Alcoa said yesterday that it had reached a tentative agreement with its biggest union to end a seven-week strike at the company’s works plant in Cleveland.þþThe four-year labor contract was endorsed by the United Auto Workers Local 1050, which represents about 830 employees. The strike captain, Alan Witt, said in an interview that a ratification vote on the agreement would take place on Tuesday and Wednesday.þþ“We think it’s a fair proposal and, hopefully, it’ll get ratified,” an Alcoa spokesman, Kevin Lowery, said. Workers could return to the plant as soon as Jan. 2, he said.þþMr. Lowery and Mr. Witt declined to comment on terms of the contract.þþThe Cleveland works plant, which employs 1,250, makes aluminum parts for heavy-duty trucks as well as the aerospace and industrial markets. The company had brought in salaried workers to replace the striking employees, Mr. Lowery said.þþThe International Association of Machinists, which represents 45 of Alcoa’s Cleveland employees, reached a four-year labor agreement on Nov. 12. That contract included a 9 percent pay raise over four years, an increase in pension and health care benefits and a $1,500 signing bonus.þ
Source: NY Times
