Headline News
Local 101 In Virginia Wins $119,000 Back-Pay Settlement
Thanks to the persistence and patience of Local 101 members and their leaders, 19 drivers at a chemical-manufacturing plant have won a $119,000 back-pay settlement.
The settlement, signed June 2, involves 19 drivers employed at the Honeywell International plant in Chesterfield, Virginia. Local 101 has 373 members, all employed at two Honeywell plants—Chesterfield and the Technical Center in Colonial Heights—including the drivers and production and maintenance workers. The case is about 30 months old and involves driver-subcontracting violations. Local 101 challenged the company’s use of subcontractor drivers, and an arbitrator ruled in favor of the drivers.
However, the company filed a lawsuit in federal court in an attempt to vacate the arbitrator’s award.
“Local 101 has been around since 1969 and has been involved with more than 125 arbitration cases, and this case is believed to be the first time this employer has challenged an arbitrator’s decision in federal court,” said Brian Hairfield, Local 101 Secretary-Treasurer and Business Agent.
The federal court judge ruled in favor of the drivers as well, but the case continued to face delays. Finally, earlier this month, the settlement was reached.
Seventeen of the drivers will receive more than $6,700, while two others—who have since retired—will receive lesser amounts.
“Our members were very patient and united during these past 30 months,” said Gary Nimmo, Local 101 President and Principal Officer. “This victory took a lot of hard work. Secretary-Treasurer Brian Hairfield did a great job, as did our attorneys. Subcontracting is a big problem in this country, but we challenged it head on to protect our members. We will continue to be vigilant so that our members’ interests are protected.”
This is the second recent victory by Local 101 against Honeywell. Earlier in the year, Local 101 won an arbitration case for its members at the Technical Center plant. The case involved the company making unilateral changes without first negotiating with the union. This award included a monetary settlement of $3,800 split among 11 members.