The Enid News and Eagle, Enid, OK

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June 17, 2009

BREAKING NEWS: Union, CSC going back to negotiating table in an attempt to end strike at Vance Air Force Base

Talks are scheduled to resume Saturday in the 10-day old strike against the prime contractor at Vance Air Force Base and three sub-contractors.

Jerry McCune, president and directing business representative for International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers District Lodge 171, released a statement Wednesday afternoon extending an invitation to CSC Applied Technologies LLC and subcontractors DenMar Services, M1 Support Services and PRI/DJI to return to the bargaining table at 9 a.m. Saturday at the Cherokee Strip Conference Center.

“The IAM stands ready, as we have from the last day of negotiations, to resolve the issues of the strike with CSC at Vance Air Force Base, and return our members to work as soon as a new agreement is ratified,” the statement reads. “The issues remain clear and should, and can be, resolved quickly, if the company is prepared and committed to resolve the issues at the heart of this dispute. We will be at the bargaining table to do just that.”

The statement said the union would inform CSC’s offices in Fort Worth, Texas, and its chief negotiator, labor attorney Peter Van Dyke of Oklahoma City, of its intention to return to the table.

“Super,” said Gary Richardson, CSC program manager at Vance, when he was informed of the union’s offer. “That is excellent. We will be there.”

McCune said the strike will continue even when negotiations resume.

The strike began at 12:01 a.m. June 8. Union members voted by a 94 percent margin June 5 to reject the company’s “last, best and final” contract offer, then voted by a 96 percent margin to strike. McCune said 99 percent of the union’s members have been walking the picket line near Vance’s west gate on south Cleveland.

Since the strike began, flying operations at Vance have been suspended. Earlier this week 27 student pilots and instructors were moved to two Air Force bases in Texas to resume their training.

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