KCP STRIKE ESCALATES WITH UNFAIR LABOR PRACTICE FILING

In its Oct. 21 complaint to the NLRB, Honeywell said that union representative Steve Nickel and other union leaders surrounded a Praxair, Inc. delivery vehicle on its way to the plant’s Bannister Federal Complex location Oct. 19. The company said Nickel blocked the delivery vehicle with his own vehicle and then “opened the door of the vehicle and accosted its operators with verbal threats and intimidation in an attempt to stop the delivery.” Honeywell said several other union workers arrived and helped block the vehicle’s escape, prompting the delivery vehicle’s operators to call police. According to the company, the delivery vehicle was escorted to the plant by the police. “Throughout the work stoppage, Honeywell has recognized the union’s legitimate rights to picket and lawfully express its opinion,” Honeywell said in a statement. “At the same time, the company will take necessary steps to ensure the safety of our workers and suppliers. We urge the union to stop this dangerous conduct.”

 

The Kansas City Police Department did not respond to a request for comment this weekend, but Claude Harris, Local 778’s Directing Business Representative, told NW&M Monitor that the union workers did not mean to intimidate the occupants of the delivery vehicle and intended to ask why the delivery vehicle had previously crossed the union’s picket line. “What’s been happening is Praxair has crossed the picket lines a couple of times and our Grand Lodge Representative Steve Nickel just wanted to talk to the guy to ask him what’s going on and was there any particular reason he crossed the picket line,” Harris said, adding: “I don’t think there was any exchange of any bad words or anything like that, just taking to him. And then apparently I guess he may have been a little intimidated because some additional members drove up and there were more guys. I guess that made him leery of what was going on and what could’ve turned out to be something else.”