FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
APRIL 2, 2021
[ILION, N.Y.] The United Mine Workers of America (UMWA) announced today that it has reached a letter of agreement that will pave the way for reopening the former Remington Arms plant here.
The letter formalizes language between the union and RemArms, the plant’s new operator, that recognizes the union as the hourly employees’ collective bargaining agent when they return to work, establishes a recall process for more former Remington workers to be called back, and sets up a 60-day timeframe for the parties to begin negotiating a full collective bargaining agreement that will be in effect upon ratification.
“This letter of agreement was a long time in the making,” said UMWA International President Cecil E. Roberts. “It is the first step toward reestablishing a normal relationship between the union and the operators of that plant, one that will allow the professional craftspeople who have built firearms in Ilion to return to doing what they do better than anyone.
“There is more to do here,” Roberts said. “The company needs product to sell and we fully understand and support that. We are pleased that UMWA members will soon be going back to work at the plant, if the company holds to its expected timetable. The next step is to negotiate a full collective bargaining agreement that the members can ratify and then get operations fully back to normal.
“Our members in Central New York have been through a lot the past year,” Roberts said. “They suffered many setbacks. But they never gave up, they never gave in, they never wavered from their determination to fight for their jobs and their union. They have been the driving force that has led to this day, and I could not be prouder of them.”
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