(This story was updated from an earlier version to add new information.)
OSHKOSH – The strike at Cummins will continue for at least another month.
The United Auto Workers union and Cummins will have to return to the negotiating table again after UAW Local 291 membership rejected the company’s latest labor proposal at a union meeting June 2.
Faced with a package that would’ve ended the more than two-month strike, membership voted 46-34 against accepting Cummins’ most recent offer to return to the manufacturing plant at 1005 High Ave.
“We don’t ask individuals how they voted or why they voted, that’s their personal choice,” said UAW Local 291 President Ryan Compton when asked which parts of the offer membership were opposed to.
Compton said the two sides are tentatively scheduled to return to negotiating table at the end of June.
In an emailed statement to the Northwestern, Cummins Director of External Communications and Public Relations Melinda Koski said: “We are disappointed that UAW Local 291 has voted down yet another proposal. We believe this latest offer was made in good faith and represented a fair and balanced package for all parties involved.
“While we had hoped for a different outcome, we remain committed to continuing good-faith negotiations with the union to reach a resolution as quickly as possible,” she added. “Our goal remains the same: to find a mutually acceptable agreement that enables the workforce to return to the plant and ensures we can continue to meet the needs of our employees, customers and stakeholders.”
UAW Local 291 members first walked off the job at Cummins March 18 over concerns of working on an expired contract.
It would drag the ongoing labor dispute beyond three months and threaten to become a fourth-month strike considering the 85 union members first walked off the job on March 18.
The union’s source of contention seems centered on working on a labor contract that expired Jan. 29 along with temp language and working mandatory Saturdays.
Both sides met in person May 28-29 for what Compton described as “a little bit more productive” than previous negotiation sessions.
It was the third time Cummins and UAW Local 291 met in person to negotiate a new labor deal following other meetings May 13-15 and April 22-24.
They also staged a virtual meeting April 1.
Cummins specializes in diesel fuel engines and generators.
With headquarters in Columbus, Indiana, Cummins specializes in designing and producing diesel fuel engines and generators while supplying power generation solutions.
Koski revealed the Oshkosh plant employs 129 workers while the company has more than 3,700 service locations worldwide and more than 600 distributor branches operating in 190 countries.
As of December 2023, Cummins employed around 75,500 workers.
Contact Justin Marville at jmarville@gannett.com and follow him on X (formerly Twitter) at @justinmarville.
This article originally appeared on Oshkosh Northwestern: Cummins workers in Oshkosh remain on strike after rejecting latest labor package via union vote
Reporting by Justin Marville, Oshkosh Northwestern / Oshkosh Northwestern
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