Clark County Common Pleas Court Judge Douglas Rastatter ordered the injunction to take effect Tuesday. Moyno employs 240 employees, including 128 who have been striking since March 8. It also has 150 union retirees.
Local 902 president Bill Crites said he didn’t believe an injunction was needed, but understood why the court ordered it.
“The judge was very fair,” he said. “We’re down here trying to comply with additions to the injunction.”
Shortly after the strike started on March 8, conflict arose when Moyno brought in vans of temporary workers to help continue production and picketers blocked the gate.
“The court finds that some UAW picketers have, on occasion, strayed away from the protected confines of peaceful picketing by attempting to intimidate replacement workers and non-union Moyno employees,” according to court documents.
The documents say Local 902 picketers impeded people coming in and out of the Moyno property and also placed tire-puncturing objects on Moyno property.
According to court documents, the court found that other than the injunction, little interference is needed because Local 902 president Crites “has done an excellent job of promoting peaceful picketing,” and that Crites and Moyno security work together to keep the strike under control.
Local 902 has been on strike for 42 days after failed contract negotiations with Moyno, a progressive-cavity pump manufacturer for the oil, gas, food and beverage industry. Main issues for the union include frozen pensions, decreased wages, increased health care costs and elimination of employee and retiree benefits.
Moyno and parent company Robbins and Myers have not returned calls to the Springfield News-Sun since contract negotiations failed. They also have not been in touch with the union, said Crites and other picketers.
Picketers expressed anger over being asked to make concessions of up to $7 an hour and an unknown increase in health care costs, among other issues, while they say the company has been extremely profitable.
“At some point we have to draw the line,” said Patrick Hicks, a Moyno employee and Local 902 member.
“What’s important here is that there are jobs for our kids and for other people’s kids,” Hicks said. “And keeping the company in Springfield.”
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