Wabtec Corp., owner of the former GE Transportation plant in Lawrence Park Township, says workers at its locomotive plant in Fort Worth, Texas, have every right to support the United Electrical, Radio and Machine workers of America.
But in strong terms, the Pittsburgh-based company is warning its nonunion workforce in Texas that it wouldn’t be in their best interest. This comes after Wabtec has acknowledged the receipt of a letter from about 30 employees who have expressed interest in joining the UE.
In a letter to employees in Fort Worth, the company says they should consider the evidence from unionized workers at Wabtec plants in Erie and Wilmerding, near Pittsburgh.
According to the letter, “Employment levels are down 58% in Erie since 2011. In Wilmerding, Wabtec’s former headquarters, employment levels went from 70 employees in 2020 to just 5 remaining employees today,”
Why has the Erie workforce gotten smaller?
It’s worth noting, that one of the reasons Wabtec’s Erie workforce has declined has been the addition of the company’s nonunion locomotive plant in Fort Worth, which opened in 2012. Employment in Fort Worth has since grown to 680 people.