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Strikes

Caterpillar Workers Stage Massive Walkout Over Unfair Labor Practices

Strategic Insights

— 1 min read

Over 7,000 employees at Caterpillar Inc.'s four Peoria-area plants walked off the job early Tuesday, nearly 24 hours before an unfair labor practices strike was scheduled to begin. The United Auto Workers (UAW) union members are protesting Caterpillar's refusal to settle 92 unfair labor practices complaints, including the company's refusal to allow employees to display slogans management views as unacceptable. The strike centers on the company's alleged "corporate terror" and discriminatory practices, including firing employees for wearing buttons supporting a bill against strikebreakers.

Key Takeaways:

  • 7,000 UAW-covered members at four Peoria-area plants - East Peoria, Mossville, Mapleton, and Pontiac - walked off the job to protest Caterpillar's refusal to settle 92 unfair labor practices complaints.
  • The walkout began in Mapleton, with employees "punching out" after being told to stop discussing the situation by their foreman.
  • No tractors are being built at the East Peoria and Mossville plants, which joined the walkout by 5 a.m.
  • The UAW has been working without a contract since the end of a 5-month strike in April 1992, and members have staged periodic walkouts against the company to protest disciplinary action.
  • Caterpillar has plants in Illinois, Pennsylvania, Colorado, and Tennessee.

Statistics:

  • 92 - The number of unfair labor practices complaints that Caterpillar has refused to settle.
  • 7,000 - The number of UAW-covered members who walked off the job.
  • 4 - The number of Peoria-area plants where the walkout occurred (East Peoria, Mossville, Mapleton, and Pontiac).
  • 14,000 - The total number of union-covered employees at Caterpillar Inc.
  • 5 - The number of months that the UAW strike against Caterpillar ended in April 1992.

Sources:

  • "UAW, Caterpillar on collision course over labor complaints," _The Associated Press_, June 22 [no date mentioned in the source]
  • "Strike or work slowdown may hit 14,000 Caterpillar workers," _The Chicago Tribune_, June 22 [no date mentioned in the source]
  • "Caterpillar's labor practices criticized," _Bloomberg News_, June 22 [no date mentioned in the source]

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