Labor in Illinois

Week of June 20,2008

Kroger Ratifies New Labor Agreement

Grocery store Kroger Co. has agreed to a new labor agreement with United Food and Commercial Workers Union Local 700 of Indianapolis. The agreement called for Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service, but both sides currently celebrate the bargain as a win. The new agreement covers 4200 Kroger associates in sixty stores throughout Indianapolis and parts of Bloomington, Crawfordsville and Kokomo. They also cover some workers in stores with the banner names Scott’s, Owen’s, Hilander and Pay Less. One of the nation’s largest retail grocery chains, Kroger operates 2486 supermarkets and multi-department stores nationwide. It also owns 42 food processing plants which are headquartered in Cincinnati, Ohio. – (Earthtimes.org 19 June 2008)

John Deere Contracts for Research Park, University of Illinois

John Deere machinery of Moline, Illinois has contracted to open a research center on the grounds of the University of Illinois. They hope to expand the university’s research in advanced electronics, advanced sensors, systems technology and mechatronics. These subcategories fall under mechanical and electronic engineering. Said university Chancellor Richard Herman,
the center “will enhance the knowledge and skills of faculty and students as we continue to prepare our graduates to compete and succeed in the global marketplace.” – (Crain’s Business 17 July 2008)

Schnuck Markets Employs Workforce Management Consultant

St.Louis- based Schnuck Markets, Inc. has selected RedPrairie’s Workforce Management Solution to help run its human resources. RedPrarie consults Schnucks in future planning and workforce training. They operate 103 stores in Missouri, Illinois, Indiana, Wisconsin, Tennessee and Mississippi. – (PRS Businesswire 19 June 2008)

EPA Official Ousted in Fight with Dow

Mary Gade, a Midwest EPA official, has been in dispute with Dow Chemicals about delayed plans to clean up dioxin-saturated soil and sediment that dumps into Saginaw Bay and Lake Huron. Its toxic dumping into local rivers extends 50 miles beyond its Midland, Mich., plant. She has been placed on “administrative leave” but protests that she stands by all of her decisions in her relations with Dow. Dioxin was a byproduct of the herbicide Agent Orange and is measured in trillionths of a gram because its toxicity. The Chicago Tribune reports, “Company documents show Dow knew by the mid-1960s that it could make people sick or even kill them. Citing years of independent studies, the EPA says dioxin causes cancer and disrupts the immune and reproductive systems, even at very low levels.”—( Chicago Tribune 2 May 2008)

State Ethics Examination Law Suit Settled

The Illinois Education Association and its affiliate union, the Southern Illinois University – Carbondale (SIUC) Faculty Association, have announced an agreement with the Illinois Executive Inspector General and Illinois Ethics Commission over a recent lawsuit. The state failed 10,000 state employees not for failing the test but for taking the timed, online test too quickly. The lawsuit released the employees from further disciplinary action, but the Illinois deputy inspector general said nothing has necessarily changed for the future. – (Daily Labor Report 1 May 2008)

Court Warrants Allstate Members Claim that Earnings Estimate Reduced Benefits

The Northern District of the State of Illinois Courts has not dismissed retirees’ claims that the company may have used unreasonable methods of calculating employees’ estimated compensation. In creating pension projections, Allstate assumed that employees received 6 percent pay increases each year between 1951 and 1988 and that during this time employees were continuously covered by Social Security. So far, the courts have granted warrants for discovery investigations of the company. (Daily Labor Report 10 June 2008)

OSHA Fines Illinois Roofing Company

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration fined Winter’s Architectural Roofing Co. of Carbon Cliff $244,000 for eight citations of safety violations. The federal agency started its investigation after an employee fell 16 feet through a skylight and was killed in October of 2007. The company has been noted for negligence on low-sloped roofs, failure to cover skylight openings, and failure to train employees about fall hazards. (Daily Labor Report 16 April 2008)