Uranium, not kryptonite, worries Superman's hometown

[bananas]

Source: St. Louis Post-Dispatch

Metropolis, Ill. • Uranium, not kryptonite, has residents of Superman's hometown on edge these days.

The uranium can be found at the Honeywell plant, located just west of town and, as is frequently pointed out these days, just upwind. The plant — an unremarkable, hulking mass just off the highway — has been around more than five decades. It rarely registers much of a thought here, except as a provider of hundreds of good-paying jobs handling dangerous material. That was, until June 28.

That's when Honeywell locked out its 220 union workers over a contract dispute. The union of production and maintenance workers picketed outside. The company hired replacement staff. The plant ran in slow motion for weeks, staying clear of any difficult work. But Honeywell recently announced it plans to restart full production early this month.

The development grabbed the attention of many in this Ohio River town of 6,500 — and not just because it suggests the lockout may be a prolonged one in an already sour economy. As the backlit sign outside the Shear Magic salon explains: "Nervous to be a neighbor of Honeywell." Or, as Jerry Baird, owner of Diamond Lil's restaurant just up the road, says, "I feel my life's in danger here. They've got guys in there that've been in there no time at all."

<snip>


Crosses placed near the entrance to Honeywell's uranium conversion plant in Metropolis, IL, allegedly represent past employees that died of cancer. One of the union's main sticking points with the company is retiree healthcare.

Read more: http://www.stltoday.com/business/article_b7424146-a748-53e7-92b3-b7005b29df8e.html

[dipsydoodle]

1. They should just deal with it

If the radiation from depleted uranium shells is good enough for Iraqis and Palestinians then its good enough for them too.

[Edweird]

2. You're a real class act aren't you?

[dipsydoodle]

3. Fair is fair.

You wanna fuck others then what's the issue with fucking yourselves at the same time.

[Ian David]

4. I take it that Ignored #2 said something stupid? n/t