UWUA Local 351, a small but vital local of nine members in Lorain, Ohio, ratified a strong new four-year agreement with IHI Power Services, securing major wage increases and critical scheduling improvements. The members operate and maintain a dual fuel peaker power plant on the shores of Lake Erie, formerly owned by FirstEnergy and now owned by Starwood Energy.
The new agreement, which runs through June 30, 2029, delivers a 10% guaranteed wage increase in the first year, followed by 3.5%, 3.25%, and 3% in the subsequent years. Members also won increases to shift and Sunday premiums, along with a higher meal allowance. Health and retirement benefits remain unchanged.
“This is by far the best wage package we’ve ever seen,” said Local 351 President John Socha, who’s worked at the plant since 1976. “We’ve never had anything close to a 10% GWI, so I am very pleased with the outcome.”
Socha said negotiations were amicable, with major issues resolved over two sessions and additional meetings to clean up outdated language from the old FirstEnergy contract. The prior agreement — negotiated during the height of COVID — had left several issues unresolved. This time, said Socha, “we had more opportunity to meet and get things in order.”
One key win: improved scheduling protections. The company must now give one week’s notice, up from 48 hours, before changing an employee’s schedule. If changes are made with less than a week’s notice, affected workers earn time-and-a-half pay for the first day of the new schedule.
“This plant is a strong performer for Starwood,” said Socha. “They bring people through all the time and visitors are impressed. With this contract, we wanted to make sure our members got recognition for their contributions to making it an outstanding performer.”
The negotiating team included Socha, Secretary-Treasurer Robert Rahr, and UWUA Senior National Representative Frank Meznarich.