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| Front row, from left: Randy Anderson, Kevin Zizzo, Brian Kreger and William Beard. Back row: Steven Smith, Chris Kujawa, Andrew Kuehl, Ryan Wenzel and Damian Iskra. |
The National Labor Relations Board Region 13 issued a significant complaint against the Al Piemonte Chevrolet Dealership in East Dundee, IL on May 29, 2015. Nine Local 701 members have been on strike at this location for over 325 days – and locked out by the employer since February 2015 – over issues related to obtaining a first contract and Unfair Labor Practices committed by the dealership.
Click here to watch the Machinists News Network video, “IAM Mechanics Locked Out.”
As part of the remedy for the unfair labor practices alleged, the NLRB General Counsel seeks an order requiring the dealership to reimburse Local 701 members for all search-for-work and work-related expenses during the back pay period. The remedy includes extending the certification year for an additional three months; reimbursing the Local for its costs and expenses incurred in collective bargaining from January 14, 2015 to the present, including attorney’s fees, reasonable salaries, travel expenses and per diems; meeting and bargaining with the Local at least once every four weeks; and reading the notice to all employees in the presence of the representative of the NLRB General Counsel. The General Counsel further seeks all other relief as may be just and proper to remedy the unfair labor practices alleged.
Local 701 hopes the NLRB’s decision will jump start the bargaining process. The unfair labor practices the dealership committed will cost them several hundred thousand dollars in attorney fees and other costs.
These nine members voted unanimously to walk out on strike on July 9, 2014 after the employer failed to give them a fair contract offer and Piemonte management threatened their jobs. As it stands, this has been the longest strike in Local 701’s 84-year history of representing mechanics in the Chicagoland area.
Local 701 currently represents over 6,000 active members in over 560 locations in and throughout the Chicagoland area, including two other Piemonte locations, Al Piemonte Ford and Al Piemonte Nissan in Melrose Park, IL. Local 701 has enjoyed many years of harmonious relationships with other union Piemonte locations and was hopeful to carry over this good relationship into their East Dundee Chevrolet location.
