Strike at Independence ammo plant ends after union gets wage hike, some OT relief

[Omaha Steve]

https://www.kansascity.com/news/local/article315659425.html

By Laura Bauer
May 6, 2026 3:05 PM

After more than a month on the picket line, members of a local machinists union will soon be back on the job.

Workers with IAM — International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers — Local 778 voted Wednesday to ratify a new collective bargaining agreement. It includes “front-loaded wage increases over the course of the four-year agreement and some relief from forced overtime,” an emailed news release from the union said.

That puts an end to the strike at Olin Winchester’s Lake City Army Ammunition Plant in Independence that began April 4 at midnight. IAM Local 778 members return to work starting Thursday on the day shift.

“This ratified agreement met the needs of our membership, and they are ready to get back to work under these new terms,” IAM Local 778 Directing Business Representative Scott Brown said in the release. “Our members stood together for a contract that includes improvements to pay and relief to mandatory overtime scheduling.”

FULL story and photo at link above.