- In Jackson, striking Eaton Aerospace workers are reacting to the Company's announced intent to replace them.
- Workers say their training and certification can take from nine months to two years, making them difficult to quickly replace.
- Union says it is putting together a new proposal for the Company.
- WATCH THE VIDEO for reactions to Eaton announcement.
(The following is a transcription of the full broadcast story)
Here in Jackson, striking Eaton Aerospace workers are reacting to the Company's plan to replace them.
"People are willing to hold out for a better life down the road."
— Zach Westheimer, Strike Captain
If your employer said you're about to be replaced, you might start to worry. But that's not the reaction I heard talking to strikers here at Jackson's Eaton Aerospace plant.
"Every job we do it takes minimum nine months to learn," says strike captain Zach Westheimer. "You can't learn something in just a couple of weeks when everyone qualified to train you is standing out here."
Eaton Aerospace sent us a statement Friday saying the company had made its "best and final offer" to striking workers, and was focused on hiring permanent replacements.
But strikers of UAW Local 475 I talked to here tell me that's not likely.
"You can't just grab somebody and have them qualified in 2–3 weeks…or even couple of months. It could take years on some jobs," says Westheimer.
Westheimer says that timeline on training replacements wouldn't be a viable option for the company…especially if the strike at the Boeing company ends, because Eaton supplies Boeing.
But Eaton Aerospace told me in a statement on Friday that the Boeing strike has no impact on decisions here in Jackson.
Despite the apparent stand-off, UAW Regional Director Steve Dawes says the Union isn't simply going to wait: "We go back and we talk to the members, and ask them 'What is it going to take? What is the hold-up?' And we've done that. We've formulated another proposal to give to Eaton, and they're getting ready to do that, and we'll see where we go."
I reached out to Eaton for comment, but did not hear back in time for this broadcast.
TAKE A LOOK AT SOME OF OUR PREVIOUS COVERAGE OF THE STRIKE HERE AND HERE.
Want to see more local news? Visit the FOX47News Website.
Stay in touch with us anytime, anywhere.
Sign up for newsletters emailed to your inbox.
Select from these options: Neighborhood News, Breaking News, Severe Weather, School Closings, Daily Headlines, and Daily Forecasts.
