Mennel union turns down 3rd contract

12/13/2002

FOSTORIA - Mennel Milling union members, who've been on strike for nearly a month, chose to stay on the picket line when they rejected the company's third contract offer yesterday.

The well-known milling company and the Bakery, Confectionery, Tobacco Workers, and Grain Millers International Union Local 58G were back to the negotiating table Wednesday and emerged with the offer. The proposed contract was overwhelmingly defeated by union members who are holding out for items such as less expensive health-care coverage.

Fostoria police said officers have had to respond to the plant several times during the strike, including twice Wednesday. The plant's security guard called for police at 3 p.m. and again at 3:40 p.m. claiming that strikers were blocking the truck entrance and that a striker was trespassing on company property.