Labor agreement negotiations at the Metropolis Honeywell Plant got off to a bumpy start as workers were ordered to remove their union stickers yesterday morning. Union representatives claim the move violates the National Labor Relations Act. United Steelworkers Local 7-669 President, Stephen Lech expressed his disappointment with the turn of events.
“This is not the way we wanted negotiations to kick off,” Lech said. “Our members need to be focused on doing their job safely without fear of discipline for exercising their legal rights.”
Honeywell representative Peter Dalpe said the stickers are now being allowed but are a safety risk.
“There is a legitimate safety concern related to mechanical and fire risks associated with the use of stickers in the workplace, and our supervisors at the facility took appropriate action, consistent with the site’s established work rules," Dalpe said. "In this case, given our focus on negotiating a new, fair labor agreement for the site and our interest in focusing all our energy on the negotiations, the site leadership has decided to defer to the union’s use of stickers in the workplace.”
Negotiations continue today. The current 3-year contract expires August 1.
