WHEN DO NEGOTIATIONS BEGIN BETWEEN SOLAR TURBINES AND THE IAM?
We expect formal negotiations to begin in May 2025.
This site is aimed to be a resource for those with questions or seeking more information as it relates to Solar’s 2025 negotiations with IAM Local 389
Get answers to your labor negotiation questions.
We expect formal negotiations to begin in May 2025.
Solar Turbines and the IAM come together to identify issues, solutions and share perspectives with the goal of reaching an agreement that is beneficial to both parties and positions these facilities for success. If an agreement is not reached, the IAM may call for a strike until a new agreement is reached. For more information, see the Negotiations Process fact sheet.
The facilities by the contract include certain employees at Harbor Drive and Kearny Mesa.
Solar’s long-standing commitment to our customers and our business requires that we be prepared to continue operations at our facilities in the face of any business interruption, including a work stoppage. We are committed to bargaining in good faith and reaching an agreement that positions Solar Turbines and our employees for success long-term. However, we must be prepared should we not be able to reach a competitive agreement, which is why having a successful contingency plan is critical. See the Contingency Planning fact sheet for more information.
As always, we'll bargain in good faith and hope to avoid a work stoppage, but that is still a possibility that requires planning. See the Contingency Planning fact sheet for more information.
The current agreement is from September 21, 2020 through May 18, 2025.
Our production employees have a right to strike, but they also have an equal right not to participate in a strike. Through our contingency plan, we will be open for business. Any employee who wants to continue to work may do so.
You will not receive any pay from Solar including regular pay or overtime pay. In addition, your time on strike will impact your incentive pay. You will not receive 401k match, and your healthcare may be terminated. You may receive a small strike stipend from the IAM if you meet their eligibility requirements. Please see the Understanding Strikes fact sheet for more in information.
During a strike, Solar has the right to terminate healthcare benefits. Please see the Understanding Strikes fact sheet for more information on how healthcare and other aspects of your Total Rewards package are impacted.
Safety is our top priority. Through our contingency planning, we have worked to ensure that our other Solar or contract employees are able to perform these jobs safely.
The Peoria-Area Community Relations team supports local groups that make our community great. Each year, we work together with more than 30 organizations, taking special consideration for those that have the greatest impact on our employees and their families, and those who are strongly aligned with our Values In Action and our Diversity and Inclusion initiatives. Caterpillar is proud to be a strong partner for the organizations that matter most to our employees.
At Caterpillar’s Decatur plant, gender doesn’t limit skills and opportunities
Manual High School seniors in Peoria sign up for a career at Caterpillar
Caterpillar’s Talent Tuesday helps expedite hiring in Pontiac
Decatur employees celebrate the production of its 1,000th CAT 24 motor grader
Decatur employees celebrate facility’s first expansion in 25 years
Caterpillar’s plant in Decatur is proud of the diversity among their ranks. Welder Renee Saloka Wallbaum has been a welding instructor for over four years and has seen more women join the team. Tina Czerwinski is the first female facility manager at the Decatur plant. “To represent the women of Caterpillar, to take on this challenge, it’s very humbling. If I think about all the women that stand ahead of me, beside me, before me, that got me to this spot, it’s just inspiring to be here and to help those take my spot in the future.”
Last spring, five Manual High School students committed to a career at Caterpillar. Through the program partnership between Caterpillar and Peoria Public Schools, these students will spend a half day of each school day during their senior year in a paid internship.
On the first Tuesday of every month, Caterpillar’s Pontiac plant hosts an open hiring event. Job candidates can plan to spend about two hours at the facility, allowing them to complete most of the hiring progress in one afternoon. Candidates can ask questions, learn more about the opportunities available to them as a Caterpillar employee and, sometimes, even get an offer that same day.
Caterpillar pride was shining brightly on Sept. 23, when employees gathered to celebrate the 1,000th motor grader manufactured at the plant before it shiped to its new home in Australia. This particular model, the 24 Motor Grader, has been built in Decatur since 1996.
On October 5, 2022, the Decatur facility celebrated the opening of the first brick and mortar expansion since 1997 with a ceremonial ribbon-cutting for a logistics warehouse. Tina Czerwinski, Facility Manager, told the crowd of 200 employees that this was an investment not only in the facility and the Decatur community, but also the people working in the facility. She said, “It doesn’t happen without you.” Using a historic pair of scissors provided by the Decatur Regional Chamber of Commerce that has been used for ribbon cutting ceremonies for more than 100 years, Cynthia Jones, Section Manager, received applause from her dedicated team while she cut the ribbon to open the new facility.