ST. CHARLES — The union that represents Boeing workers has launched an attempt to organize one of the company’s suppliers: St. Charles-based components manufacturer LMI Aerospace.
The International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers filed a petition with the National Labor Relations Board to hold a union election for about 50 employees at LMI’s St. Charles facilities. The workers will vote on Dec. 15 and Dec. 16.
LMI was established in 1948, and today has about 1,500 employees in the U.S. and Mexico, according to the company’s website. LMI was sold to Belgium-based Sonaca Group in 2017.
“Aerospace workers see the value in having a stronger voice in their workplace,” IAM District 837 Business Representative and Organizer Dan Forbes said in a statement. “They are machinists and highly skilled manufacturing technicians who decided to organize because they know union representation will bring dignity, respect, better wages, and benefits.”
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Forbes said the union is not aware of any other unionized LMI locations in the U.S., so if the vote passes, the St. Charles facilities would likely become the first.
The union is seeking to represent full-time and part-time production and maintenance workers, quality inspectors, coordinate measuring machine operators and programmers. It will not represent clerical and professional workers, quality and manufacturing engineers, guards or supervisors.
The facilities involved are located within 2 miles of each other in St. Charles, at 3030 North Highway 94 and 3600 Mueller Road.
