Vance union, base official will meet

A union representing nearly 800 civilian workers on strike at Vance Air Force Base in Enid agreed Wednesday to return to the bargaining table with a contractor at the base.

Local officials with the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers said they plan to meet Saturday with contractor CSC Applied Technologies to settle a dispute over a new three-year contract.

The two sides have not met face-to-face since June 5, when 96 percent of union members voted to reject the last offer.

Workers have been walking a 24-hour picket line outside the base since June 8, when the three-year contract expired.

Union spokesman Jerry McCune said among the areas of dispute are a new attendance policy that penalizes workers for using sick leave, seniority issues, pension payments and health insurance.

Virginia-based CSC has a contract with the Air Force to provide aircraft maintenance and base operations.

Gary Richardson, CSC’s program manager at Vance, said union officials also have rejected a tougher drug testing policy for workers and that the new attendance policy would require advance notice from workers seeking to take paid days off.

CSC officials have said they want to resume discussions with the union and have offered to extend the existing contract so that employees could continue working while discussions were ongoing.