Houston, TX – Hurricane Harvey, which caused flooding the National Weather Service called “beyond anything experienced” in the Houston metropolitan area, also forced striking at the Wyman-Gordon aircraft-parts plant to abandon their picket line Aug. 25. While talks with management continued that day, it was more important to make sure everyone was prepared for the hurricane, a spokesperson for International Association of Machinists District 37 told the Houston Chronicle. The 271 union workers at the factory went on strike Aug. 21 to protest pay and benefit cuts the company proposed, including a two-tier contract with lower wages for future workers. The hurricane, which battered the Houston area with more than two feet of rain within 48 hours, has killed at least five people. Read more
