Bell Helicopter Workers Strike

Nearly 2,000 union workers voted to reject a pay raise and other benefits offered by Bell Helicopter and its parent company, Textron, and went on strike at midnight Monday.

The UAW workers rejected a three-year deal that guaranteed a raise, but also eliminated some positions, and fell short of health care coverage, some workers thought.

"They're offering us roughly a 3 percent pay increase across the board, but the average individual family man is going to be paying $3,600 minimum out of pocket for insurance, so it doesn't equate," said UAW Local 218 member Vic Czerniak.

60 percent of the union members voted Sunday to strike at midnight, despite the financial difficulties of working without pay in these tough economic times.

The last time this union went on strike was 22 years ago, and that lasted three weeks.

Bell Helicopter released a statement saying it has been negotiating in good faith through all of this, and it invites anyone who wants to work to cross the picket lines.