25 July, 2011The 55-week lockout by US manufacturing and technology company Honeywell Inc. on 228 unionized workers appears to be over. The United Steelworkers (USW) Local 7-669 in Metropolis, Illinois, and the US company came to tentative terms for a new three year contract on July 20, which likely sets in motion a return to work for USW members beginning on August 15 if union members ratify the tentative accord next week.
USA: The workers convert yellow-cake uranium into uranium hexafluoride (UF6), which is used in nuclear fuel enrichment. USW Local 7-669 members have been locked off their jobs since June 28, 2010 and in the weeks following, Honeywell inexplicably re-started operations at a worksite utilizing dangerous chemicals with inexperienced replacement workers.
Local 7-669 President Darrell Lillie said the union is currently in the process of sorting out job re-classifications; Honeywell has created 21 new jobs and with the union retaining its seniority provisions in the tentative new agreement, job scheduling and job bidding must take place for returning workers.
Lillie said that should be complete today and the union will conduct an explanation meeting of the new contract early next week, with voting on the tentative agreement expected to occur by mid-week.
"Overall, we're not entirely happy with the proposed contract but we are glad that several of the key issues that the company was trying to take from us will remain in place," said Lillie. "We preserved most provisions that are at the heart of what trade unionists value."
Those provisions include the seniority provisions, which allow senior-most workers to accept more favorable jobs when they become open; retention of a defined benefit pension plan for existing workers; retiree medical care under that same pension scheme; and retention of overtime pay for time work after eight and 12 hours per day. Honeywell workers in Metropolis work both eight- and 12-hour work shifts.
Another important provision kept by workers was time-and-a-half pay on the sixth consecutive day in a week worked, and double-time for the seventh. (See International Federation of Chemical, Energy, Mine and General Workers' Unions(ICEM) news piece from earlier this month.)
Regarding wages, the proposal contains no increase for the first year of the contract, 1 per cent effective August 15, 2012, and 2 per cent due on August 15, 2013. It should be noted that at the outset of the lockout, Local 7-669 proposed a freeze on wages and continuation of all terms and conditions from a previous three-year contract, but the company was set on gutting many benefits and union-protection provisions.
In the proposed agreement, new hires will fall into an equity fund scheme rather than the defined-benefit AlliedSignal Pension Benefit Thrift Fund, and workers on leave under the US Family and Medical Leave Act must take vacation time concurrently. A handful of janitorial and laundry jobs will be contracted out, and more worrisome in such a dangerous worksite, a single safety operator job will be outsourced. That position is responsible for maintaining all safety equipment throughout the plant, such as fire extinguishers, emergency breathing devices and other safety equipment.
Lillie said 150 workers will return to training and re-orientation as mandated by the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission on August 15, 40 workers two weeks later, and the remainder two weeks after that. The unionized workforce will number about 220 workers when the experienced and qualified USW members are fully back to work.
"Local 7-669 is highly appreciative of the tremendous support we have received from trade unions, those in the community and others throughout this long lockout," said Lillie. "The donations, the international support, and the recognition by many here and abroad on what we were up against will never be forgotten."