About 90 members of the United Auto Workers Chapter No. 291 in Oshkosh are officially on strike, walking out from their jobs at Cummins, March 19, 2025. PC: Fox 11 Online
OSHKOSH, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) — About 90 members of the United Auto Workers Chapter No. 291 in Oshkosh are officially on strike, walking out on Tuesday at noon from their jobs at Cummins.
“We had a contract that expired at the end of January,” said Ryan Compton, president of the local chapter. “We’ve only met nine times since it’s been expired, so as of this point we are on strike.”
Compton said they’ll remain on strike until there’s a resolution.
Cummins is an Indianapolis-based company with a plant in Oshkosh, whose manufacturing includes engines and generators. They’re advocating for higher wages, no mandatory Saturdays and the elimination of temporary workers.
“This is our future, these are our jobs,” said Compton. “Hourly employees nationwide are sick of getting everything taken.”
Cummins issued a statement in response to the strike.
We have been engaging in ongoing, good-faith negotiations with union representatives at our Cummins Drivetrain and Braking Systems plant in Oshkosh. We remain committed to exploring all available options to reach a mutually acceptable agreement while maintaining transparent communication with employees, customers, and stakeholders.
They added that the next meeting is scheduled in the coming weeks, which Compton specified as a virtual meeting scheduled for April 1 and in-person meeting on April 22.
The union workers say it’s not just about them, but also the strength of the nation’s economy.
“They’re all American jobs, and we want to keep these American jobs,” said Compton, who added recent political decisions have made no impact on the strike. “We want to keep bumping the scale up for these people, so even if you’re in a non-union place, the unions will bump up the wages for everybody else around them.”
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