Local Union No. 3, International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Statement Regarding the Strike at WESCO & WESCO Liberty
Local Union No. 3, International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) represents nearly 28,000 members in various aspects of the electrical industry in the tri-state area. As part of the Local 3 IBEW Supply Division, the Union represents roughly 60 members employed by signatory companies WESCO in Hauppauge, Long Island & WESCO Liberty Electrical & Elevator Supply in Woodside, Queens.
WESCO is a multinational company who boasts of records-setting business over the last several quarters. For the full year of 2022, WESCO had a record $21.4 billion in sales, an 18% year-over-year increase from 2021, with a record $1.4 billion in operating profit.
Despite the Union's best efforts to negotiate a new collective bargaining agreement with WESCO as it has historically done for decades, no agreement was reached due to WESCO's position throughout bargaining of underfunding the ElectricalSecurity Fund (ESF), the pension & medical plan for members of the Supply & Manufacturing Divisions of Local Union No. 3, by only proposing an increase in the contribution by 1% over three years. Such an adjustment to the ESF would have underfunded the pension & medical plan & impacted not only the WESCO employees & their families, but the other participants in the plan plus their families & retirees. Additionally, WESCO proposed cutting the union employees' pay by changing how overtime is calculated, ultimately reducing overtime hours & lowering the workers' pay.
As a result of WESCO's intransigence on the critical issues of fully & appropriately funding the pension & medical plan & their proposed overtime pay cuts, the company made their final offer to the Union on June 15. The Union & negotiating committee reviewed the final offer, and presented it to the bargaining unit on June 19 with a recommendation to reject, & the unit overwhelmingly voted to reject WESCO's final offer, leading the members to begin the strike against WESCO & WESCO Liberty on the evening of Monday, June 19.
The Union put up picket lines at the WESCO location, 500 Prime Place, Hauppauge, NY & WESCO Liberty location, 30-30 60th Street, Woodside, NY on the morning of Tuesday, June 20 & our striking members will continue to man these picket lines for twelve hours each day for as long as it is necessary in order to demand WESCO returns to the bargaining table & agrees to fully fund the ESF pension & medical plan & overturns the proposed overtime cuts.
"The Union is fully committed to these courageous sisters & brothers who are standing up to their employer by demanding they continue to work under the collective bargaining process & reach a fair deal that appropriately funds the pension & medical plan with no cuts to overtime pay," says Local 3, IBEW Business Manager Christopher Erikson.
Questions & requests should be made to Business Representative Anette Diaz at (516)-582-3277, & all media inquiries should be directed to Communications Liaison Dan Hinton at (347)-559-2795.
