This week, I join the city in closing one chapter of our lives and opening another.

I’m a longtime resident of Erie. I’ve raised my family here among the generous community that has instilled good values in our children and provided them with a solid education. I share this because I am deeply invested in our community’s future.

After nearly three decades of working for General Electric, Monday marked a new beginning with Westinghouse Air Brake Technologies Corp. The merger with GE Transportation is complete and I am enthusiastic about what the future holds for myself, the company and our customers. This should also bring excitement to our community, but instead, the posturing and actions from Local 506 of the United Electrical, Radio and Machine Workers of America in Erie have brought strife and disappointment.

Over 10 months of getting to know Wabtec’s leadership, their vision for our plant has been clear — to strengthen its cost structure and position it for success. That’s why I’m disappointed in the UE’s decision to approve a potential strike and why I want to set the record straight.

Let’s start with the facts. What you may not know is that the Erie site is GE Transportation’s least competitive site globally. Over the years, we have repeatedly worked to make Erie a more viable plant, but the union refused. As a result, work transferred out of Erie and the community suffered.

The jobs performed by members of the UE are good jobs with a pay scale beyond anything in this region at $35 an hour. As part of the acquisition, Wabtec remained committed to ensuring employees kept their existing salary or wage rate and a best-in-class benefits package that includes a competitive 401(k) plan, comprehensive medical, dental and vision package, and accrued personal time off.

In return, we ask for reasonable, scheduled overtime only when necessary to deliver products and services to customers. We also ask for competitive wages at a proposed rate of $16.75-$25 an hour for new hires — a standard practice by U.S. manufacturing companies to aggressively compete with competitors in low-cost countries like China or Mexico.

Why? Because we care about keeping U.S. jobs and care about the future of Erie. The UE stating otherwise is misleading and damaging to our community.

Other unions recognize this. Wabtec has completed negotiations with four separate unions representing five bargaining units. Negotiations were collaborative and swift. Ratification votes were overwhelmingly favorable, and relationships remain positive. The terms in those new contracts are very similar to those proposed to the UE in Erie.

I am confident this merger presents us with a real opportunity to better position everyone for success and am disappointed the union does not see that. The union is not just making decisions for its members, but also decisions on behalf of Erie that can harm this community. We remain steadfast in our commitment to continuing discussions and hope that the UE shares the same commitment to reaching an agreement. Our future depends on it.

Greg Sbrocco is senior vice president of Wabtec’s Excellence Program. He manages Wabtec’s global manufacturing plants, including the Erie facility.