Thursday, October 5, 2000 Older Editions

Union: Raytheon strike over

By Rebecca Piro

After ending a bitter, five-week strike by ratifying a new four-year contract Monday afternoon, many members of Raytheon's Local 1505 are "cooling off" this week, before returning to work next Monday, Oct. 9.

Some of the 2,700 union members, who spent the last five weeks shouting angry remarks and waving fists outside Raytheon's main gate, are concerned that the battles fought on the picket line might continue inside the plant between scorned management and union employees, said Local 1505 president Stan Lichwala.

Over and out -- Plans for a 2,700-person strike event were called off Saturday, as Raytheon made an offer union members like Marilyn Indelicato and Theresa Costello deemed fair. The union ratified the contract Monday. Photo by Lisa Adelsberger

Strikers "overwhelmingly ratified" a new contract Monday at the Lowell Auditorium by an 88-percent vote, and agreed to return to work, said Lichwala. Union members had refused Raytheon's initial offer more than a month ago, demanding job security, better pensions, and improved health benefits.

Lichwala claims the recent offer satisfied most of those demands.

The final contract included a three-percent wage increase for the first and third years, and a four percent increase for the second and fourth years, he said.

In terms of health care, workers' weekly paycheck contributions will climb gradually from two and a half percent to three percent over the course of four years. Four dollars per year of service per month were added to pension packages. Finally, Raytheon guaranteed job security to workers by promising that programs such as THAAD, Theater High Altitude Area Defense System, an anti-missile program worth about $1 billion dollars that the company estimates will create 200 additional jobs, will stay in Massachusetts for at least the next four years, rather than moving to Texas or Arizona as some strikers worried. Raytheon also promised to spend $45 million on plant renovations that will keep maintenance workers busy, Lichwala said.

Although not every striker was pleased on every issue, he said, "We'll fight for the other issues another day."

Bumpy re-entry at missile plant?

The current challenge awaiting workers could be inside the company's walls, where union members will return to work side-by-side with management employees as if the strike never happened.

Hard feelings and harsh words delivered from both sides are difficult to recover from, said Lichwala. He does not expect that relations inside the plant will ever be the same again.

"It was kind of an ugly strike. We'll always try and rebuild what we had, but strikes don't do either side any good. People that go through them don't come out the same way they went in," he said. "It's a life-changing way and a learning experience for both sides."

Despite reports that many workers were tired of striking, Lichwala says they did not cave Monday and compromise more than they should have.

"Everybody was ready to be done with it. But if (the contract) was any less than (the one ratified), then I think it would have been a problem."

Lichwala was unsure how many union workers quit mid-strike and got other jobs, never to return to Raytheon. He said he will know better when work schedules return to normal. Because tensions are still rather high, most employees won't resume their normal work schedules until Monday, he said.

"We need a little cooling off period," Lichwala said. "Then we will go back to work and do what we do best - make anti-missiles."

David Polk, director of media relations for Raytheon, could not be reached for comment.

Police that worked the strike are happy to see a contract signed and a return to normal operations, said Lt. Jim Hashem. Area residents, who dialed police about noise complaints more than once a day on average, will also be relieved to see picketers put down their signs and resume work, he added.

"They are all sleeping peacefully tonight," said Hashem. "I'm sure the residents of Lowell Street and that area are very happy it's over."

"This is the first day we didn't have the strike, and no one called to complain," added Lt. Thomas Siopes.