Company, union tackle local, national contracts

Layoffs possible, but business aims to keep doors open


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SPRINGFIELD — By mid-August, negotiations between the United Auto Workers union and Navistar International will begin and representatives will start working on master and local contracts that will govern work at the Springfield truck production facility on Urbana Road.

UAW Local 402 President Jason Barlow will be negotiating local issues, including work rules, as other union representatives head to the national negotiations to work on wider issues, including wages and health care.

Each UAW-represented Navistar facility will create its own local contract and send representatives to the national meetings.

“Ultimately, the entire package has to be voted on. Everyone needs to approve the national contract,” Barlow said.

In anticipation of the upcoming negotiations, the company issued a Worker Adjustment Retraining Notification on Monday, Aug. 2. The WARN notice is part of a federally mandated program to protect workers from potential layoffs and plant closures.

It’s normal to issue the notice because the WARN Act requires a company to issue a notice even if layoffs are possible — but not imminent, said Navistar spokesman Roy Wiley, who emphasized the company’s intention to keep the Springfield facility open.

The company issued the notice so it will be able to continue to fill orders if no contract has been agreed upon by the Oct. 1 expiration date.

“This was purely to be in compliance with federal law,” Wiley said. Both sides have the same goal — to negotiate a fair contract that keeps jobs in Springfield.

And they are receiving support and assistance from many in the community.

“In October, if Navistar were to go ahead with the mass layoffs or close, it would be a major economic and psychological blow to the entire area. The company has over 150 years of history in Clark County, from producing farm equipment in the 1850s to producing trucks today,” said John Detrick, Clark County commissioner.

“From the governor at the state level to the Clark County commissioners and Greater Springfield Chamber of Commerce — and with the assistance of former U.S. Rep. Dave Hobson — we are willing to work with union representatives and company officials to retain the more than 500 jobs and our highly skilled work force,” Detrick said.

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