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Honeywell, Union Squabble Over Wearing Stickers

Honeywell, Union Squabble Over Wearing Stickers
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By Bill Hughes
Jul. 21, 2014 | METROPOLIS, IL
By Bill Hughes Jul. 21, 2014 | 06:02 PM | METROPOLIS, IL
The union representing workers at Honeywell Metropolis accused company management Monday of breaking labor laws by making employees remove stickers that express their opinion on contract negotiations, which had just begun that day.

On their website, USW local 7-669 said management told employees to remove the stickers, which the union says is a protected right. Calling the company's action, "typical," the union contacted the National Labor Relations Board about it, and claimed online that the company was trying to suppress the collective voice of workers and intimidate them.

Honeywell Spokesman Peter Dalpe  issued a statement on the matter, saying there are safety concerns related to mechanical and fire risks associated with the use of stickers, and supervisors took appropriate action consistent with existing work rules at the site. But Dalpe added, "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 in this case."

The union claims its workers are already under "enormous stress...since the 14-month lockout of 2010-2011." They said even though management later indicated they wouldn't discipline employees for wearing stickers, they didn't communicate that information to those who were affected.

Most union employees were also kept off the job in 2012 while the plant performed upgrades required by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to meet new earthquake safety standards.

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