SMYTH COUNTY, Va. (WJHL) – It is reported what could be more than 200 workers are on strike after contract negotiations went sour at a defense contractor campus in Marion, Virginia, a worker said.
The company is General Dynamics Missions Systems.
In a statement to News Channel 11, one worker stated that the strike arose from dissatisfaction with the pay rates offered in recent offers. An official platform from the United Auto Workers chapter 2850 has not been released.
General Dynamics Missions Systems leaders confirmed to News Channel 11 Saturday that they are aware of the employee strike.
“We are disappointed that we were not able to reach an agreement with UAW 2850,” said the company’s spokesperson Tom Crosson. “We will continue to work with union representatives and our employees to develop a mutually beneficial agreement.”
There has been no word yet on how the strike is impacting operations at the Marion campus.
According to company job listings, General Dynamics Mission Systems is hiring for 73 different positions within the Marion, Virginia campus.
General Dynamics provides a wide variety of technology to the United States Armed Forces, including the development of new “highly lethal” ground vehicles, a new version of the Abrams tank and anti-drone systems like the DroneDefender jamming device. The Mission Systems wing of the company’s Marion location website lists radar enclosures, aircraft parts and military shelters as some of the products manufactured on-site.
