Striking plant workers receive last paycheck

? Striking workers at Bombardier Aerospace’s Wichita plant won’t be collecting any more paychecks from the company until the strike ends.

Officials say striking workers received their last company check Thursday; their insurance was to end at midnight Sunday, unless they signed up for a plan to extend it. They can start receiving $150 a week from a strike fund if it goes into a third week, and a union jobs committee is helping link strikers with temporary work.

Montreal-based Bombardier Aerospace has about 4,000 workers in the United States, with 2,300 of them at its Learjet plant in Wichita.

Members of the Machinists union surprised union leadership and the company when they voted Sept. 30 to reject the company’s offer and strike. The union represents about 1,100 workers at the Learjet plant.

The strike, which began when the previous contract expired Oct. 2, was endorsed by 80 percent of the voting members.

Representatives from the union and the company are scheduled to meet Tuesday.