spacetoday.net: Shuttle workers vote to strike

Posted: Mon, Jun 4, 2007, 8:12 AM ET (1212 GMT)
Several hundred shuttle workers voted Saturday to go on strike just days before a launch, although any walkout is not expected to affect the upcoming mission. Members of Local 2061 International Association of Machinist and Aerospace Workers, representing 570 employees of United Space Alliance (USA) at the Kennedy Space Center, voted to walk off the job as early as midnight on June 9. Union officials cited "substandard" contract terms compared to other aerospace companies, particularly in the areas of health and retirement benefits, as the reason behind the strike vote. The decision to strike comes just as NASA and USA are preparing to launch the shuttle Atlantis on the evening on June 8. Any strike will not affect the launch or the mission, USA officials said, adding that other qualified employees would be called upon to fill in for the striking workers.