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Production and maintenance employees at the Metropolis,
Illinois, plant who are members of United Steelworkers Local
7-669 have been locked out since Aug. 2 after a three-year
contract expired.
"The company is pleased to have reached a tentative agreement on
a new, three-year contract. The union has indicated that its
membership will vote on the proposed contract on Wednesday or
Thursday," company spokesman Peter Dalpe said.
In a statement, the U.S. Federal Mediation and Conciliation
Service (FMCS) said it asked the parties to return to the
bargaining table with federal mediation on Wednesday. "Working
under the auspices of FMCS mediators, the union and employer
reached a tentative agreement after many hours of intense
talks," the statement said.
The mediation service said the tentative agreement is subject to
ratification. It provided no details on the agreement.
"At the request of the federal mediator who assisted in the
bargaining this week, the company is not commenting on the
specific terms of the proposed contract at this time, except to
say that we are hopeful the agreement will be ratified,” Dalpe
said.
Honeywell's Metropolis plant is the only U.S. facility that
converts uranium oxide into uranium hexafluoride, which is then
enriched to be used as fuel in nuclear power plants.
"We are extremely pleased that we were able to help the union
and employer overcome their differences in these challenging and
complex negotiations," Allison Beck, FMCS acting director, said
in the statement.
"Representatives from both sides were willing to put in the long
hours that were required, and ultimately they were successful in
reaching a mutually acceptable agreement," Beck said.
(Reporting by Will Dunham in Washington; Editing by David
Gregorio and Diane Craft)
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