OSHKOSH – Union 1. Oshkosh Corp. 0.
UAW Local 578 appears to have scored a decisive victory in its labor dispute with Oshkosh Corp. after saying it won a grievance over the company placing nonunion employees in contractually bargained facilities.
In a July 27 letter to members, UAW Local 578 President Bob Lynk said the union received an arbitration decision requiring those nonunion employees to be removed from the plant.
“This is a significant victory for our membership,” Lynk wrote in the letter.
Calls to Lynk and UAW Region 4 servicing representative Joe Preisler were not immediately returned July 29.
In an email to the Northwestern, Oshkosh Corp. Director of Global Marketing and Communications Alexandra Hittle said the company respects the arbitration process and is reviewing the decision to “determine the appropriate path forward.”
“We remain committed to working constructively with UAW Local 578 as we move through that process,” Hittle wrote, adding that the company doesn’t find it “appropriate to comment further.”
Lynk also told members he did not want to release the full details of the decision before meeting with Oshkosh Corp.
What the Oshkosh Corp. arbitration decision means
News of the arbitration decision comes six months after Oshkosh Corp. laid off 158 plant workers in January following a $52.8 million decline in third-quarter sales last year.
The union immediately threatened arbitration, saying Oshkosh Corp. intended to place nonunion workers in at least one contractually bargained facility.
It remains unclear which Oshkosh Defense plant the union was referencing.
Sources close to the situation said the union’s grievance was heard April 16 by an arbitrator through the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service before the decision was issued July 24.
“It’s because the company was in violation of the collective bargaining agreement,” sources told the Northwestern, saying the union has had final arbitration rights in the contract for decades.
Oshkosh Corp. previously said 94 of the 158 laid-off plant workers were expected to be recalled in March after the company announced a $16.8 million Department of Defense contract for Remotely Operated Ground Unit for Expeditionary Fires, or ROGUE-Fires.
At that time, Hittle said the company anticipated recalling another 29 employees as Oshkosh Corp. “continues to evaluate workforce needs.”
It is unclear whether all of those workers have been recalled.
Oshkosh Defense contracts could affect local plant work
Significant work is expected to return to Oshkosh Corp. facilities in the city after Oshkosh Defense recently received a $43.3 million contract with the U.S. Marine Corps.
The work is expected to continue through July 2031. The hybrid agreement covers both fixed-price and cost-reimbursable work under what the military calls a basic ordering agreement.
Oshkosh Defense also is seeking to regain the Joint Light Tactical Vehicle contract it lost to AM General three years ago.
The U.S. Marine Corps is seeking input on a potential second supplier amid reports of delivery delays from AM General.
Oshkosh Defense, a specialty military vehicle contractor, is one of two known JLTV producers.
Lynk previously attributed the staff reductions to the company’s focus on its military line despite losing the five-year JLTV contract, which was worth $8.7 billion.
Contact Justin Marville at jmarville@usatodayco.com. Follow him on X (formerly Twitter) at @justinmarville.
This article originally appeared on Oshkosh Northwestern: Union says Oshkosh Corp. must remove nonunion workers | Exclusive
Reporting by Justin Marville, Oshkosh Northwestern / Oshkosh Northwestern
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Justin Marville, Oshkosh Northwestern | USA TODAY Network
