Arconic, United Steelworkers begin contract negotiations on Tuesday, April 26

United Steelworkers Local 105 committee member Genaro Gomez confirmed the start of the talks, which will take place in Pittsburgh. The new contract will set wages and benefits for employees from four locations — Davenport; Lafayette, Ind.; Massena, N.Y.; and Alcoa, Tenn.

Arconic supplies aluminum sheet, plate and extruded products to global customers in aerospace, automotive, commercial transportation, defense, industrial and building and construction industries, according to its website.

It is a major Quad-City employer. It is the eighth-largest employer in the Quad-Cities with roughly 2,000 union and nonunion employees, according to the Quad Cities Chamber of Commerce.

It has undergone change in recent years. Known formerly as Alcoa, in 2016, that company split, forming Arconic Inc. for manufactured products and Alcoa Corp. for aluminum and other materials processing operations. In 2020, Arconic split, forming Howmet, an aerospace company, and Arconic.

The current three-year contract was inked in July 2019 and expires May 15.

That contract provided annual general wage increases of 3.5% each year for an estimated 1,900 union members working at Arconic's Davenport location. It maintained or improved existing benefits, like supplemental unemployment and health care and retirement provisions for active employees. The agreement featured a $1,750 ratification bonus.

In February, Arconic released fourth-quarter results for 2021, noting sales of $2.1 billion, an increase of 46% year-over-year and up 13% from the previous quarter. The company also reported a net loss of $38 million — $0.36 per share — compared with a net loss of $64 million — $0.59 per share — in the fourth quarter of 2020.

Recent labor negotiations at two of the area's other largest employers were not settled before strikes by union members.

More than 10,000 members of the United Autoworkers union nationwide settled a five-week strike against John Deere Co. on Nov. 17, 2021, after agreeing to a six-year deal that included an immediate 10% raise, an $8,500 signing bonus and raises in the third and fifth years of the contract.

Over 400 members of the Machinists Local 388 and Local 1191 reached a five-year deal with Davenport's Eaton-Cobham Mission Systems after a strike that lasted nearly a month.