Manassas Journal Messenger | Workers’ strike over at Williams
Williams Industries Inc. of Manassas and International Union Operating Engineers Local Union 77 agreed to a three-year contract Monday, ending a weekend-long strike by crane operators from Williams Equipment Corp.
The 27 crane operators were back on the job Tuesday morning.
Frank E. Williams III, president and CEO of Williams Industries, met with negotiators at the conference room at the plant site on Wellington Road. The strikers gathered outside the building on a shady grassy area while the two sides met.
By midday the two sides had agreed to the contract, which was pretty much the same as the two sides had been negotiating for the past several months. The workers did get a slight pay increase, according to Marianne Pastor, vice president of Williams Industries, which is the parent company of Williams Equipment Corp.
“At the beginning of the session, Williams asked if there were any safety concerns that he wanted addressed right away. The union representatives told him there were none,” Pastor said.
Other issues discussed were overtime pay and the length of the contract.
“There were a lot of initial misunderstandings among both parties but we were able to come to a quick solution and end the strike as soon as the two sides agreed to talk,” Pastor said.
At the conclusion of the talks, the union representatives went outside and talked to the strikers who agreed to the contract.
The two major contracts the crane operators are working are the new Wilson Bridge and the Springfield Interchange, along with other sites in the area.