NEWTON, Iowa — After 80 days on strike, UAW Local 997 has reached a tentative agreement with Thombert, Inc.
Members will hold a tentative agreement ratification meeting at the union hall on Saturday at 1 p.m.
Dozens of employees began striking on Aug. 1, advocating for better wages, lower health care costs and immediate accident and sickness leave.
"We're out here because we want to go back to work," Jason Wickman, recording secretary for Local 997, told Local 5 in September. "We just need a fair contract to do so.”
As one of the world's largest manufacturers of polyurethane wheels and tires, workers believe Thombert has the ability to do more for it's employees.
“We’re not asking for anything outrageous," Wickman told Local 5 in September. "We want to maintain a cost of living increase that keeps our heads above water with inflation."
The tentative agreement with Thombert comes as workers across the country continue to fight for fair contracts. Currently, about 33,700 members of the United Auto Workers union are on strike against Detroit automakers.
While the efforts in Newton aren't connected to the broader UAW strike, Wickman told Local 5 the mission is the same.
“We rely on the company, for our wages, our benefits, but they rely on us also for our labor," he said in September. "And the strike simply is a leverage tool, to make them take us seriously."