About 64 members of International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM) Local 225 struck Chemineer, a Poe Avenue industrial mixing equipment producer, March 7 after the members rejected a contract proposal. The sides met for their first round of talks since the strike began March 31, but there was little progress, said Halsey and others.
“Both sides have spoken with the mediator, but we have not spoken directly with the union,” Halsey said late Tuesday, April 20.
Stuart Dillavou, one of the striking Chemineer workers, said the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services last week ruled the situation a “dispute,” not a company lockout of the union.
The ruling means IAM members aren’t eligible for unemployment compensation, Dillavou said.
“They still have security guards on the (Chemineer) premises. They won’t let us get our tools out of the company,” said Dillavou, a Kettering resident.
“Physically, that’s a lockout,” added the 35-year-old welder.
“We are disappointed by the (state’s) decision,” said John Carr, a Cincinnati-based spokesman for the IAM. “But there is an appeals process, and we are doing so for our members.”
A spokesman for the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services could not be reached Tuesday afternoon.
Contact this reporter at (937) 225-2390 or tgnau@DaytonDailyNews.com.
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