Recognition was 10 years in the planning, company were desperate to avoid it (aircraft engine overhaul) as it would be seen very negatively by parent company. The while campaign became very toxic in the end, split the workplace in half – both sides as bad as each other tbh.
The first minor issue, and i mean minor, I can’t even recall what it was, resulted in an overtime ban called at a union meeting. The place had lived on overtime for 30 odd years, it’s an incredibly difficult process to plan, so having guys off shift willing to work got the engines out the door.
The ban became a who blinks first, and the company decided to flex its muscle.
When your operating costs per hour are over 130 dollars per hour, and the company have shops in Brazil and far east that are less than half that, you don’t play hardball over some stupid issue.
I still believe that if both management and union had acted in a mature manner, it would have benefited all parties, but they couldn’t put their egos in their pockets.
Worked out for me, got voluntary package and a job in a far steadier industry.