Union, Honeywell Making Little Progress

Very little progress has been made this week in negotiations between Honeywell and United Steel Workers in Metropolis.

Honeywell spokesman Peter Dalpe issued a statement saying they made counter-proposals Wednesday morning, relating to vacation policies and grievance procedures, after reviewing union proposals from Tuesday. The union said those moves by the company were very minor.

A USW Local 7-669 statement said, "The union negotiating team took the remainder of the day to re-evaluate their proposals in order to address the company’s concerns and preserve what the membership has mandated."

The union said Tuesday's talks centered around proposals based on what the company called important, but the company stated those allowances would, "turn back the clock" and decrease efficiency. Honeywell said they remain committed to bargaining in good faith, but told union negotiators that any new contract must control costs and have operational flexibility so they can compete in the global market. The union claims the flexibility the company wants to preserve includes contract language that would allow subcontractors to replace them one-at-a-time.

Both sides return to negotiations Thursday.