Thanks to federal mediation, a contract dispute between a Davenport company and union workers may end soon. President of Teamsters Local 371, Howard Spoon, says very late Tuesday night, representatives of Nichols Aluminum and the union reached a tentative agreement.
225 Teamsters went on strike against Nichols in January, a couple of months after their last contract expired. But the union ended the strike in April, after Nichols hired temporary replacement workers on a permanent basis. More than 100 Local 371 members got their jobs back, while others were placed on a "preferential hiring list."
Earlier this month, Spoon said approximately 40 union members had still not been re-hired, while others found jobs at different companies.
Next week (9/27 & 28), Spoon says members will vote on ratifying the tentative agreement with Nichols Aluminum. He says voting will take place at various times to accomodate workers from all shifts, at the union hall in Rock Island.