About 40 striking International Association of Machinists & Aerospace Workers (IAM) took their message early Tuesday morning to Pax River Gate 2.
This was the fifth time the striking Lockheed Martin emplopyees went to the corner of Great Mills Road and MD 235. When asked why they’re at this corner, their representative stated they have “witnessed and photographed Lockheed employees using both Gates 1 and 2” despite the placards stating that by order of the Command Officer “all Lockheed Martin employees and vendors must use gate 3.”
A Lockheed Martin representative stated they “are not aware of which gates Lockheed Martin employees use” however they believe the IAM members have permission from the Pax River command to demonstrate outside gates 1 and 2.
According to the union representative and several published reports, a federal mediator from the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service (FMCS) will be meeting with Lockheed and union officials in Fort Worth, TX, on Wednesday. The local IAM see this latest effort as an encouraging sign that Lockheed “is at least willing to talk.”
The strike is in its ninth week and the striking union members have been receiving a $130 a week stipend from the strike fund which is a fraction of their regular salary.
In addition to PaxRiver, IAM is also on strike at Edwards AFB and the Fort Worth plant where F-16s and the F-35 are produced.
At issue between Lockheed Martin and the IAM is health care benefits and pension. According to the union representative, Lockheed’s contract proposal would force union employees to use “high-deductible, high-cost healthcare plan with no cap on annual out-of-pocket expenses” and eliminate the traditional pension plan for new hires.
