Metropolis community at grave risk for hydrofluoric acid (HF) disaster: Experienced workers locked out

The United Steelworkers Local Union 7-669 has 230 members at the Honeywell plant in Metropolis, IL. The plant processes uranium and those at the plant work around many extremely dangerous and deadly chemicals including very large quantities of the highly hazardous hydrofluoric acid (HF). Union workers at the site have been locked out for 8 months related to a contract dispute. During the lockout Honeywell has replaced USW members at the plant with untrained workers. We will present information about how the lockout of the highly skilled union workforce has erased organizational capacity to prevent or respond to disasters endangering workers, the community and the environment. We will explain the importance of the support and protection of the union in reducing fears about raising health and safety issues with Honeywell, OSHA, NRC, and the EPA. The workforce in the plant during the lockout has no such union support and protection. As evidence of these issues we will detail a false alarm that set off a disaster siren, an explosion that shook the community, and a major HF release. When OSHA arrived for an inspection of the plant during the lockout both the international and local unions were denied their right to accompany inspectors. Since the lockout, production has slowed and railcars of hydrofluoric acid have backed up at the facility. A dangerous amount of full HF railcars have accumulated around the plant and government regulators have ordered Honeywell to secure them with armed guards.