In our tough economy, a steady job is solid gold. Sunday more than 400 union workers at Rockford's Hamilton Sundstrand plant, that makes airplane parts, approved a contract to keep them working for the next three years.

High fives and handshakes were in high supply at the Tebala Shrine Center in Rockford Sunday, after 92 percent of Hamilton Sundstrand union workers approve a new three year contract.
"The economy's so bad, gas prices going up so much, that it's just so nice to have a great job and I can't wait to go to work tomorrow," says Hamilton Sundstrand mechanic Tim Hodges.
The landslide approval was a relief to workers who went through a painful lockout back in 2003 when contract negotiations stalled.
Highlights of the new deal include a three-thousand dollar signing bonus and wage increases of three and a half percent year over year for the life of the contract.
But there are downfalls too. Longterm disability benefits are capped at three years, instead of matching the employee's seniority.
"The company came at us and didn't want us to have that benefit, but we were able to meet somewhere in the middle," says Todd Anderson, a Hamilton Sundstrand assembler, and member of the bargaining committee.
Health insurance packages remain the same, but employee out of pocket contributions go up 60 percent the first year. That's as much as 30 dollars extra a week.
"It's sad that the raises that we're going to get are going to be offset by these costs, but it's pretty good for us in this environment," says Hamilton Sundstrand machinist Jody Love.
Perhaps the toughest thing to swallow is the loss of 65 machining jobs, that will be outsourced to Singapore by the end of June.
The union's president says his team fought to the end to try to save those jobs.
"It does make it bittersweet because we know that there's 65 brothers and sisters that this will be their last contract," says Ted Dever, president of UAW Local 592.

There were no buy-outs or transfers offered to those 65 workers, just unemployment. But there is a twelve-year period when those workers get priority to come back to the plant whenever there is an opening.
Employees say the Aerospace industry is doing well now and they're hopeful they'll be able to bring some people back.

The workers 23 News talked to were upset about the health care increases, but they see that as a national issue, that couldn't be helped in this contract. They're looking to politicians to make changes in the health care system.
Hamilton Sundstrand company representatives say they're happy workers sealed the deal.