UAW rallies – Nearly 100 UAW Local 5101 members rallied outside Woodward MPC’s Niles facility Tuesday after a 71% vote to authorize a strike, accusing the company of months of stalled bargaining and unfair labor practices. The company says it is pausing negotiations while a
In the 90-degree heat outside Woodward MPC’s Niles facility Tuesday, nearly 100 workers stood shoulder to shoulder in red UAW Local 5101 T-shirts. They held signs that read, “Just practicing for a just contract,” turning a routine workday into a public test of leverage.
The rally followed a vote last week in which 71% of UAW Local 5101 members authorized a strike. The local represents about 850 production workers at Woodward’s Niles location, where the factory makes commercial and military aviation equipment for clients that include Boeing and the U.S. government.
Workers say they’re fighting for better wages, fair progression, time off, and job security. Union leaders also argue that Woodward workers are underpaid compared with industry peers.
Local 5101 President Jose Tapia. a mechanical assembler who has worked at Woodward for 20 years. described what the dispute looks like from the shop floor. “We make some of the most profitable products in the world on massive contracts for the U.S. government, Boeing and others. We generate millions in profits for our CEO and billions in Wall Street payouts. But we have workers at Woodward who can’t afford to live. They sleep in their cars. They commute two hours a day to work. They haven’t had a raise in years.”.
Tapia said the union’s last negotiating session with the company was in October, and that Woodward’s proposal included raises of less than 1%.
Andre Woods, who works in Woodward’s sensors department and is vice president of Local 5101, put numbers behind the union’s broader claim. He said workers at the Niles facility are paid about $16 to $27 an hour, while the aerospace industry’s average wage is closer to $28 to $43 an hour.
Evanston Mayor Daniel Biss attended the rally. He said Woodward’s workers “deserve the right to negotiate in good faith and for a fair contract,” adding, “Corporations are trying to silence workers. It’s moving and powerful when workers organize and fight back.”
The union’s posture is rooted in how the bargaining relationship began to change. In September, Woodward workers voted to affiliate with the United Automobile, Aerospace and Agricultural Implement Workers of America. Before that, they were part of an independent union called WMPC Employees Representative Union, founded in 1967. At the time, MPC Products was a smaller, family-owned company. In 2008, it was bought by Woodward, a publicly listed company based in Colorado.
Woodward has not recognized the new union. A Woodward spokesperson said in a statement that a case is pending before the National Labor Relations Board regarding union representation for the Niles workforce and that the company is requesting a government-run election. Until the matter is resolved, the spokesperson said, negotiations will remain paused. The company also said, “At this time, no strike has been called. Niles operations will continue as usual, and we remain focused on delivering critical controls to our aerospace customers without interruption.”.
In its financial reporting for the second quarter, Woodward reported $1.1 billion in sales and $134 million in earnings.
Tapia returned to the central demand—bargaining—and said the union has spent months trying to get there. “A few years ago. I was inspired by the major victories I saw the UAW having at the Big Three and at aerospace employers across the country and decided to try to make my union better. ” he said. “All we’re asking is for Woodward to stop breaking the law, and return to the bargaining table. We’ve been forced to file dozens of federal labor charges. for everything from illegal surveillance to unfair discipline to refusing to bargain in good faith. We are just asking to be treated like aerospace workers at employers across the country. We want fair wages for our industry. we want to be able to get a raise. we want to be able to afford to live a decent life with our families.”.
Behind the rally’s messages is a hard collision of timing and authority: the UAW says negotiations have stalled for months and points to alleged unfair labor practices. while Woodward says bargaining is paused because a National Labor Relations Board case over union representation is still pending. For the workers gathered Tuesday. the heat didn’t soften the message—it sharpened it. with the vote to authorize a strike already in motion. and the company maintaining that operations would continue unless and until the legal dispute is resolved.
UAW Woodward MPC Niles facility labor contract strike authorization Jose Tapia union negotiations National Labor Relations Board unfair labor practices aerospace manufacturing Boeing U.S. government contracts