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Thursday, March 28, 2024 | Back issues
Courthouse News Service Courthouse News Service

Union Broke Word on Porn, Company Says

CINCINNATI (CN) - A plastics company says it gave union members a break by suspending them, instead of firing them, for using company computers to send pornography - on the condition that the suspensions were not to be used as precedents for future grievances. But Ineos says the union did just that, so now it's sued in Federal Court, seeking to fire all the original offenders.

Ineos ABS, which makes plastic resins, fired 16 members of the International Chemical Workers Union Council of the United Food and Commercial Workers Local 561-C for using company computers to send "disgusting, pornographic and obscene" e-mails that contained "video and pictures depicting nude and scantily clad women performing all sorts of sexual and degrading acts," according to the complaint.

When the union filed grievances, Ineos agreed to convert the terminations to 45-day suspensions, but the decision was to be a "nonprecedent, nonreferable basis as it applies to other employees of the company and shall not constitute evidence" for future grievances.

Ineos says the union then used the 16 agreements as evidence in 10 other grievance proceedings for other workers who had sent pornographic emails, "in violation of all sixteen agreements."

Ineos seeks an injunction to stop the union from using the agreements as evidence in the future, and asks that the "decisions be rescinded and the original terminations of these individuals be reinstated."

Ineos is represented by Kerry Hastings with Taft Stettinius & Hollister.

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