiate a reasonable resolution with the IAM. This will ensure that we can continue to provide for our employees, support the Sidney and surrounding area communities for generations to come, and manufacture high-technology, high quality interconnect components that enable our nation’s warfighters to keep America and our allies safe.”

The IAM District Lodge 15 is one of the largest districts of IAM and represents about 19,000 active and retired members in several industries.