By Jacque Day
Metropolis, Ill. – Negotiations between the Honeywell Corporation and the United Steelworkers Metropolis resume at 8 AM Tuesday. Honeywell spokesman Peter Dalpe said in a statement that the corporation has offered wage increases and "asked the union to pay a greater portion of medical benefit costs," consistent with their non-union counterparts. Local USW Metropolis chapter president Darrell Lillie says the union offered to freeze wages for three years and maintain the current benefits arrangement. He says he can't speculate on what will come of the Tuesday talks.
"It wouldn't surprise me if they say that they still want us to vote on the last best and final offer. And I can tell you now, if they do ask us to do that, we will tell them, No, we're not interested."
The union held a rally in Metropolis, Illinois over the weekend. As many as 3,000 attended. USW workers have been locked out of the plant for six weeks during the stalemate.