A four-year battle by striking Colt Firearms workers culminated in victory last week as the first union employees returned to their jobs at the historic plant.
Cheered on by hundreds of their companions who will follow in the next several weeks, about 75 workers walked through the gates Wednesday for the first time since Jan. 24, 1986, when picket lines were set up.There were hugs, cheers and some tears as the first shift entered the historic century-old plant where Samuel Colt developed his .45-caliber revolver that became world famous.
The bitter strike came to an end with the announcement of a unique buyout composed of the union, the state and former Colt officials.
The sale price by the parent Colt Industries Inc. of New York was not disclosed. However, the state invested $25 million from state pension funds to float the buyout.
United Auto Workers Union officials said about 375 workers will be back on the job in the next few weeks and it will take about two months to return all of the approximately 700 members.
When the walkout began, about 1,100 workers were involved but many eventually found other jobs. About 400 replacement workers hired by the company during the strike were given their walking papers last week.
The agreement calls for the returning workers to receive $10 million in back pay, which was ordered by the National Labor Relations Board after it ruled the company had conducted unfair labor practices before and during the strke.
The workers will also receive $3 million in deferred payments and 11.5 percent share of the company through a stock ownership plan.
The strike was initially marked by arrests on the picket line, charges of union busting and unfair labor practices and a natiownide boycott of Colt Firearms products by the AFL-CIO.
During the strike, revenue for the once profitable gun maker dropped and after the firm lost its exclusive, long-standing Pentagon contract to manufacture the M-16 rifle, the basic weapon for U.S. military personnel.