Machinist union strikes for 5 days at NASA’s Stennis Space Center over wages, benefits

Around 200 union members working at NASA’s Stennis Space Center went on a strike for five days before the union voted to settle on Monday evening, accepting a compromise deal.

The strike lasted for five workdays, said John Piatt, a business representative for the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers union.

Piatt, who’s based in Meridian, said tensions had been building for some time between the union and its contractor, Syncom Space Services LLC. When it came time to renew the union’s contract, the company, which is also called S3, denied union requests.

So union members put it to a vote and voted overwhelmingly to go on strike, he said.

Members of the local union chapter believed the management of the company treated union members arbitrarily, Piatt said, especially as it related to laying off workers on workers’ comp and scheduling workers’ shift time.

The union also demanded higher wages, Piatt said, citing increasing out-of-pocket insurance premiums. Combined with high inflation for the past few years, he said, it’s fair to say that workers were making less than they were three years ago.

The strike ended after negotiating with S3, said Piatt who helped to facilitate the discussion. He said the union denied the company’s initial resolution but accepted a subsequent one.

The agreement was acceptable, he said, though noted that the resolution the union accepted was a compromise from what the union was originally seeking. But enough demands were met that the union voted to go back to work. Piatt said the workers’ wages were increased and an understanding regarding the grievances of S3 management was reached.

S3 works under contract for NASA. Piatt said the union workers are proud to work for the government’s space program, but were dissatisfied with the management of S3, which is technically the company they work under. NASA doesn’t officially take a stance in disputes, the agency clarified.

Not all employees at S3 went on strike, Piatt said. There are two groups, one involved in the experimental testing and the other oversees the broad maintenance of the facility, from firefighting to air conditioning repair to groundskeeping.

“At S3, not only do we desire to improve space exploration and secure national space superiority, but we are committed to the well-being of those who dedicate their valuable time to making it happen. We diligently worked with the union to reach an agreement that met the needs of our employees and our customers,” Chanel Mann, a spokesperson affiliated with S3, said in a statement.

The final agreement saw an increase in wages, a broadening of S3’s life insurance policy and comprehensive health care, dental and vision options, according to the company’s statement. It also created an additional holiday.

The machinist union is country-spanning and has around 600,000 members. Its members work in a number of sectors, predominantly woodworking, aerospace and shipbuilding.

In 2016 there was also a strike at the Stennis Space Center, one that resulted in the termination of at least 195 jobs.