Contract negotiations begin next week between the Metropolis Honeywell plant and the local union.
The last contract negotiation began in 2010 and lasted more than a year with several workers taking other jobs during the work stoppage.
Honeywell Plant Manager Jim Pritchett sent a letter to hourly workers today mentioning the company’s investments in Metropolis including $50 million in safety projects and its provision of some of the area’s highest paying hourly jobs.
But Pritchett also notes that the plant hasn’t been profitable in a decade with losses reaching $300 million and faces challenging market conditions with the lowest levels of nuclear power generation since 1999.
Honeywell spokesperson Peter Dalpe says negotiations will run weekdays and weekends from 4 p.m. to 10 p.m.
The United Steelworkers Local 7-669 represents 134 hourly workers, and the current three-year contract expires August 1.
