Invista, Canadian Union, Back at Bargaining Table

Kingston, Ontario, Canada, Jan. 5, 2010–Invista is playing “hardball” in contract talks with workers, according to a story in the Kingston Whig-Standard.

A  team representing members of the Kingston Independent Nylon Workers Union returns to the bargaining table today with Invista officials.

“[Today] will be a big day for us,” union president Barry Johnston told the newspaper. “Either we’ll be negotiating in good faith, from the company side, or we may be having to call in a conciliator.”

The current three-year contract expires Jan. 28.

Invista is a subsidiary of Kansas-based Koch Industries Inc.

In an unusual move, the newspaper said, the Kingston union went public with a number of key demands of management, although talks are still underway.

The company has proposed major changes to severance, rehire rights and layoff language in the contract.