Judge Orders IAM To Halt Threats Of 'Bodily Harm'

A federal labor judge has ordered members of the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers District 70, Local 839, an AFL-CIO affiliate, to stop threats of "bodily harm" made against some who had filed unfair labor practice grievances against the union.

Jarrod Lehman and Ryan Hastings had held leadership positions with the union at Spirit Aerosystems. They filed the complaints against the IAM in 2014, alleging that the union had gone against company policy in calling for them to be fired.

Fox News reports that in the ruling issued in April, the judge ordered the union to "Cease and desist from: Attempting to cause or causing Spirit Aerosystems to discharge employee-members because of their dissident union and and/or other protected concerted activities. Threatening employee-members with bodily harm or impeding their grievances because of their protected concerted activities. Discriminatorily and/or arbitrarily processing employee-members' grievances because of their protected concerted activities."

In a statement, District 70 Directing Business Representative Frank Molina said that the union was aware of the decision, but believes it "was wrongly decided on the facts and the law."

FMI: www.d70iam.org, www.nlrb.gov